Rohrnudel (sometimes called Buchteln) are a sweet roll, made with yeast and filled with jam (and sometimes ground poppyseeds, cream cheese or curd). This recipe was taught to me by my Bavarian cousin and has become a family favorite. They aren’t time-consuming to make and they are a fantastic treat, served warm, with a cup of coffee or tea.
I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes for “Hot Cross Buns” all over Food Blogosphere. I got to thinking– my D.N.A. roots are deeply embedded in Germany– Bavaria, to be specific. I saw a similarity to the sweet dough for Hot Cross Buns (an English Easter tradition) to a German sweet dough recipe. My mother’s first cousin, introduced me to her recipe for “Rohrnudeln” a few years ago. I asked her for the recipe, which she gave to me from memory– in metric measurements, no less.
My family loves them, and these delightful rolls have become an annual Easter brunch tradition for us. Called “Rohrnudel” (pronounced like ROwA-NOODEL) is a sweet yeast dough, almost brioche like. Filled with jam, these are divine served warm with a cup of coffee or tea. These can be devoured within 2 hours, from start to finish.
Whenever I bake these (and I’m getting better at it, each time), my boys are really happy. They love these, and I confess, so do I! I did my best to convert her measurements, and to apply her instructions–and then I tried to make these my own way. Here’s how I made them:
The ingredients are simple– milk (I used 2%), butter (I used unsalted, this time), eggs, vanilla sugar (I make my own by sticking used vanilla beans in sugar, in a jar), yeast and flour. Oh, and jam of your choice. My first choice would be to use a plum jam, but I can’t make those until the fall. Instead, I used my homemade apricot jam.
The dough is super easy to make with a stand mixer, though you could do this by hand. NOTE: You certain can make these by hand with a Danish Dough Whisk. You want to mix the dough until it clears the side of the bowl– about 5 minutes, using the dough hook.
Place the dough into a bowl, sprayed with oil, and covered it with a plastic cover. In the background, you see my Brod &Taylor Dough Proofer. They’re hard to find, and they are a financial investment. Since my new oven doesn’t have a proofing drawer, I decided to splurge and buy one. This really speeds up my yeast dough proofing by half! Otherwise, preheat your oven on WARM for about 2 minutes, then shut it off. That also helps with proofing dough, unless it’s summer time and your kitchen is already warm.
When the dough has doubled, sprinkle some flour on a counter and gently press the dough into a rough “square”. Cut twelve pieces of dough. Shaping the rolls doesn’t need perfection.
Using my 8×8 pan, add 1/2 stick of melted butter and 1/4 cup of sugar and whisk it all together.
There’s no rocket science to doing this. I could’ve rolled the dough into a ball, pressed it into a circle, then filled it with a little jam. In this case, I had square shapes, and brought all the corners together shaping it into a “money bag” and then gently rolled it into a ball.
Done!
Brush melted butter all over.
That looks like a lot of butter– but it’ll be absorbed into the rolls in a matter of minutes. It looks great.
I can’t wait any longer! It’s been a few years since I’ve baked these and I wanted to update this post with new photos.
TASTING NOTES: As simple and fool-proof as this yeast dough is to make, it’s so fluffy and tender. The rolls are a tad bit sweet, and the apricot jam is really good! These are perfect for breakfast or brunch. These taste best, when fresh and hot from the oven. They become denser the following day, so it’s best to reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
I’m grateful that my cousin, Ursula, shared her recipe with me. These are a family heirloom recipe that I cherish.
This blog post dates back to 2009 and has been updated with new copy and photos.
This Easter, I am remembering a time when my mother and I strolled through the streets of Bad Reichenhall and Salzburg Austria. The hand decorated Easter Eggs and the bakery and chocolatier displays are simply amazing. Easter has always been an important holiday for our family– it especially makes me miss my mother (“Mutti”).
My mother (right) and her first cousin, Ursula, on her confirmation day, circa 1946.
Blessed Easter to all of you!
Bavarian Rohrnudeln or Buchteln (Sweet Dough Buns Filled with Jam)
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups flour plus 1/4 cup flour (if needed)
- 1/4 cup vanilla sugar or 1 tsp. pure vanilla and 1/4 cup sugar (see recipe notes)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup milk warmed
- ½ stick unsalted butter melted
- 2 ¼ tsp rapid-rise yeast or instant yeast
- 12 teaspoons apricot preserves or jam of your choice
For the bottom of the baking pan:
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup sugar to dip unbaked rolls into
Instructions
- Heat the milk to no more than 105°F.
- I use rapid rise yeast, that I like to proof by adding half the vanilla sugar with the warmed milk–allow to become foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes. Otherwise, if using instant yeast, you can skip this and add it right into the dry ingredients.
- I also use my stand-mixer with a dough hook for mix the dough, or you can also use a bread machine or Danish Dough Whisk. Otherwise, do as our grandparents did, and mix by hand.
Stand mixer directions:
- Add the dry ingredients, and add yeast (I use instant yeast)
- Add the warm milk, eggs and melted butter to dry ingredients, mix until combined.
- The dough should come “clean” from the mixing bowl, so add additional flour if necessary (one tablespoon at a time). Knead for about five minutes.
- Place into an oiled bowl and let rise for about an hour.
- Spray a glass or ceramic square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the remaining melted butter and sugar to the bottom of the pan, and whisk to combine.
- Dump the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by folding the dough over, turn in half, press with the heels of your hands, folder over and repeat a few times. Divide into either 9 larger rolls, or 12 smaller rolls. You might need to add a small amount of flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
- Pull each piece of dough into a circle (doesn’t have to be perfect). Spoon one teaspoon of jam– being careful not to overfill. Grab a corner and pull over the jam, and do this until the jam is covered. Grab the corners and lightly twist to seal. Dip each roll into the butter/sugar mixture as you place it into the pan.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Optional: Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and brush onto the baked rolls.
- Best served slightly warm. Store in an airtight container, but do not refrigerate.
Notes
Nutrition
I am making these for sure! Maybe tomorrow morning!
A blessed Easter to you too.
um, lush! i would also use peach jam since it is my fave! also, i will have to wait until after Passover, since yeast is not allowed in our home during this time! shalom and love to you! and……. Happy Easter too!
These look so good, and that peach jam…well…perfect!!!
What a wonderful post!Hope you wont mind but I’d love to direct Foodista readers to your site, just add this little widget here and you’re all set to go :)Happy Easter!
Austrian pastries are the BEST.
My great grandmother was from Austria…..I love the nuts, chocolate and yeast breads.
I’ve never been good with yeast, can you make me some?
Wow – your buns are such a beautiful shape! (and I don’t say that to just anyone!!!!)
These look terrific
Bavaria has brought us such fabulous food influences! These hot cross buns look absolutely fabulous. I love that they hide a bit of a treat inside. How delightful!
This looks absolutely wonderful, a true treat, and a nice special tribute.
These look so good and peach jam sounds perfect. As I read blogs this morning I can’t help but wonder why I DIDNT make these this year!
Oh My Word! Can't wait to try these for Easter. Peach jam – my favorite. Sweet bread. Heavenly!
My husband is obsessed with this one strawberry preserves that we first discovered at Cracker Barrel but our grocer also sells it. So I bet I would really have one over my husband if I made this with his favorite preserves! Thank You for sharing! I am going to make these soon. I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog. I am a food blogger to. I join yours, hope you will join mine. Take Care!
Warmest Regards,
Annamaria
Have made these 3 times and absolutely LOVE THEM!! The only problem is that once they are cool enough to eat, I want to eat them all! INCREDIBLE!!
I’m from the Oberpfalz and they make Hefe-Knoedel (Hefa-Knedl) . They are sleightly sweet and quite compact and good warm or cold. Yours seem to be more fluffy. I wished I could find a recipe for those. But I will try your recipe they look realy good.
I hope that they exceed your expectations!
Thank you for sharing. My father used to make these, it was his speciality. I cheat however and make the dough in my breadmaker. It is much easier and spares my poor arthritic hands all the kneading.
That’s not cheating! Whatever works. I’m so glad you tried this heirloom recipe. Happy Easter!
these are AMAZING!! growing up in bavaria my mother use to make buchteln all the time and us kids loved them. I’m ashamed to say that after nearly 30 years in the US i just now realized that Buchteln aka Rohrnudeln are the same as Hawaiian Rolls in the US with the difference of the pineapple juice used in the american recipes. Thank You for sharing your family heirloom.
Birgit, TX
Funny. I never thought of these as Hawaiian rolls (and we love them). There is no shame in that! Thank you for the positive feedback.
My German grandma lived 2000 miles from us, so I missed a lot of her recipes. I just made some homemade Pflaumenmuss and can’t wait to try these rolls. I also have some Huckleberry jam that will taste delicious! The recipe that I loved most that my grandma made, she called German Borscht. It was like a beef vegetable soup with beets (but not the main ingredient) and it had dill in it and at the end she stirred in sour cream. It was so good! My family moved from Germany to Russia to Alberta, Canada.
It’s interesting how different regions of Germany have a variety of recipes. I’m not familiar with German Borscht, but it sounds delicious. I hope you enjoy the Rohrnudeln recipe!