German Bauernbrot |German Baking Classic

Bauernbrot, literally translating to ‘farmers bread‘, truly lies at the heart of German bread baking. No matter where in Germany you are, I can guarantee that the bakeries will be selling Bauernbrot! A slice of Bauernbrot with its soft crumb and lovely crust is perfect with any topping, ranging from cold meat or cheese to sweet jam or honey.

Germans eat bread at any time of the day, so you´ll find people eating it for breakfast (check out how to make a traditional German breakfast here), as sandwiches in a packed lunch or to dip into soup and even dinner! Bauernbrot is a really popular choice for ‘Abendbrot’ (literally translates to ‘evening bread’), which is basically like having breakfast for dinner: Bread with cold, sliced meat and cheese, often accompanied by salad or crudités. The only exception, at least when I had it growing up, was that we weren´t allowed to have anything sweet (e.g. jam) in the evening…

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Bauernbrot – What is it and how do you make it?

If you browse the web for German Bauernbrot recipes you will find 1000s of different ways to do it! And they´ll probably all claim they´re the best. I have tried a lot of different ones in the past, but it was actually my dad who found the recipe that the one below is based on. Of course, I have made a few alterations of my own (got to stay true to myself, haha), but I am very happy with the end result. I really love the recipe below, because the bread is really quick and easy to make, plus it tastes really good despite requiring almost 0 effort. It keeps really well unsliced in a plastic bag for a few days. It tastes best on the day it is made, but over the next few days I tend to cut slices of it as needed and toast it – which is also very good! The bread is also suitable for freezing – I often make two at a time and pop one in the freezer for when I need it!

The most important thing when making Bauernbrot is to use the right combination of flour: a 50:50 mix of rye and white flour. The dough is quite wet and sticky, so I would recommend using the dough hooks of an electric hand-held or free-standing mixer to make your Bauernbrot. You will need a bit of patience, but after about 10 minutes the dough will come together and loose some of its stickiness. The dough is left to prove for an hour, shaped, and then left to rise a little more as the oven pre-heats. The bread is then baked with steam to give it a nice crust.

Why you should use fresh yeast to make Bauernbrot

For the yeast, I like to use fresh yeast to make Bauernbrot. I have two main reasons for this: one, I think it tastes better, and two, I get a better rise from it.

Fresh yeast is used in most German baking recipes, as it is readily available, whereas the sachets of dried yeast are used as more of a back-up. In the UK, fresh yeast isn´t sold as it is in Germany, but I have figured out how to get it! The bakers in the in-store bakeries of supermarkets (e.g. in Morrisons or ASDA) use fresh yeast, and you can simply ask them to give you some! Also, just a few weeks ago, I saw for the first time in Morrisons that they were selling individual cubes of fresh yeast (it was next to the pre-made puff pastry/filo pastry in the fridge section).

I´d highly recommend using fresh yeast in this recipe, however, if you cannot find it at your local supermarket or bakery, you can use dried instant yeast as well. One sachet (7g) is equivalent to 21g of fresh yeast (or half a cube if they are sold in 42g cubes like in Germany).

More Bread Recipes

I absolutely love baking bread – I just love everything about it: the making, the kneading, the shaping, the baking and, most importantly, the eating! I am especially into baking sourdough bread and have loads of sourdough recipes on my blog, too. Make sure to check out some of my other bread recipes, including my easy no-knead, overnight twist bread, classic German pretzels and more challenging 3-day French baguettes!

• How to make a Sourdough Starter | Baking Basics #4
• Crusty Sourdough Bread
• German “Vollkornbrot” with Pumpkin Seeds
• Pesto Star Bread
• Seeded Sourdough Bread
• Rye Sourdough Loaf
• German Laugenbrezeln (Pretzels)
• French Olive Baguette | Pains d´Olives
• Overnight No-Knead Twist Bread
• 3-Day Crusty French Baguettes

German Bauernbrot |German Baking Classic

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 350g strong white flour (bread flour)
• 150g wholemeal rye flour
• 15g fine sea salt
• 25g fresh yeast (or dried, see above)
• 200ml milk, lukewarm
• 200ml water, lukewarm

Method:

1. To make the dough, gently warm the milk and water in the microwave until lukewarm. Crumble in the fresh yeast into the water and whisk briefly until dissolved.
2. Add the milk and water/yeast mix to a large mixing bowl alongside the two types of flour and salt. Using the dough hooks of a hand-held or free-standing electric mixer (you can use your hands if you are brave enough to tackle this extremely wet dough, but it´s a lot easier in a mixer), start kneading the dough on a low speed.
3. Once the mix starts to come together, increase the speed and knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it comes together in a smooth ball and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm space for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and place an old baking tray on the bottom shelf of your oven. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
5. While the oven is preheating, tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Transfer to the prepared baking tray, dust with flour, and leave to prove for another 10-15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
6. Once the oven is hot, slash the bread using a sharp knife, bread lame or razor blade just before you put it into the oven to bake. Pour some boiling water into the baking tray at the bottom of the oven to create a burst of steam.
7. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes until well-risen and golden. The bread should sound hollow when tapped from below.
8. Leave the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving. The homemade Bauernbrot will keep well in a plastic bag for a few days and is also suitable for freezing.