German bread or bread produced and consumed in Germany, is high quality bread made with a variety of ingredients, and in many delicious forms and flavors. Wheat and rye flourare most often used to prepare the bread, which is served for breakfast or as a snack.
Ingredients Used and German Bread Recipe Overview
Ingredients:
• Wheat flour: While the core or endosperm of the grain is used to make white bread, bran is also used with the core in the case of brown bread, which has additional nutritional value due to presence of fiber.
• Rye: Rye flour is used to make many types of breads in Germany. Rye bread is coarser and tends to last longer than wheat bread.
• Other Ingredients: Other ingredients used for making the basic kind of German bread include salt, water and a leavening agent. Additional ingredients to enrich the bread may include eggs, milk, garlic, onions, raisins and different types of spices. Sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds are used to prepare some whole grain breads.
Method of Preparation: The basic German bread recipe suggests making a dough of flour, water, salt and yeast and setting it aside to rise. Additional ingredients may be added according to the variant being prepared. The dough is then given the required shape and form and baked till the desired level of brownness.
Popular German Bread Variants
• Vollkornbrot: This German bread is made of rye flour and is not very common elsewhere. It is prepared with a moist and dense sourdough, and is sliced before eating. Besides rye flour, it also contains rye berries and sunflower seeds.
• Bauernbrot: Also called Farmer's Bread, it is made by using white flour and whole wheat flour in equal proportions, sourdough for adding taste and caraway seeds. The bread is light and easily sliced, and is served with soup.
• Seeded Bread: This bread is dense in texture, and contains whole grains, sesame and sunflower seeds and pumpkin. The process of preparation involves soaking overnight and fermentation, and the bread stands out for its dense, chewy texture and flavor.
• Pretzels: Also called Brezels, these are prepared in knot like shapes, and available in sweet as well as savory variants. Bread pretzels, which are quite popular in southern Germany, are made of wheat flour, yeast and water, and have a glaze of egg wash and sprinkling of salt.
• Fladenbrot: This is basically a Turkish flatbread but now is popular throughout Germany, and is available in Turkish stores and kiosks. This round or elongated bread has a flattened form and is coated with nigella seeds. The recipe suggests overnight sponging, and the bread is much similar to the Italian cibatta.
• Roggenbrot: This is a rye bread which can be prepared in many ways, and makes use of rye flour and sourdough. Some variants of this German bread are made with a mixture of rye and white flour.