Many Swiss people have fond memories of this particular bread roll — either as something their mothers would bake them as an after-school snack, or something that you could order from the local delivery-baker or pick up at the town bakery (or railway-station convenience stre) on the way home from work. The roll is perfect for splitting and toasting under the grill, or just breaking in two and slathering with sweet butter. Its flavor has just a slight edge of sweetness, but nothing aggressive — making it just as good a foil for savory accompaniments as it is for jams or marmalades.
(For those interested in word historyes: "Weggli" is a Swiss dialect word descended from the Old German weck, which simply means "roll" or "bread roll".
This recipe is adapted from one at the German-language baking site Zimtkringel.org — adding US measurement conversions and with additional streamlining of the method for the home baker in a hurry.
Overview:
The original version of this recipe calls for it to be begun a day before baking, with a "starter" made from fresh yeast, flour and water. This method was plainly developed with an eye to "proofing" the fresh yeast and (ideally) in order to develop a better flavor. We've tried the recipe both with and without the starter stage, and can't really taste that much of a difference. So what we're sharing here is a quicker method that skips the starter stage and uses "quick" dry yeast instead.
Ingredients:
- 350 g / 2 cups bread flour
- 50 g / 1/4 cup butter
- 50 g / 1/4 cup sugar
- 10 grams / 1 package quick dry yeast
- 9 grams / 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 190 ml milk plus 2 tablespoons for the last-step glaze
- 1 egg (for the glaze)
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl (ideally, the bowl of a mixer with dough hook attached) combine all the ingredients except the egg and the 2 tablespoons of milk. Knead for 5 minutes at a low speed and 5 minutes at a medium-high speed. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and allow to rest for ten minutes.
Remove the dough to a work surface, roll into a long log, and divide into 10 pieces. (Note here: The originating recipe recommends flouring the surface a little, but we found it a lot easier to roll this dough without any flour. Try it with a clean work surface first and see how that works for you.)
Round each piece into a ball. Place the balls of dough on a nonstick baking sheet, or one lined with baking paper or a silicone baking mat, and allow to rest covered with a dishtowel or similar light covering in a warm place for half an hour.
At the end of this time, remove each risen roll to the work surface again and press down on the middle of each one, firmly, with the handle of a wooden spoon (or a dowel of similar thickness, if you've got one).
Don't be shy about this: press the handle or dowel right down against the work surface. The next image is typical of how they look after the spoon is removed.
Then replace the rolls on the baking sheet, top side down. When all ten balls have undergone this treatment, cover them again with the dishtowel or other covering and allow to continue rising in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
Turn over the risen rolls on the baking sheet so that the bottoms are on top again. Cover them once more and let them have another half hour's rising time. They may not seem to rise all that much: don't let this panic you.
At the end of the second half hour's rise, preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade / 430 degrees Fahrenheit (200 C /390 F if you have a fan oven)
Beat the remaining two tablespoons of milk eogether well with the egg, and brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
Please note that these rolls tend to bake up quite brown in a home oven, even with such a short baking time. If you're looking for a lighter color, you might try tenting the baking sheet with foil for the second seven minutes or so, But even if they bake up very brown, they'll still be fine inside.
Enjoy!
