Franzbrötchen

A Franzbrötchen is a delightful sweet pastry originating from northern Germany, particularly Hamburg. It closely resembles a cinnamon roll due to its buttery and cinnamon-flavored goodness. People often enjoy it for breakfast or as a treat with coffee. The name suggests some French pastry influence, and although it began as a Hamburg specialty, you can now find it in other cities like Bremen and Berlin.

Making Franzbrötchen is somewhat of an art. You start with dough made from flour, butter, yeast, milk, sugar, and salt. The filling is a simple but delicious blend of sugar and cinnamon. Here’s the process: roll the dough out thinly, spread butter over it, sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture evenly, roll it up, slice it, press each slice in the middle to give it that unique shape, and bake. The result? A slightly sticky, caramelized treat thanks to the sugar and butter.

There are also some delightful variations out there—some incorporate raisins, seeds, chocolate, or even pumpkin seeds.

As for the name Franzbrötchen, it likely derives from the French croissant (‘französisch’ is German for French), which became popular in Germany after Napoleon’s troops occupied Hamburg. Another story claims a baker in Hamburg accidentally created it by frying a long loaf of bread known as Franzbrot in fat, and voilà, the Franzbrötchen was born!