Brotblume: German Bread Flower With Pesto Filling

This impressive bread flower is much easier to make than you think. Fill it with pesto (I made a homemade parsley, almond and gouda pesto), or make it sweet by swapping for a nut or Nutella filling.

Servings:

Ready In:

2 hours

Calories:

190

Good For:

Side Dish

Brotblume

About this Recipe

Today's recipe was inspired by my cousin Anna, who lives with her husband and baby boy in Basel, Switzerland. She first created this bread flower and sent me a picture and being blinded by its beauty, I immediately added it to the list of recipes I want to make for dirndl kitchen. Turns out the Brotblume isn't so hard to recreate, so I gave it a try. Once the dough has risen (takes about an hour), the fun and creative part takes about 30 minutes before your bread will hit your oven. It's a perfect choice for BBQ's (and everyone will think you're so fancy!), any kind of celebration or just because to go along with soup (like I did :-). Give it a try and experiment with the fillings. I chose to make my own pesto filling using parsley (much more abundant in the winter time than basil), roasted almonds and gouda cheese, but even a sweet filling would be lovely and make for a nice dessert bread flower (think a cinnamon roll like filling, or a nut filling, or simply using Nutella as your filling).

Ingredients For Pesto Brotblume

2 packets (14 g) dried yeast
½ tsp sugar
4 + ¾ c (600 g) bread flour
2 tsp sea salt
1 +14 c (300 ml) lukewarm water
50 ml olive oil
100 g pesto (if making your own, see below)

For Pesto (simply combine in food processor until smooth):

1 large handful parsley (leaves only)
¼ c olive oil
1 clove garlic
¼ c shredded cheese (I used gouda)
¼ c ground or sliced, roasted almonds
1 lemon (juice only)
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste

HELPFUL TIPS:

Help Shaping Your Brotblume: If the instructions below seem too confusing and you'd like to have a good visual besides the pictures I posted below, make sure to watch this video on how to shape your bread flower. It's in German, but you'll get the just of it. At about 8 minutes in is when the more complicated part starts.
Springform: To make sure your Brotblume stays nice and round, work with the bottom pan of a springform. It makes it way easier than trying to eyeball it.
Get Creative: Don't feel like filling yours with pesto? Try some herbs and cheese or go the sweet route! If making a sweet bread (maybe with cinnamon roll filling or Nutella?), follow this recipe for a sweeter yeast dough instead and brush on an egg wash (whisk together one egg and some cold water) before baking. Otherwise, follow the instructions below.

More German Recipes For Entertaining

Brotblume Tools

Brotblume Step By Step Instructions

Step 1

Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in warm water and let sit until starting to bubble, about 5 minutes. Knead together flour, salt, olive oil and yeast mixture until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.

Step 2

Knead the dough again and divide into 3 equal parts, shape into balls. One at a time, roll them out to a round shape and the same size as the bottom of your springform (whatever size that is, this is just helping you keep it nice and round).

Step 3

Prep the round bottom of your springform with some oil, a piece of parchment paper, and more oil, so the dough sticks better. Stick on the first dough round and make sure its the exact size of the circle (the dough is flexible, so you can push it together with your fingers somewhat). Now spread on about half of the pesto (you can use less or more if you would like) and cover with the second dough round. Repeat.

Step 4

Then you cut the dough into 16 equal pieces as if you were cutting a cake, BUT leaving about a 2 inch diameter circle UNCUT in the center (you can use a napkin ring or small, round cookie or biscuit cutter to help mark where to not cut across if you would like).

Step 5

Now taking 2 of the 16 pieces at a time, twist twice AWAY from each other. Then twist one more time half way, pinching the bottom corners together, then folding the top corners to the bottom, pinching them together and lastly, folding the dough under, so it looks prettier. Repeat with the remaining pieces. If this sounds too complicated, watch this video starting at 8 mins (it's in German, but I just want you to watch).

Step 6

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 degrees Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes (mine took 25 minutes because my springform was smaller, so the dough was more hunched together).

Drink Pairing: Schlumberger Rosé

When you're making this Brotblume, there is a good chance you'll be celebrating something. Whether it's a birthday, a fun BBQ or simply dinner with your loved ones, I think some sparkling wine always seems to upgrade the situation just a little bit more and make any day more special.

That's why for today's drink pairing, I chose Schlumberger Rosé Sparkling Wine, an Austrian classic prepared after the original Champagne method. Pick up some full-sized bottles or the fun, miniature bottles for your next-together.

Find out where Schlumberger is available near you.

Next Up:

Schokocrossies

For my next recipes, I took one of my favorite German sweet snacks and recreated it at home. Schokocrossies are incredibly easy to make and so, so delicious. Make sure to subscribe to my blog now, so you're not missing out when my new posts go live!

I received compensation from Niche Import Co. in exchange for writing this post. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions, thoughts and recipes are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may be compensated if you click certain links.