When I was young, we lived in Germany for about three years. My sister and brother used to get up early in the morning to stand in line at the local bakery to get the Brötchen fresh from the oven. I wasn't one to give up my sweet slumber for any food (you name it), but I got to enjoy the wonderful warm Brötchen anyway, thanks to my diligent siblings. The indescribable sensation of biting through the somewhat chewy crust to the soft but substantial warm crumb, combined with melting cold butter and thick jam, lingers in my memory to this day. I just sampled one of the beautiful rolls I made today following your recipe, with the starter started last night, with 2 cups of the flour replaced by KA Bread Flour, 2 extra tablespoonful of water added, some plain and some with the cornstarch glaze that you suggested. I think the plain Brötchen we had in Germany had somewhat more character to them, but your recipe is definitely a keeper. I read somewhere that one should use the KA Italian flour to make the Brötchen. Will you kind people be developing a recipe specifically for Brötchen in the near future? So glad these come close. To develop a specific Brötchen recipe would be tough, as everyone's idea of it (and their memory) is slightly different. I'd guess you could develop more flavor in this roll recipe by letting the dough rest in the refrigerator even longer. Give it a try, let us know how that works, OK? PJH

• Reply