Rohlíky are a popular type of bread found all across Europe, going by many different names depending on where you are: kifli in Hungary, rogal in Poland, kifle across the Balkans, but the Czech version is simply called rohlíky. According to a popular legend, the crescent shape dates back to 1683, when Viennese bakers supposedly shaped the bread to resemble the crescent moon on the Ottoman flag, celebrating the failed siege of Vienna. Historians think the real story goes back even further, with crescent-shaped breads likely baked in Central European monasteries as early as the 10th century.
Today they’re a staple of daily life in the Czech Republic, with an estimated 4.5 billion eaten there every year. They’re typically rolled into that signature crescent shape and topped with different kinds of seasonings, from poppy seeds to salt, depending on what you’re in the mood for..
(Experiment 67) Rohliky
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 3 g instant dried yeast
- 25 g butter room temperature
- 5 g salt
- 135 g lukewarm water 85-90F
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the yeast and water together and let it bloom for 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and knead on medium speed for 6-7 minutes. The dough should not be sticky and be very soft.
- Place the dough on your work surface and form into a ball, put it back into the stand mixer bowl, cover with plastic film and let it rest about 50 minutes; the dough ball should roughly double in size. I like to give it a warm environment for the rest period. A nice tip is to power on your oven for 30-40 seconds or so and stops it, then you put the bowl in and close the door. The oven should be just slightly warm, not hot.
- Get the dough back on your countertop and make 6-7 pieces. The easy way to do this is to chop it in half, chop the half in half and so on. Shape each piece into a ball, cover with a clean dishcloth and let them rest for 15 minutes.
- It’s now time to shape the dough, using a rolling pin to flatten the dough. To do the traditional Czech shape, you will want to press it down forming somewhat of a triangle. Then start rolling the large end toward itself. It should look somewhat like a straight croissant. Roll it again a few times, pressing gently so it all sticks together ( about 6″ long ). Repeat for all pieces of dough.
- You can bake the whole batch at once on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place the doughs in the baking sheet ( make sure to space them as much as possible) cover with the dishcloth and let them rest for 30 minutes.
- While waiting, pre-heat your oven to 450F.
- Before putting them in the oven, you can optionally spray water on the dough and put spices ( poppy/caraway/sesame seeds, salt etc)
- Bake for about 10 minutes. You can give a few sprays in your oven at the beginning to create some steam, this helps give a nicer colour ( water dissolves the sugar on the surface, whatever sugar is left will give a nice caramelization).
- Transfer to a cooling tray
