Time for our Little Red Riding Hood recipe! Unlike Rumpelstiltskin, which required me to get a little creative with finding a recipe, I knew from the beginning what I wanted to make for Red’s recipe: the bread she brings her grandmother! Of course, plain old white sandwich bread wouldn’t do. I wanted something different, something special. I decided to make 3 kinds of bread rolls—all of them German, since that’s the kind of bread the Brothers Grimm version of Red would be carrying. I gathered a list of traditional German breads and chose the three that I felt were the prettiest, most distinctive, and most iconic of the culture. Pretzels, cinnamon raisin braids, and kaiser rolls made the final cut! Kaiser rolls are technically Austrian, but since they’re served in Germany too, I decided to give them a pass. 😉 And since I was totally new to making pretzels, I used the baking instructions from Sally’s Baking Addiction as a guide.

When the idea occurred to me to make 3 kinds of bread, I was a little intimidated at first. That’s a lot to get done in one week. Still, I loooved the idea and didn’t want to abandon it. I decided the best way was to use frozen dough as a base for all 3 bread rolls and prepare the dough differently for each one. This would allow me to cut down on prep time and dishes, and as an added bonus, it would be a great way to showcase the versatility of a basic white dough.

I had a blast making these bread rolls, and they were a hit at our house (especially the pretzels!). The Little Mister loves bread in any form, and when he realized you could put raisins in it (one of his favorite snacks), the kid just about lost his mind. Maybe we’ll throw some in a basket and take them to grandma’s house this weekend!

 A

Little Red Riding Hood’s Bread Rolls

“I want you to take this loaf of fresh bread, some of this sweet butter, and a bottle of wine to your grandmother. She is sick in bed, and they will do her a world of good.”

— “Little Red Riding Hood“ by Trina Schart Hyman

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

• For the Kaiser Rolls
  • 1 loaf frozen bread dough (1 lb), thawed
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 1 egg, thoroughly beaten
• For the Pretzels
  • 1 loaf frozen bread dough (1 lb), thawed
  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • kosher salt for sprinkling (Don’t go overboard on the salt. A light sprinkling goes a long way here.)
• For the Cinnamon Raisin Braids
  • 1 loaf frozen bread dough (1 lb), thawed
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 egg, thoroughly beaten

 

Makes 9 kaiser rolls, 8 pretzels, and 5 bread braids

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. 1. 1. FOR THE KAISER ROLLS: Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Separate the dough into 9 equal portions and shape into balls, placing the balls on the baking sheet. Lightly cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle the poppy seeds on top. Carve 5 curved lines from the center of each bun to make a flower shape (I used a pair of kitchen scissors, which worked well but didn’t show the curve clearly in the end. You can also buy a kaiser roll stamp, which works better.). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and firm when tapped.
         
         

         

      2. FOR THE PRETZELS: Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Separate the dough in to 8 pieces and roll into 16-inch ropes. Shape the ropes into pretzels and place the pretzels on the baking sheet. Lightly cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Dissolve baking soda in 9 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Using a large slotted spoon, lower each pretzel in the water bath for 20 seconds, flipping the pretzel after 10 seconds to make sure both sides get an even coating. Lift the pretzel out of the water with the spoon and allow the excess water to drip off. Flip the pretzel right-side-up onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are set and browned. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt.
         
         

         

      3. FOR THE CINNAMON RAISIN BRAIDS: Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Knead the cinnamon and raisins into the dough. Separate the dough into 5 balls. Divide each ball into 3 pieces and roll the pieces into 6-inch ropes. Braid the ropes, tucking the seams on each end under the braid. Place the braids on the baking sheet. Lightly cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise 30 minutes. Place the braids on the baking sheet and brush with the beaten egg. Bake for 8 minutes or until the tops are set and lightly golden.

         

      4. Serve to your sick grandmother who lives deep in the woods…but watch out for wolves!
         

    

   Check out my other bread recipes!

   

   Honey Bacon Cornbread from Tom Sawyer

   

   Secret Note French Bread

   

   Star-Crossed Focaccia with Green Onion Parmesan Butter