More than 300 types of bread are available in Germany, which makes Germans the bread baking champions of the world. Germans love their bread and usually are not ready to compromise when it comes to this German specialty. Which is why, probably, so many German bakeries have sprung up all over the world. But which bread is which and how does one order? This article will shed light on different German bread types.
Ganze Brote oder Brotlaibe – Loafs of Bread
Germans buy bread by the loaf, which can be presliced (geschnitten) or whole (ganz). White bread is considered only one option in the bread chain and usually the lowest one as far as nutrition is concerned. There are many healthy and tasty wholewheat options available.
Deutsches Weißbrot – German White Breads
White breads consist to 90% of wheat flour and are made from yeast dough (Hefeteig). They have a light-colored crust that can be hard (baguette) or soft (toast).
- Baguette – baguette [Bahgett]
- Teebrot – round white bread [Tehbroht]
- Toastbrot – toast [Tohstbroht]
Graubrot – “Gray” Breads in German or Mixed-Grain Breads
Germans call any type of bread between white and black breads, very logically, gray breads. This term refers to mixed-grain breads. They become wheat or rye mixes depending on the predominant type of flour used. Mixed-grain breads are made from sourdough with or without yeast and have a brown, hard crust.
- Mischbrot – mixed-grain bread [Meeshbroht]
- Roggenmischbrot – mixed-grain rye bread [Rogganmeeshbroht}
- Weizenmischbrot – wheat-rye bread [Vytsanmeeshbroht]
Schwarzbrot – Black Breads or German Pumpernickel
German black breads contain 90% of rye as flour or whole grains, which make them more fibrous and healthier but also harder to chew. They are made from sourdough and have a dark crust that is as hard or soft as the whole bread slice.
- Roggenbrot – rye bread [Rogganbroht]
- Mehrkornbrot – multigrain bread [Meahko-ahnbroht]
- Vollkornbrot – whole-grain bread [Follko-ahnbroht]
Note that there is no plural in German when talking about a type of bread: Schwarzbrot. Schwarzbrote (plural) would refer to the actual loafs, for example when ordering: “Two loafs of black bread, please!” – “Zwei Schwarzbrote bitte!”
Translation options in English for Vollkornbrot:
- brown bread
- German-style bread
- whole-grain bread
- wholemeal bread (British English)
- wholewheat bread (American English)
Deutsche Spezialbrote – German Specialty Breads
These breads are made from mixed-grain flour plus additional ingredients like seeds, vegetables or milk.
- Kürbiskernbrot – pumpkin-seed bread [Kuabeeske-ahnbroht]
- Leinsamenbrot – linseed bread [Leynsahmanbroht]
- Sonnenblumenkernbrot – sunflower-seed bread (yes, one long word in German) [Sohnanbloohmankeanbroht]
- Vollkornbaguette – whole-grain baguette [Follko-ahnbaguette]
- Zwiebelbrot – onion bread [Tsveebalbroht]
Können Sie es bitte schneiden? – Could you please slice it? [Kehnan Zee ez beetta shneydan?]
Anyone who has observed Germans buying bread will have noticed the squeeze test: If the bread is soft to the touch, it is not considered fresh (unless it is white bread). German bread should always have a hard crust that stays firm to the touch. Of course, bread is not everything you will find at a German bakery - there's also a wide range of delicious pastries, cakes and tarts.
Brötchen – German Bread Rolls
And not to forget the bread rolls; they too should have a hard crust. Whatever variety there is in bread loafs can also be found among the Brötchen, the German bread rolls. Just like the name says – the suffix -chen is a German diminutive, therefore indicating a smaller version – Brötchen are nothing but small loafs of bread. They are made from all the flour mixes and types of dough described above and can be round, long or pretzel-shaped.
- Kümmelstange – caraway stick [Kueemalshtangah]
- Laugenbrezel – soft pretzel made from sourdough [Louganbrehtsal]
- Mohnbrötchen – poppy seed roll [Mohnbrehthien]
- Müsli-Brötchen – muesli roll with raisins [Mueslibrehthien]
- Rosinenbrötchen – sweet raisin rolls [Rohseenanbrehthien]
- Sesambrötchen – sesame roll [Zehzahmbrehthien]
- Vollkornbrötchen – whole-grain roll [Follko-ahnbrehthien]
Note that singular and plural is the same – ein Brötchen, zwei Brötchen!
There are many more Brötchen varieties – here is an excellent guide to German bread (in German). How serious Germans are about bread proves a museum dedicated to it – the Museum of Bread Culture in Ulm.
Readers who enjoyed learning about German breads might be interested in related articles about German sausages and learning fruits and vegetables in German as well.
Simone Preuss - Simone is a freelance writer, editor and translator who decided to go solo after a successful career in publishing. That was more than ...
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