Allgäu Seelen are elongated bread rolls made from spelt flour, topped with caraway and coarse salt. In the Thermomix® we knead the soft dough from 500 g spelt flour type 1050, 350 ml lukewarm water, 1 cube of fresh yeast, 10 g salt and 1 tbsp olive oil in 4 minutes. After 1 hour of proving we divide the sticky dough into 5 portions, shape them into elongated rolls and bake for 20 minutes at 220°C. The result: rolls that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, a staple in every Allgäu bakery at breakfast.
We bake Seelen for Sunday breakfast, as a side to soups or as a snack for a walk (they keep for 2 days in a bread bag). Classically they are sliced warm and topped with Allgäu mountain cheese or ham.
Allgäu Seelen Bread Rolls with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 9 ✓
- 350 g water
- 1/2 cube fresh yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 tsp bread spice mix
- 350 g spelt flour, type 630
- 200 g plain flour, type 550
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
Instructions 0 / 6
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1
Yeast.
Add water, yeast, salt, sugar and bread spice mix to the mixing bowl and warm for 3 minutes / 37°C / speed 1.
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2
Dough.
Add flour and knead for 3 minutes / kneading mode.
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3
Prove.
Leave dough to prove in a warm place for one hour.
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4
Shape.
Preheat the oven to 220°C top and bottom heat and line a baking tray with baking paper. Divide the dough on a lightly floured surface into five portions, shape into elongated rolls and place on the baking tray.
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5
Top.
Mix salt with caraway seeds, brush rolls with a little water and scatter over the salt and caraway mixture.
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6
Bake.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes.
Tip: If caraway is not your thing, you can of course leave it out and sprinkle the rolls with salt only.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why spelt flour type 1050 makes all the difference
The authentic Allgäu Seele is made from spelt, not wheat. Spelt flour type 1050 contains around 1.2% minerals (compared to 0.55% in type 405), which gives the bread its characteristic nutty flavour and slightly grey crumb. If you only have type 630, mix 80% type 630 with 20% wholemeal spelt flour. Type 1050 is available in any organic shop and at most larger supermarkets.
Many online recipes and Cookidoo suggest wheat flour. That produces a bread roll, but not an Allgäu Seele. The Bavarian Bakers Guild defines a Seele explicitly as a spelt bake in its product guidelines.
A soft, sticky dough is essential
Allgäu Seelen have a dough yield of around 170% (350 ml water to 500 g flour). The dough is noticeably softer than a standard bread dough and sticks to your hands. This is intentional: only this high water content creates the characteristically open, airy crumb. If you add more flour to make the dough easier to handle, you will end up with firm, dense rolls instead of light Seelen.
In the Thermomix® we knead for 4 minutes in kneading mode, which is enough for gluten development. Longer kneading overworks the spelt gluten (spelt is more sensitive than wheat) and makes the dough crumbly. With wet hands the sticky rolls are much easier to shape.
Caraway and coarse salt, nothing else
Before baking we sprinkle the shaped rolls with caraway seeds (1 tsp per roll) and coarse sea salt (1/2 tsp per roll). This is the classic Allgäu topping. Brushing with water first helps the seeds stick to the dough. If you do not like caraway, replace it with sesame or anise. Poppy seeds work well as a variation too.
Bake at 220°C top and bottom heat for 20 minutes, with an ovenproof dish of water on the base of the oven (the steam creates the typical shiny crust). After 10 minutes remove the dish so the crust can crisp up properly.
Five Seelen variations to keep things interesting
Cheese rolls (50 g grated mountain cheese worked into the dough), sesame rolls (sesame instead of caraway, more of a Mediterranean style), wholemeal rolls (100% wholemeal spelt flour plus 10% extra water), bacon rolls (50 g diced bacon mixed into the dough), sweet version (50 g raisins plus 1 tsp cinnamon in the dough, no salt on top).
What goes well with Allgäu Seelen
Classic for an Allgäu Sunday breakfast with mountain cheese and ham. As a side to potato soup or pumpkin soup. Find more bread recipes in our bread collection and more Swabian classics in our Swabian category.
Goes well with: butter and cheese.
