recipe reviews for:

Authentic German Bread (Bauernbrot)

“Here is a great recipe for authentic German Sourdough Bread. This bread tastes almost exactly like the bread we buy back home in Bavaria, Germany. There, to this day, they bake their bread in a very old stone oven in the middle of a small village, once every 2 weeks. They bake a whole bunch at once, and then you can buy it and freeze extras until the next baking day. It's the best German bread I know!”

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Reviewed: Jan. 19, 2012

This is the first German bread I made, for my German mother in law and her husband who loves anything German. I thought this bread was okay, but they raved about it non stop and finished the whole thing in about 3 days (they don't normally eat a lot of bread!). They order their German bread from some super expensive online place across the country, they are very picky about it. So I think it's safe to say that this recipe is authentic and tastes a lot like real German bread. They asked me make this a standing weekly order :) Their reaction is precisely why we all love to bake, so thank you for this recipe!

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Reviewer:

SPYRALS

Reviewed: Jul. 19, 2011

A marvelous and tasty recipe for what I think is about as genuinely German as you might get from any Bäckerei. And though this peasant bread will give you quite a workout in the kneading process, it is well worth it given the end result. And oh...no joke on the pre-ferment prep for this sourdough. Make sure the vessel is at LEAST twice as large as the quantities you're going to mix together as this will contain the growth and prevent a over the top experience! Thanks Petra!!

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

David

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jul. 17, 2011

My mom is German and I spent most of my childhood there, so we know our German bread around here. This is a very good recipe for Bauernbrot. It was also quite easy to make. I made this for the first time this weekend and my mom and I were beyond delighted. My kids were devouring it too. A few things to mention: I used dark rye, instead of light, since that was all I could find at the store. The starter I made never really rose much, though it was very active and bubbling. No problems with the bread, it rose just fine. While kneading, the dough seemed pretty sticky to me, so I added a fair amount of flour as I kneaded. During the last rise it stilled wanted to spread (I think partly just because of the size of these enormous loaves) so I think I will get some bread baskets to use in the future. I floured and scored the top of the bread before baking it on a stone. This made two very large loaves. They barely fit on my stone. I might have to make three smaller loaves next time. I think I will also add some spices and rye berries next time as well. Great recipe. Thank you Petra!

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6 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Caissa

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Everett, Washington, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 13, 2011

FYI ... 1 1/2 ounces fresh yesast equals 5 tsp plus a scant more of instant yeast. This is a wonderful bread, worth the advance planning !

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11 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

old time kitchen

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Camrose, Alberta, Canada

Reviewed: Feb. 26, 2011

This is some of the best bread I've ever made. Excellent texture and crust. Good flavour too. I halved the recipe and it still made 2 big loaves (appx. 1.8 - 2 lbs/each).

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7 users found this review helpful

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RoseRover

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jan. 13, 2011

I will try this again...the loaf(s) ended up fairly flat as if I hurried the rise. That wasn't the case.

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Jeff

Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2010

This is the real Deal!!!!!! Wonderful bread and easy to make. Thank you soooo much for sharing!

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Heike

Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2010

I have made this bread twice a month all summer , I freeze it and take it out as I need it , my search for a good) is over this is the one for me. Norb.

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10 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

norb

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Buffalo, New York, USA

Living In: Cheektowaga, New York, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 16, 2010

I absolutely love this receipe! However, some helpful hints to include in your directions, this particular dough will double very quickly and you must put it in a large container to prevent it from overflowing! I didn't see the spices recommended for the bread until i read through your reviews, those would have been good to know ahead of time. Also, fresh yeast is hard to come by in my leg of the world so i used dry active yeast in converted equivalency.. works good! I don't have an electric mixer and so I knead it myself which is more difficult but allows you to regulate how much extra flour you knead in. IF you get the dry crumblies, you have too much flour in it, if it doesn't rise, your yeast has died or you didn't use enough. Could also be that your water was too warm or too cold when dissolving the yeast it won't rise either. This is not intended to be condescending just helpful!! I come from a long line of Irish and German bakers and my mom loves this bread! It gets better every time I make it!

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10 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

beachsilkie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Living In: Lillian, Alabama, USA

Reviewed: May 7, 2010

My starter is kind of weak I guess - even though it's all bubbly when warm - but I have tried this bread twice and it never rose sufficiently. I suppose I will have to try it with the starter in the recipe at one point, but the thing is, for people who already have a starter, this recipe lacks the quantity you will really need of it, and a lot of people may in fact already have a starter and are just looking for new and different recipes. Thus the 4 stars. The taste is good though, I think if it is nicely risen and moist, it will probably be just like good old German bread - provided you add some bread spice.

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7 users found this review helpful