Schnecken — German snail buns with cinnamon and nuts

i. Origin & history

Schnecken belong to the long tradition of German sweet yeast baking, the Hefegebäck that includes plaited breads, filled buns and tray cakes. Rolled, spiral-cut buns were well established in German-speaking bakeries by the nineteenth century, when cinnamon and sugar had become affordable everyday ingredients, though no single origin or inventor is known. Today every German bakery sells several kinds, and they are eaten for breakfast, as a mid-morning snack and with afternoon coffee.

The name comes from Schnecke, snail; Schnecken is the plural. In German the word is usually combined with the filling: Zimtschnecken are cinnamon buns, Nussschnecken are filled with ground hazelnuts and glazed, and Rosinenschnecken have raisins and often a layer of custard. In Swabia and parts of Austria, large spiral buns are also called Schneckennudeln, and in Switzerland Schnägge.

The word followed German emigrants to the United States. In nineteenth-century Philadelphia, and among German-Jewish families in particular, schnecken came to mean a spiral bun baked in a pan lined with butter, brown sugar and pecans, then turned upside down so the caramel ran over the top. Over time this became the Philadelphia sticky bun, and German schnecken are generally regarded as one of the ancestors of the American cinnamon roll, alongside the Swedish kanelbulle.

The difference between German Schnecken and American cinnamon rolls is mostly one of sweetness and richness. German Schnecken use a lighter dough, a filling heavy on nuts rather than sugar, and a thin glaze of apricot jam and lemon icing rather than a thick cream-cheese frosting. They are a bread-like pastry first and a sweet second.

ii. Why the roll must be tight and the butter soft

The spiral of a Schnecke is made by spreading a filling over a rectangle of risen dough, rolling it up into a log and slicing it. The quality of the spiral depends on two things: how tightly the log is rolled and how the filling behaves in the oven.

A loosely rolled log leaves air gaps between the layers. As the dough rises in the oven, those gaps open, and the spirals separate or the centre pops up like a tower. Rolling tightly, with gentle tension, and sealing the seam with a pinch keeps the layers together as the bun expands.

The filling has to stay put. Melted butter runs out of the roll and pools in the tin, leaving the spiral dry and the base greasy. Soft, spreadable butter mixed with sugar and cinnamon into a paste stays between the layers and melts there into a soft, syrupy filling. Ground nuts in Nussschnecken have the same function: they absorb butter and sugar and make a moist, cohesive layer.

Cutting is the last detail. A knife squashes the soft roll and smears the spiral. Many bakers slide a length of unflavoured dental floss or strong thread under the log, cross the ends over the top and pull, cutting a clean round. The buns are then given a second rise before baking, so they puff into soft, rounded spirals.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 500 g plain flour or bread flour
• 60 g caster sugar (dough)
• 7 g instant dried yeast
• ½ tsp salt
• 250 ml lukewarm whole milk
• 1 egg, plus 1 yolk for glazing
• 80 g soft unsalted butter (dough)
• 100 g soft unsalted butter (filling)
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 100 g ground hazelnuts or finely chopped walnuts
• 60 g raisins (optional)
• 3 tbsp apricot jam, to glaze
• 120 g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice or water

The dough is a classic German Hefeteig, lightly enriched with milk, egg and butter; it should be soft and smooth, not as rich as brioche. Ground hazelnuts make the filling of Nussschnecken; walnuts or almonds work as well, and for plain Zimtschnecken simply leave the nuts out. Light brown sugar gives a deeper flavour than white sugar. The finish of warm apricot jam and a thin lemon icing is the traditional German bakery glaze; it adds shine and a sharp edge rather than heavy sweetness. Soak the raisins in warm water or rum for 10 minutes so they do not burn.

iv. Method

1. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the warm milk, egg and soft butter and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1–1½ hours, until doubled.
2. Beat the filling butter with the brown sugar and cinnamon into a soft paste. Drain and dry the raisins.
3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle of about 40 × 30 cm. Spread the butter paste evenly to the edges, leaving a 2 cm strip clear along one long side. Scatter over the nuts and raisins and press them in lightly.
4. Roll up tightly from the long side opposite the clear strip, keeping gentle tension. Brush the clear strip with a little water and pinch the seam closed.
5. Cut the log into 12 slices about 3 cm thick, using a sharp knife or a length of thread. Arrange cut side up on two lined baking trays, spaced well apart, or close together in a 23 × 33 cm tin for pull-apart buns. Cover and prove for 30 minutes, until puffy.
6. Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F), conventional heat. Brush the buns with the yolk beaten with a splash of milk. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until deep golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
7. Warm the apricot jam with a spoonful of water, sieve it and brush over the hot buns. Let cool for 10 minutes, then mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice to a thin icing and drizzle over.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Use soft, not melted, butter in the filling. Melted butter leaks out during rolling and baking and leaves the buns dry and greasy at the base.
• Roll the log tightly. Loose rolls open up in the oven, with the centre rising out like a cone.
• Leave a clear edge and seal it. The seam is where the roll comes undone. A clean strip of dough brushed with water sticks firmly.
• Cut with thread. Dental floss or cotton thread cuts through without squashing the spiral. A serrated knife is the next best option.
• Do not over-prove the slices. Thirty minutes is enough. Over-proved buns collapse and lose their spiral definition.
• Glaze while hot, ice when warm. Jam brushed on hot buns soaks in and shines; icing applied to hot buns melts away.

vi. Variations

German bakeries sell many kinds. Nussschnecken are filled with ground hazelnuts, sugar and cinnamon and glazed with apricot and icing. Zimtschnecken are plain cinnamon-sugar spirals. Rosinenschnecken, often made with laminated Plunder dough, have a layer of vanilla custard and raisins. Mohnschnecken use a poppy-seed filling, like a small version of Mohnstriezel, and Puddingschnecken are filled with custard alone.

In the United States, Philadelphia sticky buns grew out of German schnecken: the buns are baked on a layer of butter, brown sugar and pecans and inverted. Sweden's cardamom-scented kardemummabullar and kanelbullar, Norway's custard-filled skolebrød and the Eastern European babka are close relatives in the family of rolled and filled yeast doughs.

vii. Serving & storage

Schnecken are best eaten on the day they are baked, ideally slightly warm, with coffee or a glass of milk. In Germany they are a breakfast pastry, a mid-morning snack (zweites Frühstück) and an afternoon coffee treat.

They keep for up to two days in an airtight container at room temperature; refresh them in a 160 °C (320 °F) oven for 5 minutes before serving. To make them ahead, shape the buns, cover and refrigerate them overnight, then let them come to room temperature and prove for about an hour before baking. Baked, unglazed Schnecken freeze well for up to two months; thaw, warm through and glaze before serving.

ix. More from Austrian & German

• Mohnstriezel — poppy-seed plait
• Bienenstich — German bee sting cake
• Berliner — German jam doughnuts
• Cardamom Bun — Swedish kardemummabulle
• Babka — twisted chocolate yeast cake
• Skolebrød — Norwegian custard buns