Kaiser roll

The Kaiser roll (German: Kaisersemmel), also called a Vienna roll (Wiener Kaisersemmel; as made by hand also: Handsemmel) or a hard roll, is a typically crusty round bread roll, originally from Austria. It is made from white flour, yeast, malt, water and salt, with the top side usually divided in a symmetric pattern of five segments, separated by curved superficial cuts radiating from the centre outwards or folded in a series of overlapping lobes resembling a crown. The crisp Kaisersemmel is a traditional Austrian food officially approved by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

Semmel (derived from Latin: simila, wheat flour) is the common name for any kind of roll in Austria and the German state of Bavaria, equivalent to Brötchen in Northern Germany or Weck in Baden-Württemberg.

Origin

Kaiser rolls have existed in a recognizable form at least since prior to 1760. They are thought to have been named to honor Emperor (Kaiser) Franz Joseph I of Austria (1830–1916). Indeed, already in the 18th century, retail prices of Semmeln breadrolls were fixed by law in the Habsburg Monarchy. Allegedly the name Kaisersemmel came into general use, after the bakers' guild had sent a delegation in 1789 to Emperor Joseph II (1741–1790) and convinced him of decontrolling the selling price.