Don't ruin your brat with an improper bun! Even the best bratwurst can be turned
into a disaster with a bad roll.
Do not use a hot dog roll. A brat is not a hot dog.
Do not use a hoagie or sub roll. You will have way too much bread and the brat will be spoiled.
The proper roll for a brat would be, of course, a "brat roll". What the heck is that?
The roll should be shorter and fatter than hot-dog bun. In Wisconsin, they are easily obtained,
but hard to find elsewhere. Even at Lambeau Field, they are taking shortcuts and
serving sub-standard rolls with brats. In our case in Colorado, we contract with a
German baker to make custom rolls of the exact size and shape needed. Here, we make them
using Frnech-bread dough, with a hard crust (like a French bread crust or Kaiser roll
crust). The baker takes them out of the oven about 3 hours before the start of the Fest.
Having them freshly baked is key - no more than one day ahead. Don't use stale bread.
Here is a photo of those we produced in 2008 (frozen to preserve as a template):
Brat roll from Bratfest 1 Colorado
That is all fine, but what if you just want a few rolls? Suitable rolls may be
fashioned from
(again, for all the links below, right-click and open in new window)
Sheboygan hard rolls (untested) or
Germain Kaiser rolls (untested).
Such rolls, known as Brötchen (German hard rolls), have a soft inside, with a hard crust can be made
from various recipes available, fashioned into an oblong shape, such as:
Brötchen recipe (untested)
Or you may find them at a German bakery.
Alternatively, we have found that Mexican bolillo rolls are close to the correct size, but
have a somewhat softer crust. Check a Mexican bakery. Or try to make some, if
you size them right::
Mexican bolillo rolls (untested)