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Now that summer is officially here, we decided to kick it off with a batch of rollkuchen.

Growing up, rollkuchen was a summer staple. If you’ve never had it before, it’s a traditional Mennonite fried bread. Every family seems to have their own version, but for me, it always meant family gatherings, watermelon, and Rogers Golden Syrup.

The only way I ever knew it served was at a family gathering with fresh red watermelon and plenty of Rogers Golden Syrup.

I don’t know if I ate it the right way, but the way I remember eating it was taking a bite of watermelon, then a bite of syrup-covered rollkuchen, and enjoying them together. The watermelon was cold and refreshing, the rollkuchen was comforting, and somehow the combination was perfect.

When I think about rollkuchen, I don’t really think about the recipe itself. I think about family gatherings. I think about Grandma making them. Sometimes I got to watch her cutting the little squares of dough before they were fried, and I remember the excitement of knowing Grandma had made rollkuchen and we were going to get to enjoy them.

I remember biting into watermelon and having the juice run down my chin while the syrup was sticky on my fingers. Nobody was eating this with a fork and knife. You picked it up with your hands, took a bite of watermelon, took a bite of rollkuchen, and somehow it all worked together.

It was messy. It was sweet. It was delicious.

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Traditional rollkuchen is wonderfully simple. The dough itself is fairly plain, and that’s part of its charm. It was never really meant to stand alone. It was meant to be piled high on a table and enjoyed alongside watermelon, syrup, and whatever else was being served.

I’ve tweaked our family version just a little.

A touch of sweetness and a hint of vanilla give the dough a bit more flavour while still keeping everything I love about the original. The result is a rollkuchen that tastes delicious with watermelon and syrup, but is also surprisingly good all on its own.

A few pieces mysteriously disappeared while I was still frying them.

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And honestly, I don’t know if there’s much better than fresh rollkuchen.

If you want to get adventurous, you can dust them with cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm for something a little closer to an elephant ear. They also work surprisingly well alongside chicken and gravy, sausage gravy, or a big breakfast.

But for me, they’ll always belong beside a bowl of watermelon and a bottle of Rogers Golden Syrup.

Some recipes are about the food.

Others are about the memories.

And rollkuchen will always taste a little bit like summer.

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Flour Options

For this recipe, I used Tevah Baking Flour.

If you don’t have Baking Flour, you can also try:

• 50% Hard White Flour and 50% Soft White Flour
• Spelt Flour
• Your favourite all-purpose flour

The fresh-milled flour adds a wonderful flavour and softness while still allowing the rollkuchen to puff beautifully during frying.

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Fresh-Milled Rollkuchen

Yield: Approximately 30 to 35 rollkuchen, depending on size and thickness.

Ingredients

• 900 g Baking Flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• Oil or tallow for frying

Half Batch:

• 450 g Baking Flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup cream
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Oil or tallow for frying

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, and vanilla.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
4. Knead until the dough comes together. It should be soft, slightly firm, and still somewhat sticky.
5. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it again. This extra rest helps the fresh-milled flour fully absorb the moisture and makes the dough easier to work with.
6. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. This step is optional, but it makes the dough much easier to roll and handle.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to approximately ⅜ inch thick.
8. Keep in mind that rollkuchen puff dramatically while frying. Rolling them a little thinner generally produces a lighter, fluffier result, while thicker dough tends to be more dense.
9. Cut into rectangles.
10. For a twisted shape, cut a slit in the centre and pull one end through the opening. I find this style holds the syrup a little better.
11. Alternatively, cut two slits and leave the pieces flat. This is another common way to make them and creates little pockets that hold syrup beautifully.
12. Heat oil or tallow to approximately 350°F.
13. Fry until puffed and golden brown, turning once during cooking.
14. Transfer to paper towels or a cooling rack.

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Serving Suggestions

The Canadian Mennonite Way

Serve with cold watermelon and Rogers Golden Syrup.

For Breakfast or Supper

Serve alongside chicken and gravy, sausage gravy, breakfast sausage, or eggs.

For a Treat

Dust warm rollkuchen with cinnamon sugar, maple sugar, or icing sugar.