VIENNA BREAD - EASY AND HOMEMADE

Vienna Bread or Pain Viennois is an absolutely delicious and irresistible Austrian bread that one must definitely not miss try.

I last updated this recipe in April 2016, and since then, this recipe has garnered more than a million page views and is one of the most popular recipes on my blog.

What does Vienna Bread or Pain Viennois or Austrian bread rolls taste like ?

Vienna Bread can be made in the shape of rolls or baguettes. It is softer than traditional European baguettes (i.e., Italian baguettes and French baguettes), and has a fine texture with tight crumbs and has a sweet taste.

How do your serve Vienna Bread rolls or Bread loaves?

You can make delicious toasts, french toasts, grilled cheese sandwiches, or other sandwiches with your favorite filling. You can even serve Vienna Bread as a side with soup or toasted with pasta.

My family loves toasted Vienna Bread with a spread of soft room temperature butter, and it gets over in no time. Its hard not to eat these beauties as soon as they come out of the oven. Trust me; they are simply irresistible.

Vienna bread is also known as Pain Viennois. You can check more details on this bread here. This bread is inspired by one of my favorite chefs of the real deal cooking channel.

How to make Vienna Bread rolls soft?

When preparing Vienna Bread, we add sugar to the dough that helps the crust brown faster. The addition of fat in the form of milk and butter helps to tenderize the dough and also results in a shortening of gluten strands. As a result, Vienna Bread ends up being very soft on the inside, despite having relatively tight crumbs.

Vienna Bread vs Brioche

I get a lot of questions asking me if Vienna Bread is similar to Brioche. The answer is NO. Brioche is a popular french bread that uses a similar set of ingredients as that of Vienna Bread, but the butter to flour ratio is significantly high making a Brioche similar to a pastry or a cake. Moreover, Brioche has an open crumb structure, similar to a honeycomb that you see in a croissant.

Also, do not confuse the name of the bread with Viennese Bread, which essentially is a cream cheese Danish pastry. 

How do I make a Vegan Vienna Bread?

Honestly, I have not tried preparing a Vegan Vienna Bread. If I were to try this version in the future, I would replace butter with vegan butter, milk with any non-diary milk, and brush the risen roll with a vegan egg wash. If you are unsure what a vegan egg wash is, then here is my version that I use for sweet (non-savory) recipes.

Vegan egg wash substitutes

One part of Agave nectar whisked with two parts of non-diary milk. The heat in the oven causes - (1) the sugars in the agave nectar to caramelize and give the bread its signature golden-brown crust (along with sugar in the dough), and (2) the proteins in the non-diary milk to breakdown and give the bread a shiny finish once the water content evaporates.

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Printable Detailed Recipe for Vienna Bread or Pain Viennois or Austrian Bread rolls or loaves or loafs

Vienna Bread or Pain Viennois

Kushi

Vienna Bread or Pain Viennois is an absolutely delicious Austrian bread that one must definitely not miss to try.

4.92 from 49 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Rest time 3 hrs

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Austrian, European

Servings 6 loaves

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 packet Active dry yeast ( 2 ½ tsp)
• 2 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 ⅓ cup Fat free skim milk
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 3 ½ cup + 2 tbsp All purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon Unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 Egg wash (beat an egg with pinch of salt)

Instructions

 

Step I

• In a bowl, add warm fat free skim milk, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle yeast.
  
• Cover it and keep it undisturbed for 10 minutes. Let the yeast activate.
  

Step II

• Add salt and all purpose flour to the yeast mixture and mix.
  
• Transfer the dough to working surface. Add the softened butter and knead it using palm and heals of your hand for about 8 to 10 minutes till you get a soft dough. I have not added any additional flour while kneading.
  
• Transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover and keep it aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until it is doubled in size.
  

Step III

• Transfer the dough to working surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. I have not used any extra flour.
  
• Shape each piece into ball. Cover it with kitchen towel and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
  

Step IV

• Flatten each ball to remove any air bubbles and shape them tightly into sandwich rolls or shape of baguettes.
  
• Place these rolls on baking pan at least 3 to 4 inch apart. Brush it with egg wash.
  
• Using sharp knife or razor blade score at least 10 times.
  
• Let it proof again for 1 hour.

Step V

• Preheat the oven to 450 degree F. Brush the loaves with egg wash again if desired.
  
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until done.
  
• Allow it to cool down.
  
• Vienna Bread is ready. Serve and enjoy.
  

Notes

• The amount of flour may vary depending on the brand of flour used and weather conditions or even the type of milk used in the recipe.
• You may substitute milk with water and milk powder in the recipe.
• Try not to add any flour during the kneading process. As you knead it for 8 to 10 minutes you will get a smooth soft dough.

Keyword braided bread, bread rolls, brioche, brunch recipes, Buns, butterzopf, Challah bread, Christmas breakfast, french toast, Loaf, Loaves, sandwich bread, sourdough vienna, Thanksgiving sides

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

If you like this braided bread,

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Zopf Bread	Challah Bread
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Recipe for Vienna Bread or Pain Viennois or Austrian Bread Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 packet Active dry yeast ( 2 ½ tsp)
• 2 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 ⅓ cup Fat free skim milk
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 3 ½ cup + 2 tablespoon All purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon Unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 Egg wash (beat an egg with pinch of salt)

Steps to prepare Vienna Bread Rolls from scratch

Step I

1. In a bowl, add warm fat free skim milk, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle yeast.
2. Cover it and keep it undisturbed for 10 minutes. Let the yeast activate.

Step II

1. Add salt and all purpose flour to the yeast mixture and mix.
2. Transfer the dough to working surface. Add the softened butter and knead it using palm and heals of your hand for about 8 to 10 minutes till you get a soft dough. I have not added any additional flour while kneading.
3. Transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover and keep it aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until it is doubled in size.

Step III

1. Transfer the dough to working surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. I have not used any extra flour.
2. Shape each piece into ball. Cover it with kitchen towel and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Step IV

1. Flatten each ball to remove any air bubbles and shape them tightly into sandwich rolls or shape of baguettes.
2. Place these rolls on baking pan at least 3 to 4 inch apart. Brush it with egg wash.
3. Using sharp knife or razor blade score at least 10 times.
4. Let it proof again for 1 hour.

Step V

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degree F. Brush the loaves with egg wash again if desired.
2. Bake for about 15 minutes or until done.
3. Allow it to cool down.
4. Vienna Bread is ready. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

• The amount of flour may vary depending on the brand of flour used and weather conditions or even the type of milk used in the recipe.
• You may substitute milk with water and milk powder in the recipe.
• Try not to add any flour during the kneading process. As you knead it for 8 to 10 minutes you will get a smooth soft dough.