A perfect cinnamon roll is my favorite pastry. I love the heart-warming fluffy dough, complemented by moist spirals of cinnamon. So for two years now, a post has been swirling around my mind: this guide to the best cinnamon rolls in Hamburg.
The problem is that I couldn’t, still can’t, decide in which way to evaluate these pastries. So I let this post trail on, reasoning that tastings across the globe would help my evaluation of Hamburg’s cinnamon rolls. Nibbling Bordeaux’s yeasty brioche cannelle, Great Harvest’s whole wheat cinnamon pastries and Helsinki’s large Korvapussti was all done with good reason . . .
My clearest answer, for where to get the best cinnamon roll if you're currently in Hamburg might be: Dammtor. Four hour later you’ll find yourself between colourful old buildings, a different view of the grey sky and happy Danes. Continue on foot, north, passed Niels Bohr, till you hit Jaeggersborgade. There you will find a sous-terrain bakery that has hopefully not sold out of their mesmerizing Kanelsnurrer. They are worth it.
But if you’re in a big rush; then I guess you’re waiting for another answer. So let me start anew and return to the Hansestadt.
Hamburg’s Franzbrötchen
Hamburg is actually the perfect match to a cinnamon roll – cute, cozy, chic but comforting. So it comes, that this city is also home to the Franzbrötchen, a moist and crispy cinnamon-pastry that rookies might compare to a cinnamon roll.
The biggest difference of Hamburg’s traditional morning pastry, the Franzbrötchen, is its flaky dough. The rolled layers don’t contrast a yeasty dough – they merge right in with the crusty outside of the soft, dense phyllo dough. Lastly a Franzbrötchen’s presentation is quite different from that of a cinnamon roll. The roll isn’t flipped upwards and baked whole. It is smushed in the middle, and flattened such, that the spirals face upward again. Think of a cinnamon roll that was run over by a car.
Though even if you choose one terminology, one and the same word never gives one and the same pastry. Some doughs compete with the yeastiness of Bordeaux’s brioche à la cannelle. Others have the same flaky crust as a Franzbrötchen. These differences are exactly what fill a comparison with exciting swirls . . .
Three Tastings
In total my cinnamon roll evaluation was only fulfilled after three different tastings.
- What I’m qualifying as the “first tasting” was my own quest through Hamburg’s cafés . Over the last two years I’ve had this post swirling through my mind. Whenever the pastry was in sight, I took the excuse to taste it – with caution and note-taking.
- The second tasting was on my birthday. I made my organisers a list where to find “the best cinnamon rolls” (including Franzbrötchen) in Hamburg. Then, instead of the common birthday Kaffee Kuchen at home, we had a very concentrated nibble-write-nibble-discuss cinnamon roll tasting . We analyzed the pastry in bare surroundings. Separated from any design, atmosphere or coffee – nothing could distract from the true quality of Hamburg’s cinnamon rolls.
However after this second tasting, some of my favorites from the first tasting ranked surprisingly low. I wondered:
Is it fair to only judge a cinnamon roll in bare surroundings?
That’s not how any normal person would eat a cinnamon roll in Hamburg. The process is usually subjective and involves the café itself. So I decided no – not fair. Food and taste is not objective. A beautiful plate, behind-the-scenes of the baking process, or nutty coffee alongside the dough can change opinions on cinnamon rolls.
- That is what brought us to the third and final tasting. My small crew digested from café to café, walking and tasting Hamburg through its twists of cinnamon rolls. Coming freshly out of the oven, served with some mind-blowing coffees, in crisp presentation – these impressions made our opinion of Hamburg’s cinnamon rolls complete.
Looking back, it was no challenge to find homemade dry and bland cinnamon rolls. However these frequent ones made the handful of moist and fluffy cinnamon rolls even more worthwhile. Our opinions on "the best cinnamon roll" diverged, which made me realize that this pastry doesn't only depend on the taster. It also depends on the occasion.
A few suit your morning pastry. Others are legit desserts you’ll want to prepare for. Some taste just as scrumptious when taken home. While a few best blossom when served in their respecting atmosphere . . .
Now stay hungry for the next post, “THE ANALYSIS” to read which person or occasion best suits our four favorite cinnamon rolls in Hamburg!
And in the meantime, comment below to tell me your opinion on the philosophy of cinnamon rolls! Is cozy Hamburg really the perfect town for them? Or better Bordeaux or Stockholm? Are Franzbrötchen, Kanelbullar, brioche à la cannelle and Korvapussti all comparable? Is it fair to analyse them in bare surroundings? Or does the right hospitality and coffee make a difference? . . . Tell me!
Thanks to Melanie Böhme, one of my tasters, for the great pictures of our third tasting. Find more of her coffee travels on @melscoffeetravels, and https://melscoffeetravels.com.