Brennsuppe — Franconian Browned-Flour Soup
A deep blond soup, made by patiently browning flour in butter until it smells nutty, then thinning it into broth. Comforting and economical, it's poured over a slice of stale bread.
A deep blond soup, made by patiently browning flour in butter until it smells nutty, then thinning it into broth. Comforting and economical, it's poured over a slice of stale bread.
Do not think that complicated things are needed to eat well among friends: I never wasted time at the stove. This soup, my mother made it, and all Franconia makes it—you let the flour brown in the butter, slowly, until it smells of hazelnut, and the rest is only water, salt, and a little caraway. Pour it over a piece of yesterday's bread, and you'll have enough to think for the whole afternoon. I fed my students walks and mathematics; but when the cold set in, such a soup was worth any lecture.
- •Wheat flour — two handfuls (browned base)
- •Butter or lard — a good knob (browning fat)
- •Water or broth — a large pot (liquid)
- •Caraway — a pinch (Franconian spice)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- •Stale bread — a few slices (serving base)
Brennsuppe — Franconian Browned-Flour Soup
A deep blond soup, made by patiently browning flour in butter until it smells nutty, then thinning it into broth. Comforting and economical, it's poured over a slice of stale bread.
Why this dish? Emmy ate "mainly bread, soups, cheese." Brennsuppe, the mother soup of poor Franconian cuisine, is exactly the simple, hot, nourishing dish served on modest tables in Erlangen and Bavaria during her childhood.
Do not think that complicated things are needed to eat well among friends: I never wasted time at the stove. This soup, my mother made it, and all Franconia makes it—you let the flour brown in the butter, slowly, until it smells of hazelnut, and the rest is only water, salt, and a little caraway. Pour it over a piece of yesterday's bread, and you'll have enough to think for the whole afternoon. I fed my students walks and mathematics; but when the cold set in, such a soup was worth any lecture.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — two handfuls (browned base)
- Butter or lard — a good knob (browning fat)
- Water or broth — a large pot (liquid)
- Caraway — a pinch (Franconian spice)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- Stale bread — a few slices (serving base)
Ingredients
- Wheat flour — 60 g (browned base)
- Butter — 50 g (browning fat)
- Vegetable or beef broth — 1 liter (liquid)
- Caraway seeds — 1/2 tsp (Franconian spice)
- Grated nutmeg — 1 pinch (roundness)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- Stale rye bread — 4 slices (serving base)
- Egg yolk (optional) — 1 (creamy binder)
Method
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add the flour and stir constantly for 8 to 12 minutes: it should go from white to hazelnut blond, without burning.
- Add the caraway, then gradually pour in the hot broth while whisking to avoid lumps.
- Let simmer for 10 minutes, season with salt, and grate a little nutmeg.
- Off the heat, you can temper an egg yolk with a ladle of soup then stir it in to thicken.
- Place a slice of rye bread at the bottom of each bowl and ladle the boiling soup over it.
How it was made : The Einbrenn technique (browned flour in fat) is the foundational gesture of southern German cuisine: it turned a few pennies of flour into a hot meal. It was found daily in modest Franconian families.
The contemporary twist : A few golden croutons and a sprinkle of chives transform this peasant soup into an elegant autumn starter.
Emmy Noether · Charactorium