Let’s talk about GERMAN BREAD (American in Germany)

Hey there everyone!
I have been away from YouTube for the past few months but I am back now with a new video!
In today’s video I am speaking about German bread! I’m going to be talking about my favorite types of bread, giving you some bread facts, and getting into the bread vs toast debate.

For those of you guys who don’t know me... my name is Neeva, I am 25 years old and I live in Germany with my husband Ben and our cat Blu. I make videos about what it’s like to live in Germany as an American, as well as other random things I want to talk about!

If you enjoy this video please like and comment what you think! Aaaand if you want to subscribe to my channel that would be amazing!

[thatsmealso]

BTW: "Brotzeit" is a word from Bavaria / southern Germany. And "Abendbrot" is not just a snack. With German bread (which has taste by itself, texture and nutritional value), cold cuts, cheese, ... this is a full meal.

[neevabee_]

Correction: Abendbrot is often not a snack but rather a full meal, and Brötchen are normally not eaten as Abendbrot! My mistake - I was misinformed :) also I said 300 types of bread - I really meant 3000 😂 sorry for the mistakes!! My first video back was a bit difficult 😝 thanks for understanding

[bigernie]

The current usage of the word "Toast" in German is of course confusing for native English speakers. I believe the etymology is rather simple, however, "Toast" being an abbreviation of "Toastbrot" which means bread intended for being toasted which, in turn, makes perfect sense.

[larsschmitt]

If I buy Toastbrot then of course only to toast it. This soft, fluffy stuff (Toastbrot) needs to be toasted. Real bread needs to have a crust and a stable form. Not this squeezy stuff some non Germans call bread. ;-)

[henner]

I can't believe that here in Germany a town with such a low supply exists. I live in a greater village ( not even a town ) with a population of 6000 and we do have 5 gas stations and 5 bakeries. There are 2 fast food chains in our village ( Burger King and Subway ) and 4 grocery stores ( Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Edeka ).
And yes, we have " Frühstück " with Brötchen and Bread and when we had a full meal for lunch ( Mittagessen ) we usually eat bread for dinner "Abendbrot".
"Brotzeit" is a term I know, but it isn't used in northern Germany where I live.

[elessartelcontar]

Toast bread in Germany is named after its purpose. Only bread that’s specifically meant to be toasted is called toast bread. They are usually square and fit just fine into a toaster. Only those types of packaged bread is called toast bread. There are many types of packaged bread which is not toast bread.

[gerhardadler]

Neither Brozeit nor Abendbrot is considered a snack. Bread is meant as a full meal. Therefore Brotzeit is a meal that you eat mostly at work, where you may don't have other possibilities to eat except the stuff you brought from home. And Abendbrot simply is supper.

[frozenmadness]

I wouldn't eat bread from a plastic bag bought in a supermarket at all, unless all bakeries were closed and I did't get anything else ;) (OK maybe for toasts, but I don't remember when I made one) I generally prefer heavy, dark sorts, with seeds, grobes Vollkornbrot, sometimes Roggenbrot or Kürbiskernbrot.

[larsschmitt]

One of my favorite breads is "Pumpernickel" with liverwurst and pickles.

[JakobFischer]

When I worked as a scientist in Munich, we had a four weekly event with talks from special guests. It was called "Beer and Brezen" and, you guess it, there were always beer and fresh brezen for free.

[Tom-hzkz]

I eat untoasted Toastbrot and know many Germans who do the same, although I do prefer it toasted. Why we do not call it bread should be obvious after living in Germany and tasting real bread? It is called Toastbrot even if it is untoasted because you also call it baked beans when they are sold unbaked.

[potator]

Hello, nice to have you back.
I'm actually always surprised that in other countries bread is so boring and seems relatively unimportant. After all, not only in Germany for ...almost always, bread was the main food of most people.
I suspect in all this it resonates that Germany has not always been a rich country. People starved (that's one reason why the ancestors of about a third of all US Americans were German) and having a piece of bread meant life.

As you noted from other comments, "Abendbrot" is not just a snack, but the late main meal, also called that when you eat something completely different.
But also "Frühstück" = breakfast is derived from bread in German. It can be translated as early piece (of bread).

When I eat a fresh slice of dark bread or even "Schwarzbrot" (which is not only particularly dark, but is prepared in a very special way and baked for several hours), with a piece of ham or cheese or even just butter, it gives me a primal satisfaction that I have never felt with any elaborate meal, no matter how special.
One of my most vivid memories is lying on a hill in the Romanian Moldavia, the large edge of a coarse dark bread with a slice of ham half an inch thick and a sprig of thyme on it from the meadow on which I lie. With it a cup of too warm red country wine from the barrel of a nearby monastery. If I had died then it would have been all right (however, it is also good that I chewed properly, so I could make the acquaintance of my children :)

Differently than in other countries probably the appreciation for white flour did not come through in the same way. White bread is considered somehow nobler even in Germany, but it's also not considered a wholesome food. We Germans prefer to make cakes from white flour. It may be a little unhealthier than Toast(brot), but if I'm going to eat unhealthy, I'd rather have cake than toast(brot). The fact that there are so many bakers (that can bake cakes as well) have then also ensured that German cakes and pies also play internationally in the premier league (imho).

By the way, not all prepackaged sliced bread in the supermarket is called Toast(brot). Only the light fluffy more or less square, that tastes untoasted just like cardboard. But even the industrial gray bread or whole grain bread that you get in the supermarket is second-rate compared to bread from the bakery. Probably that's why you may not know it because it has never been offered to you, but only toast(brot) from the grocerystore, which bakers of honor do not produce at all.

[GoleoGohlix]

„Bernd das Brot“ was part of some shows. But the KiKa (short form for Kinderkanal, which means children channel) only broadcasts until 9pm after that Bernd das Brot is on the channel to say that there is no show on air. And the whole night he lives through depressiv things like getting an Facebook account that he don’t want to have and than he gets a shit storm and funny stuff like that.

[S_Black]

Toast bread isn't bad. When toasted. That's what it's meant for. There are all kinds of uses for it. Some people eat for for breakfast with honey or jam. It's good for certain kinds of salads, like a shrimp salad. And of course for oven toasts where you grill it with cheese on top and certain other ingredients (like ham).
It just doesn't taste and feel good when untoasted. It's too squishy and only toasting gives it a proper taste. I think a huge difference is that in Germany (and many other countries) bread is actually supposed to taste like something. It's an integral part of the experience. Specifically with American sandwiches the bread is just there to hold the ingredients together and the whole taste comes from what you put between the bread slabs.

Also there are actually pre-packaged supermarket breads that are edible. I've had half decent sliced rye bread from there. Not nearly as good as even the industrial bread you get in supermarket baking shops, but not necessarily horrible. And those breads aren't toast because they aren't only meant for toasting.

[zeideerskine]

I recommend you ask for the specialty of the bakery. Every bakery has at least one. Asking for sourdough bread however will draw a blank because all German Brote are sourdough leavened unless they are for toasting or being smothered with jam or nutella. Sourdough bread makes as much sense as a concept to Germans as hopped beer. While there are other kinds those are labeled as being particularly "other". As a German who has lived in California for twenty four years I can assure you that California bread is not really edible to most Germans.

[juergenschoepf]

Try a Toastbrot from a bakery which is sold as a loaf the same way as the other bread types. That has taste and texture and you can also eat it untoasted (but toasted it's much better). Has nothing in common with the sliced sponge American style you buy in supermarkets.
We lived 18 years in the US and bread from a Polish or German bakery was the only thing we bought instead of US food as the sliced sponges where not eatable. Oh, and they had excellent pretzel rolls too!

[wallykaspars]

Thanks for the interesting video. I lived in Germany for 18 years and now miss Brötchen and Roggenmischbrot.

[RustyDust]

It's called "Toastbrot", ie "Toast bread". We call Toastbrot simply Toast because it is shorter. But many Toastbrot types resemble the wonderbread of the USA so much. But wonderbread to a German is similar to silly-putty. You can squeeze it and it slowly puffs out nearly to its original size. The taste of wonderbread is also similar to silly-putty when compared to some better German bread.
The only thing that makes Toastbrot more appetizing is when it is toasted. Otherwise it is basically a transport medium for the toppings because it has so little own flavor.

German bread, even those found in German supermarkets, usually is similar to most craft breads you can find in the States. But if you go to a real craft bakery in Germany and find a sourdough bread it can happen that the dough for these breads has been leavened and proofed for up to three days. The crust and the crumb of these breads is to die for.


Abendbrot, while it does literally translate to "evening bread" is just the German word for dinner. Because in Germany the traditional meal eaten in the evening is with bread instead of a hot meal.
If you have a hot meal in the evening it is called Abendessen, literally translating to "Evening Food". Abendbrot is a full meal, and not really a snack.

The Brotzeit from Bavaria can be at any time of the day but is usually sometime in-between regular meal times. Dito for the Vesper, which is just another term for the same snack/meal, but from another regional dialect. Originally the vesper came from Latin and ment 'Evening time' when the evening prayers were read in a monastery.

[arnodobler]

In Ulm Baden-Württemberg there is a Brotmuseum.
I can eat Toast only toasted otherwise I get a stomach ache.
Nice you are back. Respeckt for these hard long german Words. 👏

[charms]

As a sunday breakfast, I occasionally make "Arme Ritter" with untoasted toastbrot. (you scramble eggs, maybe add a little milk, dip the bread in, and fry it in a pan. It is quite tasty if you happen to like sweet breakfast.)
I also should mention that there are lots of variety in nomenclature, which makes it quite difficult. Bavarians (and Austrians) call the "Brötchen" "Semmel", and chances are that a local bakery in, let's say, Northern Germany, will have something quite similar to "Altschwäbisches Steinofenbrot", but it will go under a different name.