How to Make Berliners: A Step-by-Step Guide
Soft, golden, filled with fruit jam, and finished with powdered sugar, Berliners are one of Germany’s best-known sweet pastries. They are especially popular around Carnival and New Year’s Eve, although German bakeries sell them throughout the year.
There is also a small regional surprise behind this simple-looking pastry. In Berlin, a Berliner is usually called a Pfannkuchen, while in other parts of Germany you may hear names such as Krapfen or Kreppel. The pastry is essentially the same idea: a round, fried yeast dough filled with jam or another sweet filling.
What Is a German Berliner?
A German Berliner is a filled doughnut made from a soft yeast dough. Unlike the typical American doughnut, it has no hole in the center. After frying, the pastry is filled with jam or jelly and usually finished with powdered sugar, granulated sugar, or sometimes icing.
Raspberry, plum, and apricot are among the traditional filling choices, although bakeries today offer many variations. Some Berliners are also filled with custard, vanilla cream, or other sweet fillings.
For an international reader, the easiest comparison is a jelly-filled doughnut. But the Berliner has its own place in German bakery culture and is closely connected to regional language and traditions.
Berliner, Pfannkuchen, Krapfen, or Kreppel?
The name depends largely on where you are in Germany.
- Berliner: A common name in many parts of Germany and the name widely recognized internationally.
- Pfannkuchen: The usual name in Berlin. This can be confusing because Pfannkuchen means pancake in much of the rest of Germany.
- Krapfen: A common name in southern Germany and Austria.
- Kreppel: A regional name used particularly in parts of central Germany.
This regional difference is one of the fun things about ordering the pastry in Germany. Asking for a Berliner in Berlin is perfectly normal, but in another region the same pastry may have a completely different name.
Ingredients for Homemade Berliners
- 500 g (17.6 oz) all-purpose flour
- 50 g (1.8 oz) sugar
- 7 g (0.25 oz) active dry yeast – German dry yeast
- 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) warm milk
- 60 g (2.1 oz) unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt – German Alpine salt
- 250 g (8.8 oz) fruit jam or jelly
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
- Powdered sugar for finishing
How to Make Berliners
Step 1: Prepare the Dough
Warm the milk until it is lukewarm rather than hot. Stir in the sugar and active dry yeast and let the mixture stand for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, softened butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix until the ingredients come together into a soft dough.
Step 2: Knead and Let the Dough Rise
Knead the dough for several minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If it feels extremely sticky, add a small amount of flour, but avoid making the dough unnecessarily firm.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 60 minutes, or until it has noticeably increased in size.
Step 3: Shape the Berliners
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly. Divide it into about 16 to 18 equal portions.
Shape each portion into a smooth ball and place the dough balls on a lightly floured tray or parchment-lined surface. Leave enough room between them for the dough to expand.
Step 4: Let Them Rise Again
Cover the shaped dough balls loosely and let them rise again for about 30 minutes. This second rise helps create the light, airy texture associated with a good Berliner.
Step 5: Fry the Berliners
Heat the vegetable oil to about 165–170°C (330–340°F). A kitchen thermometer makes it much easier to keep the temperature steady.
Carefully place a few Berliners into the hot oil at a time. Fry them until golden brown, turning them once so both sides cook evenly. Depending on their size and the oil temperature, this usually takes several minutes in total.
Do not overcrowd the pot. Adding too many at once can lower the oil temperature and result in greasy or unevenly cooked pastries.
Remove the finished Berliners with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to drain.
Step 6: Fill and Dust
Allow the Berliners to cool until they are warm rather than hot. Transfer the jam or jelly to a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle.
Make a small opening in the side of each Berliner and pipe in the filling. Finish with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
What Filling Works Best?
Fruit fillings are traditional and work particularly well with the lightly sweet yeast dough. Raspberry and apricot are classic choices, while plum is also a familiar German flavor.
If you make Berliners at home, there is no reason to limit yourself to one filling. Vanilla cream, custard, chocolate, or other fillings can turn the same basic dough into something quite different.
When Do Germans Eat Berliners?
Berliners are strongly associated with Carnival, particularly in regions where Carnival and related traditions are an important part of the winter calendar. They are also a familiar treat on New Year’s Eve.
There is a playful tradition associated with the pastry as well: sometimes one Berliner at a party is filled with mustard instead of jam. The unsuspecting person who bites into it gets an unpleasant surprise. It is a simple practical joke that has become part of the folklore surrounding the pastry.
Why Is It Called a Berliner?
The name seems straightforward, but the history behind it is less certain than some popular stories suggest. One famous legend says that a Berlin baker created the pastry in the 18th century after serving as a baker with the Prussian military.
That story is widely repeated, but it should be treated as a legend rather than established historical fact. What is clear is that the Berliner became an important part of German bakery culture and that its name varies considerably from one region to another.
Berliner or Doughnut?
For American readers, the easiest comparison is a jelly doughnut. Both are fried yeast pastries filled with something sweet, but the shape and preparation are different from the typical ring-shaped American doughnut.
The Berliner also has a particularly strong connection to German regional food culture. Its different names reveal how much everyday food vocabulary can change from one part of Germany to another.
That is one of the things I like about Berliners. The recipe itself is fairly simple, but the pastry carries a surprising amount of regional character with it.
Tips for Making Better Berliners at Home
- Keep the dough soft: Adding too much flour can make the finished pastry heavy.
- Give the dough enough time to rise: The yeast needs time to create the light texture.
- Watch the oil temperature: If the oil is too hot, the outside can brown before the inside is properly cooked.
- Do not overcrowd the pot: Fry the Berliners in small batches to keep the temperature stable.
- Fill them after frying: Let the pastries cool slightly before adding the jam.
- Use a piping bag: It makes filling the Berliners much easier and keeps the pastry intact.
Enjoy Your Homemade Berliners
A Berliner may look like a simple filled doughnut, but it represents something larger in German food culture. Its regional names, connection with Carnival and New Year’s Eve, and place in German bakeries make it much more than just a sweet pastry.
And perhaps that is why Berliners are so recognizable. Whether you order a Berliner, Pfannkuchen, Krapfen, or Kreppel, you are essentially asking for the same comforting German treat.
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