Kaiser roll
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| Alternative names | Vienna roll, hard roll, water roll |
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| Type | Bread roll |
| Place of origin | Austria |
| Region or state | Vienna |
| Main ingredients | Flour, barm, malt, water, salt |
| Variations | Michetta, rosetta |
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The Kaiser roll (German: Kaisersemmel), also called a Vienna roll (Wiener Kaisersemmel; as made by hand also: Handsemmel, Slovene: kajzerca) or a hard roll, is a typically crusty round bread roll, originally from Austria. It is made from white flour, yeast, malt, water and salt, with the top side usually divided in a symmetric pattern of five segments, separated by curved superficial cuts radiating from the centre outwards or folded in a series of overlapping lobes resembling a crown. The crisp Kaisersemmel is a traditional Austrian food officially approved by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Semmel (derived from Latin: simila, wheat flour) is the common name for any kind of roll in Austria and the German state of Bavaria, equivalent to Brötchen in Northern Germany or Weck in Baden-Württemberg.
Kaiser rolls have existed in a recognizable form at least since prior to 1760. They are thought to have been named to honor Emperor (Kaiser) Franz Joseph I of Austria (1830–1916). In 18th century a law fixed retail prices of Semmeln breadrolls in the Habsburg Monarchy. Allegedly, the name Kaisersemmel came into general use after the bakers' guild had sent a delegation in 1789 to Emperor Joseph II (1741–1790) and convinced him of deregulating the selling price.
With its monarchal connotation, Kaiser rolls stood out against common rolls known as Mundsemmeln ("mouth rolls") or Schustersemmeln ("cobbler rolls"). They are traditionally found in Austria, but have also become popular in other countries of the former Austrian Habsburg Empire, such as Poland (known as kajzerka in Galicia), Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia (kajzerica), Italy, Hungary (császárzsemle), the Czech Republic (kaiserka), as well as in Germany, the United States, and Canada. Italian bakers, during the Austrian domination in Lombardy, produced a hollow version known as michetta or rosetta.
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