Austrian Semmelkren Recipe (Horseradish Sauce)

In this article, you will find an easy Austrian Semmelkren recipe.

Semmelkren is a horseradish sauce made with bread rolls and beef broth.

It is a traditional Austrian side dish for Tafelspitz or other boiled beef, and often served together with roasted potatoes, creamed spinach and chive sauce….

Semmelkren is a popular dish at festive meals or celebrations like Austrian weddings.

The recipe in this article is served cold and can therefore be prepared a few hours before serving. It will keep for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Shelf life & Reheating
• Freezing & Thawing
• Zero Waste Tip
• Austrian Semmelkren Recipe (Horseradish Sauce)

Semmelkren is a quick and easy dish, and on top of that, the perfect leftover use for stale buns.

Semmelkren Horseradish Sauce is usually served with boiled beef like Austrian Tafelspitz, Roasted Potatoes, Apfelkren (Applesauce with Horseradish), creamed spinach and a sauce of sour cream and chives or willow.

Ingredients

Unlike some other Semmelkren recipes, this one is served cold. To prevent the mixture from thickening too much, more liquid is used.

You need the following ingredients for 4 servings as a small side dish (among many other side dishes) or for 2 people as a larger side dish:

• 2 white bread buns, thinly sliced (~2+½ cups or 100 gram) - you can use stale buns, baguette or any other white bread, storebought bread cubes or fresh buns are also possible

• 500 ml beef soup (2 cups) - alternatively vegetable soup

• 20 g grated horseradish (~ 3 tablespoons) - depending on how hot you like it

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• salt

• pepper, grated

• 2 tablespoons sour cream - optional

Instructions

Cut bread rolls into thin slices.

The thinner the pieces are cut, the easier it is for them to dissolve in the soup. Very large dry pieces of bread don't soften as well in the soup. (In my photos, the pieces are actually already too thick…).

In a pot, bring the soup to a boil.

Add bread slices and bring to a boil again. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Whisk until a thick sauce is formed. (Usually this is done whith a whisk rather than a blender, so the mixture does not get too sticky.)

Season with vinegar, salt and pepper.

Peel the horseradish with a vegetable peeler.

Grate it using a food processor attachment with fine holes or a hand grater.

Beware of the pungency: you may want to cover your eyes with protection glasses or similar.

When the bread mixture has cooled, stir in the grated horseradish and optional sour cream.

Important: add the horseradish only at the end, then do not boil or reheat. Serve cold.

The amount of horseradish depends on how fresh it is. The fresher the horseradish, the more pungency. After a few hours, the dish loses a bit of its pungency as well, so you may want to add a bit more horseradish before serving.

Shelf life & Reheating

The Semmelkren keeps well for 1-2 days in the refrigerator, but the horseradish loses its pungency over time.

The recipe below is designed for a Semmelkren which is served cold.

Please do not reheat, because then the horseradish no longer tastes hor and becomes somewhat bitter.

Freezing & Thawing

Can you freeze Semmelkren? Theoretically, Semmelkren can be frozen, but whether it really pays off is another question…

Do not boil or heat the horseradish to defrost it, because it will become bitter and lose its flavor.

In addition, if sour cream has been added to the recipe, it may become flaky when defrosted.

The horseradish on it's own, however, can be frozen very well, either as a whole root or already grated. To thaw, leave outside the freezer for a few hours.

Zero Waste Tip

Leftover Semmelkren can be eaten well the next day with vegetables and roasted potatoes, even if there is no leftover beef from the day before...

It also fits to sausages, smoked meat or grilled meat.

It may be necessary to add a little more horseradish the next day if it has lost its pungency.

But in any case, do not heat or boil horseradish again, otherwise it becomes bitter and loses its pungency.