The “Bärner Ankezüpfe” is a typical Swiss bread. It is a dense and yet fluffy bread. The density comes from the butter and milk base, the fluffiness from the yeast and the braided form. I make my “Bärner Ankezüpfe” almost the way my grandma does. As I do not cook with white sugar and conventional flour, I use honey and Spelt flour, in my opinion the result is just as great.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Spelt flour more if needed while kneading
- 1 1/2 tbsp Sea salt
- 6 dl Fresh whole milk
- 130 gr Butter
- 42 gr Yeast
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 Egg
- 2 tbs cream
Instructions
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1. Sift the flour into a big bowl.
2. Add the salt and mix well, then for a mold in the middle.
3. Pour the milk into a pot and heat lightly, just until tepid.
4. Pour a glass of the tepid milk into a small bowl and add the yeast and honey. Wisk until well combined and add the yeast-milk mixture to the mold in the flour.
5. Meanwhile, cut the butter into pieces and add to the remaining milk in the pot. Heat until the butter is fully dissolved (make sure not to heat too much).
6. Add the milk butter mixture to the flour and start mixing then knead
7. The dough must be wet but not sticky, knead on a clean and flowered surface for about 10 minutes to integrate air.
8. Place back into the bowl and cover with a damped kitchen owl, let rise for at least 2 hours.
9. Cut the dough into equal size pieces and braid.
10. I usually make to breads with one kilogram flour. Therefore, cut into 4 equal weight pieces, see description how to braid.
11. Place on a lined full sheet tray and let sit for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C.
12. Separate the egg yolk from the white, add the cream to the yolk and mix well. Brush the yolk-cream mixture onto the braids. (I use the whites for scrambled eggs the next day).
13. Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until the bread has a nice golden color.
