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Grittibänz
Grittibänz: Swiss sweet bread man for St Nicholas Day
On 6 December, Samichlaus Day, bakeries across German-speaking Switzerland fill their windows with Grittibänz: little men of soft, sweet Zopf-style dough with raisin eyes and buttons, sometimes a pipe or a scarf, given to children with mandarins, nuts and gingerbread. Families shape them together at home, and every one comes out different. A common mistake is making the arms and legs too thin; they burn before the body bakes. Chef's tip: make the figures chunky and snip the arms and legs with scissors rather than rolling them separately, so the shape holds as it rises.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm milk
- 2 ½ oz soft butter
To decorate
- 1 egg yolkbeaten with 1 tbsp milk
- 30 raisins
- 1 tbsp pearl sugar
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 ¾ oz sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add 1 ¼ cups warm milk and 2 ½ oz soft butter and knead 10 minutes. Rise 1 hour.
10 minStep 2: Divide into 6. Roll each into a fat 18 cm oval. Pinch in a neck a third of the way down for the head.
Step 3: Snip the lower part up the middle for legs, and snip each side for arms, spreading them apart. Common mistake: thin limbs; they burn.
Step 4: Press in 30 raisins for eyes and buttons. Rise on lined trays for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F). Brush with 1 egg yolk, sprinkle with 1 tbsp pearl sugar and bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does grittibänz take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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