Bürli (Small bread)

Note: Before you can start making the Bürli, you must prepare a sourdough about one or two days in advance.

Ingredients for 50 g (1.75 ounces) wheaten sourdough to be prepared in advance:

50 g (1.75 ounces) wheaten flour type 1050 (see note below)
4 g (0.14 ounces) yeast
1 dl (0.4 cups) water

Preparation of the wheaten sourdough:

Dissolve yeast in water. Add wheaten flour and stir until it becomes a viscous dough.
Cover and let grow for about one or two days in a warm place.

Ingredients for approximately 16 Bürli (8 pairs as shown above):

375 g (13 ounces) wheaten flour type 550 (see note below)
375 g (13 ounces) wheaten flour type 1050 (see note below)
40 g (1.4 ounces) yeast
20 g (0.7 ounces) salt
0.5 l (2 cups) water

Preparation of the Bürli:

Mix the ingredients mentioned above with the sourdough prepared in advance.
Knead to a soft dough.
Let grow for about 30 minutes.
Cut into pieces of about 60 g (2 ounces) each and put them together in pairs or four of them to a butterfly like setting on a baking sheet.
Let grow again for about another 30 minutes.
Bake for about 25 minutes in the lower part of the pre-heated oven at about 240 degree Celsius (460 degree Fahrenheit). Put a bowl with water in the oven. Remove the bowl after about 10 minutes and let the steam flow out. Make sure the bowl withstands the heat and beware the hot steam when opening the oven !

Serve freshly but allow to cool.

Note: Type of flour:

The type of flour is measured by the amount of ash left behind in milligram (mg) if 100 g flour gets burned. For example, if you burn 100 g of a type 1050 flour, 1050 mg (which equals to 1.05 g) ash will be left. Generally speaking, the more ash left behind, the more skin was on the grain (more fiber).

To the list of Swiss recipes