The Fresh Loaf

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Memories from a past lent - Faschtewaije

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

Memories from a past lent - Faschtewaije

Years ago I came across these buns when I went to Basel a lot.

They are sold only during lent, and only in Basel area.

The taste and texture were very memorable - unlike anything I had tasted before.
Next Saturday I will participate in a pop-up market and thought these Faschtewaije might be an interesting candidate.

I found a few recipes and saw what made them special. Lard.

I wouldn't be able to sell a lot of goods containing lard on this occasion (I am going with Hot-Cross Buns)
But my fingers itched and I tried out the recipe.

They came out very nicely, a bit denser than what I remember, but nevertheless a great taste and texture.
I am very happy with this first try.

The recipe is from
http://www.baselinsider.ch/enzyklopaedie/basler-rezepte/basler-rezepte/faschtewaije-fastenwaehe.html

Some more background info is here:

http://www.foodnews.ch/x-plainmefood/30_produkte/Fastenwaehe.html


Here it is in Bakers % and with English ingredient names:

Flour (AP / strong white) 100% (200g)

Salt 1.5%% (3g)

Malt Extract 1% (2g)

Instant Dry Yeast 2% (4g)

Milk  (lukewarm) 62.5% (125g)

Lard (or Butter) 37.5% (75g)

Yield 204.5% (409g)

This amount makes 4 buns 

I used lard - I think that butter turns it into something closer to Brioche.

With lard this tasted just as I remember.

Mix the dry ingredients and milk, and work to develop some gluten.
Add the melted fat and work until you have a very smooth, supple dough. This is the more challenging step.

Proof for about 1 hour at 23C
Divide into 50g - pieces. Preshape and roll them out (with a rolling pin) into oblong pieces.
(This is the step I yet need to figure out - the pieces should have pronounced tips so that the finished bun has roughly a circular shape with two knobbly bits, not unlike the shadow of a lemon.)

Let rise for another hour (while the oven preheats to 190C), cut them in this specific pattern, like -=- (have a look at the pictures of the cutting tool in the links), glaze,sprinkle with caraway seeds, and bake for about 25 minutes,until golden brown. Don't let them go too dark.
The recipe uses an egg yolk and water mix for the glaze, I used plain water.

Happy Baking,
Juergen

Comments

Behnam's picture
Behnam

hmm they look great, will certainly try them this weekend!

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

I look forward to hear how you like it.

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Hi Juergen,

So nice to sit down and find a post written by you :)

I didn't know that you are now selling your breads too.  I thought you baked for school functions and friends.  Nice to know you are taking your beautiful breads out into the public sector!

Very nicely crafted 'buns' you have pictured above.  The shaping quite unique.

Hot cross buns are on my list to as Easter rapidly approaches.  Fun to make.

Thanks for the peek into your kitchen.

Take Care,

Janet

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

for your kind reply.

I am actually selling small amounts every week, most regularly to a cafe, who regularly get two Challahs and two rice sours.

In order to get onto a farmers market I'd have to put some effort in to satisfy the laws - this is somewhat outside and a one-off.

And a challenge for scheduling. I'll make 96 hotcrossbuns (Hamelman's amazing recipe), 8 challahs, 8 rice sours, 8 rye-spelt detmolders and 4  of my new ploetziade-inspired [NO Name]-Bread.

My kitchen will be busy..,

Nice to hear from you,

Juergen

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Busy indeed.

Is your rice sour a gluten free bread?

Curious to know what your ploetziade bread consists of.  A lean loaf or a enriched one?

Have fun :)

Janet

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

Hi Janet, 

the rice sour is gluten-free, just containing rice, potato starch, tapioca starch, psyllium husks, salt and water.

The Ploetziade bread - read Karin's post "We build a bread" ...

The challnge is to make a bread from 450g white wheat flour, 50g wholegrain rye flour, 10g salt.

All the other parameters are free - use yeast or rye or wheat sour, the fermented flour has to be subtracted from the amounts above.

Any amount of water, and any process.

I am inspired by  a marriage of pane nero di bolzano and vermont sourdough. Pretty unlikely match, isn't it?

Yesterday we ate half a loaf in one go, and had to hold back ...

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Thanks for the details.

Fun stuff for sure.   Karin did one like that here in the fall but had a lot more ingredients to fiddle around with.  People came up with a lot of interesting permutations.

Take Care,

Janet

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

I looked up and read the links and more about the stamp used to shape them. It is really unique to Basil. I will be in Switzerland for 3 full days of cycling this Summer and am looking forward to the bakeries. Too bad this won't be available. I wish there was a way to get the stamp but it appears to be only in one shop in Basil and no where else in  the world !!  Thanks for such an interesting post. c

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

.. in the orchards near lake Constance, or something more challenging?

I am sure you'll enjoy it very much.

Having these truly regional gems is one of the charming things about Switzerland.

To create the shape I used a small spatula. 

Thanks a lot for your reply and have a good time cycling,

 Juergen

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

Here is the schedule...we start in Vienna on May 30 and finish in Nantes on Bastille Day !  My husband and I will then take the train to Amsterdam and ride a loop around the Netherlands for 3 weeks...then home. An adventure :) I am looking forward to the sites and smells and meeting so many new  people and all the wonderful food...I love to tour on bike and this will be all new territory for the both of us. 

Vienne
1 Friday 30-mai Vienne Tulln 38
2 Saturday 31-mai Tulln Krems 46
3 Sunday 01-juin Krems Melk 38
4 Monday 02-juin Melk Grein 52
5 Tuesday 03-juin Grein Linz 62
6 Wednesday 04-juin Linz Engelhartszell 63
7 Thursday 05-juin Engelhartszell Passau 31 330
8 Friday 06-juin Passau Straubing 105
9 Saturday 07-juin Straubing Regensbourg 54
10 Sunday 08-juin Regensbourg Kelheim 36,5
11 Monday 09-juin Kelheim Ingolstadt 54,5
12 Tuesday 10-juin Ingolstadt Donauwörth 63
13 Wednesday 11-juin Donauwörth Dillingen 36
14 Thursday 12-juin Dillingen Ulm -Blauberen 70 419
15 Friday 13-juin 15
16 Saturday 14-juin Ulm Riedlingen 79
17 Sunday 15-juin Riedlingen Siegmaringen 33
18 Monday 16-juin Siegmaringen Tuttlingen 55,5
19 Tuesday 17-juin Tuttlingen Überlingen 65 247,5
20 Wednesday 18-juin Überlingen Schaffhausen 65  ************ Switzerland 
21 Thursday 19-juin Schaffhausen Bad Zurzach 46 *************
22 Friday 20-juin Bad Zurzach Rheinfelden 40 151 ***************
23 Saturday 21-juin Suisse - Alsace Rheinfelden Mulhouse 70
24 Sunday 22-juin Mulhouse Belfort 61
25 Monday 23-juin Belfort Baume-les-Dames 81
26 Tuesday 24-juin Baume-les-Dames Besançon 34
27 Wednesday 25-juin
28 Thursday 26-juin Besançon Dôle 60 306
29 Friday 27-juin Dôle St-Jean-de-Losne ou Seurre ? 27 / 52
30 Saturday 28-juin St-Jean-de-Losne ou Seurre ? Chalon-sur-Saône 70 / 45
31 Sunday 29-juin Chalon-sur-Saône Montceau-les-Mines 70
32 Monday 30-juin Montceau-les-Mines Digoin 52
33 Tuesday 01-juil Auvergne / Bourgogne Digoin Decize 68
34 Wednesday 02-juil Bourgogne Decize Nevers 40 230
35 Thursday 03-juil Nevers Sancerre 67
36 Friday 04-juil Sancerre Briare 45
37 Saturday 05-juil Briare Sully-sur-Loire 32
38 Sunday 06-juil Sully-sur-Loire Orléans 45
39 Monday 07-juil Orléans Blois 65
40 Tuesday 08-juil Blois Tours 78
41 Wednesday 09-juil
42 Thursday 10-juil Tours Chinon 59 391
43 Friday 11-juil Chinon Saumur 35
44 Saturday 12-juil Saumur Angers 63
45 Sunday 13-juil Angers St-Florent Varades 58
46 Monday 14-juil St-Florent Varades Nantes

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

My parents did the danube (the other way round) and thought it was an amazing ride. 

You are touching some of the most beautiful areas!

 

Behnam's picture
Behnam

Wow, seriously dude, these turned out great, my family loved them, I'd take a picture but I've found out that I can be extremely lazy sometimes....

Anyway, thanks for the awesome recipe!

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

Juergen