VINSCHGER PAARLEN

MASH
50 g rye meal
100 g water, at 122 F/50 C

SOAKER
77 g all-purpose flour
100 g rye flour
2 g salt
108 g water

FINAL DOUGH
284 g all-purpose flour
5 g sugar
1 g/1 tsp. blue fenugreek (Brotklee, Schabziger Klee), ground *
2 g/1 sp. caraway, ground
3 g/1 tsp. anise seeds, ground
8 g salt
6 g instant yeast
170 g water

* substitute: 1 tbsp. dried, ground nettle leaves + 1/2 tsp. of curry. Don't use regular brown fenugreek! (It's bitter and much sourer)

DAY 1

For the mash: stir together rye meal and hot water. Let sit at room temperature (up to 24 hrs).

DAY 2

In the morning, add soaker ingredients to mash and stir to combine. Let sit at room temperature.

In the evening, stir yeast into lukewarm water until dissolved. Mix all ingredients with soaker, stirring for ca. 1 minute at lowest speed. Let dough sit for 5 min.

Knead on medium-low speed for 2 min. Dough should be supple and slightly sticky (adjust with water if needed). Continue kneading for 4 more min. increasing speed to medium-high for last 30 sec. Dough will be still somewhat sticky.

Stretch and fold dough 4 times, every 10 min. (40 min total time). Refrigerate overnight.

DAY 3

3 hrs. before baking, remove dough from refrigerator. Divide cold dough into 16 equal pieces and shape into rolls. Place in pairs, each pair touching each other, seam side down on parchment lined baking sheet. Dust with flour. Let breads rise ca 2 - 2 1/4 hrs., or until grown ca. 2 times their original size.

Preheat oven to 446 F/230 C, with steam pan. Place breads in oven, pouring 1/2 cup boiling water in steam pan. Bake for 10 min., rotate sheet and continue baking for another 10 min. (Internal temperature at least 200 F/392 C).

*if using convection (preferable) adjust temperature accordingly

Vinschgauer Bread - Vinschgauer Brot

On a trip to South Tyrol (a border area between Austria and Italy) as a student, I first tasted a sample of the spicy rye breads typical for the region. Hiking up the mountains to a "Huette" (a small rustic inn) we were served Vinschgauer Paarlen with homemade butter and smoked ham (Suedtiroler Speck). The flat bread was quite spicy. I didn't know what herb was in it, but it smelled and tasted wonderful.

Later I found out that there were more than one type of rye bread from Vinschgau. Vinschgauer, Vinschger Paarlen, Vinschgerlen or Vintschgauer comes in different variations, some with, some without sourdough, some flat, some rolls, and also with different seasonings, but all of them spicy and delicious.

A typical, very unique spice in some Vinschgauer breads is blue fenugreek (Brotklee, Schabziger Klee), it develops its special aroma from growing in the mountains with lots of sunshine. When I baked a batch of Vinschgerlen some days ago, the whole house was filled with the smell of Brotklee.

Unfortunately I couldn't find a source for Brotklee/blue fenugreek in the US - I bought several boxes in a health store during my last trip to Germany. But the German Wikipedia had at least a suggestion for a substitute: dried nettle (burning nettle) with "a good pinch of curry". The other possibility would be using regular fenugreek instead. I haven't tried either, yet, but I plan to make two batches using those substitutes, and compare their taste to the original.

Waehrend eines Urlaubs als Studentin in Suedtirol habe ich das erste Mal eins der wuerzigen Roggenbrote probiert, die so typisch fuer diese Gegend sind. Auf einer Bergwanderung servierte man uns in einer Huette Vinschgauer Paarlen mit frischer Butter und Suedtiroler Speck. Das Fladenbrot war sehr kraeftig gewuerzt. Ich kannte das Gewuerz nicht, aber es roch und schmeckte wunderbar.

Spaeter erfuhr ich, dass es mehr als eine Sorte Roggenbrot aus dem Vinschgau gibt. Vinschgauer, Vinschger Paarlen, Vinschgerlen oder Vintschgauer kommt in verschienen Variationen vor, einige mit, einige ohne Sauerteig, einige als Fladen, andere als Broetchen, und auch mit verschiedenen Gewuerzen, aber alle lecker und herzhaft.

Ein typisches, sehr einzigartiges Gewuerz in manchen Vinschgauer Broten ist Brotklee (Schabziger Klee). Er entwickelt sein besonderes Aroma dadurch, dass er in den Bergen mit viel Sonnenschein waechst. Als ich vor ein paar Tagen ein Blech mit Vinschgerlen gebacken habe, war das ganze Haus von Brotkleeduft erfuellt.

Leider habe ich in den USA bisher keine Bezugsquelle fuer Brotklee finden koennen - ich habe waehrend meiner letzten Deutschlandreise mehrere Dosen davon im Reformhaus gekauft. Aber das deutsche Wikipedia schlug wenigstens einen Ersatz vor: getrocknete, geriebene Brennesselblaetter mit "einer guten Prise Curry". Eine andere Moeglichkeit waere Bockshornklee. Ich habe bisher weder das eine noch das andere ausprobiert, aber ich will zwei Partien mit diesen beiden Ersatzgewuerzen backen und ihren Geschmack mit dem Original vergleichen.