Vinschgerl Paarl (aka Vinschgauer Paarl or monastery bread), first invented in the Benedictine abbey of Marienberg in the 13th century, is a typical Tyrolean flatbread that is about palm-sized, 2-3cm thick and baked in pairs with fresh spices such as fennel, coriander and caraway. They are hearty and have a very distinctive flavour due to the use a high proportion of rye flour, sourdough and bread spices like blue fenugreek, cumin, fennel and coriander. The flour for the Vinschger is 70% rye flour: dark or light or wholemeal. The sourdough makes them easy to digest and they stay fresh for a long time. If you are a fan of well spiced wholesome bread, this recipe is just right for you!
These rye flatbreads taste particularly good with strong mountain cheeses made from raw milk, like Allgäu mountain cheese, and hearty sausage / ham and South Tyrolean red wine. The Paarl bread is often served at weddings: its shape is supposed to symbolise the union of the bride and groom.

Vinschger Paarl from South Tyrol

adapted from Marcel Paa

Preferment	Final Dough
15 g Rye sourdough starter 100 g Lukewarm water 100 g Organic wholemeal rye flour	3/4 tsp Koriander seeds 1 tsp Caraway seeds 1 tsp Fennel seeds 1 tsp Blue fenugreek All of the preferment 200 g Lukewarm water 140 g Organic wholemeal rye flour 100 g Organic plain flour #550 6 g Salt 3 g Fresh yeast

1. Add the sourdough to the water in a bowl and mix together. Then add the mixture to the rye flour and mix everything together without lumps. Cover the mixture with a tea towel and leave to ferment at room temperature for about 6 hours.
2. Place all spices in the mortar and use the pestle to smash them up until they're finely ground.
3. Put all the ingredients of the main dough together with the spices into your food processor and mix well for about 5-8 minutes.
4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to proof for 90-120 minutes at room temperature.
5. After the proofing time, turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and dust the dough with rye flour. Divide the dough into 4 even portions and shape each into a smooth round ball. Place two dough balls directly next to each other on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking tray with the seam side down. Dust the dough balls with rye flour and cover with a towel. Set aside at room-temperature for about an hour until cracks form on the surface.
6. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 250C/480F with a bread baking stone and an ovenproof dish in the bottom half of the oven.
7. Transfer the dough onto the baking stone. Pour a cup of water into the baking tray at the bottom half of the oven. Close the door immediately and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 200C/400F and bake 20-30 minutes more until it's richly brown and crisp. Place the loaves to cool well on a wire rack.

bubbly active blueberry wild yeast

A simple artisan bread prepared with wild yeast water that's cultivated with 150 grams of fresh organic blueberries and 500 ml filtered tap water. Mix them in a plastic or glass container and let sit 5-6 days until bubbly and active before using. You don't have yeast water yet? Here you can find out how easy it is to grow and use the wild yeast. A preferment was then mixed and perfemented using a portion of active wild yeast water and flour 12-18 hours in advance of mixing the final dough. Using a preferment in bread is to delay the fermentation, so the yeast and natural enzymes present in flour have time to take action on the starches and proteins in the dough, resulting in a more complex, flavourful bread.
The preferment can be of a stiff texture, it can be quite loose in texture, or it can simply be a piece of mixed bread dough. Some preferments contain salt, others do not. In general, 1/4 to 1/2 of a bread recipe's total flour will be used to create a preferment. The amount of liquid depends entirely on what kind of preferment you are going to use. High hydration poolish (usually 100% hydration), low hydration biga (usually 60% hydration) and pâte fermentée, aka chef, or old dough (the same hydration level of its final dough) are the three “mother preferments”.

A fun bread recipe for a hearty, healthy and sensationally aromatic, crispy and rustic rye mixed bread made from wholemeal rye and wheat flour. A cultivated wild yeast starter is used as a leavening agent, which ensures a fine flavour, aroma, long freshness and at the same time a good oven spring. Barley malt extract not only contributes to the flavour but also encourages a browner crust and a glossy sheen. If you don't have barley malt extract, then a good substitute will be sugar beet syrup, honey or molasses. All in all, a very tasty, wholesome bread that goes well with hearty dishes or toppings. Or simply enjoy it with a generous smear of butter - you absolutely have to try it.

Rye Mixed Bread with Wild Yeast Starter

inspired and adapted from here and here

Wild Yeast Starter	Dough
50 g Dates from cultivating wild yeast water 200 g Wild yeast water 150 g Plain flour	Wild yeast starter 70 g Buttermilk 15 g Barley malt extract 220 g Plain flour 130 g Wholemeal rye flour 50 g Active wild yeast water 8 g Salt

1. Puree the fruit with the yeast water. Mix in the flour and leave to rise at room temperature for 12-14 hours.
2. Add the wild yeast starter, buttermilk and all the flour to the bowl of your mixer and knead on the lowest speed for 3 minutes. Add the yeast water a little at a time as the dough absorbs the liquid. Increase the speed to medium and knead for a further 8-10 minutes. After 5 minutes, knead in the salt.
3. Grease a large bowl with some olive oil and place in the dough. Stretch and fold once on all sides. Leave to ferment at room temperature for 5-6 hours, folding again after 1 and 2 hours if possible.
4. Shape the dough into a baton and place in an oblong floured proofing basket with the end facing upwards. Cover and leave to rise for another 3-4 hours at room temperature.

   how to shape a baton
5. Preheat the oven to 250C/480F. Place a baking stone in the lower half of the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, a baking tray works too. At the bottom of your oven, place a baking tray for water to create the steam.
6. Dust a parchment paper with flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured parchment paper. Transfer to the hot baking stone. Pour 1 cup of water into the baking tray at the bottom of your oven. Close the oven door immediately.
7. After 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 200C/400F and open the oven briefly so that the steam can escape. Bake for another 30-35 minutes until bread is golden brown and crisp. Remove and cool the bread on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Jiānbĭngguŏzi (煎饼果子)is a typical Tianjin breakfast. Jiānbĭng, or "pancake" is prepared with egg and cooked on a skillet, then topped with a guŏzi (果子)(commonly called in Northern China) or Yau Char Kwai(used in Southern China) or fried dough stick, drizzled with scallions, sesame seeds and sauces and rolled up, like a wrap.

Sourdough Chinese Crullers - Yau Char Kwai

Sponge	Dough
80 g Sourdough starter 100 ml Water 150 g All-purpose flour	All the starter above 320 g All-purpose flour 180 ml Water 1+1/2 tsp Salt 1/3 tsp Baking ammonia (Ammonium Bicarbonate) 1/4 tsp Potassium carbonate (Potash) 2/3 tsp Baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) 1 tsp Baking powder (a mixture of Tartaric Aid and Sodium Bicarbonate)

1. Combine first the starter, water in a bowl, and then stir in flour until a dough forms. Cover with a plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 12-18 hours. Whisk together ammonia, potassium carbonate, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Pour in water and blend all together.
   
2. In a larger container, add in the sponge and flour. Pour in the mixture and stir them into a ball. Cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Set the dough on a greased work surface. Lightly press the dough into a flat rectangle and fold into three. Give it a quarter-turn to the right, cover and allow it to rest for another 15 minutes. Repeat folding and relaxing two more times. Now place the dough on a lightly oiled baking peel, press out the dough into a rectangle, about 5mm thick. Cover closely and chill overnight.
3. Next morning, remove the dough from the fridge and divide the dough into 3x1-inch long strips. At the same time heat up a heavy skillet half-filled with frying oil until 180C/350F. Lightly press together two strips, which are overlappingly to each other, holding two ends closely and low them into the hot oil. Fry and turn the dough sticks until golden brown. Drain and cool slightly. These fried dough sticks are very often consumed with congee or soya drink
   soya drink. Besides eating fried dough sticks with congee and soya drink, you can prepare a Jian Bing Guo Zi (Fried Dough Stick Wrap), a traditional breakfast in Tianjin and Beijing.

Jian Bing Guo Zi – Pancake Rolled With Yau Char Kwai

50 g All-purpose flour 10 g Semolina 100-120 g Water Large pinch of salt

2 Eggs, lightly beaten 1 tbsp Chilli sauce 1/2 tbsp Seafood sauce 2 tbsp Chopped scallions 1 tsp Sesame seeds 2 tsp Vegetable oil 3 section Yau Char Kwai

1. Mix together flours, water and salt until you have a well-combined and lump free mixture. Heat up a skillet, and brush with a bit of oil. Scoop 3-4 tablespoons of batter into the skillet. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
   
2. Pour 1/3 of egg over, sprinkle chopped scallions and sesame seeds. Cook the batter for 1-2 minutes. Turn and cook the pancake until golden brown. Place it on a serving plate and brush with the sauces. Center the Yau Char Kwai and wrap up. Repeat with the rest of the batter and egg.

Panettone is a typical bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city. This cake-like bread is typically baked into a tall, cylindrical shape (empty fruit cans work great as baking pans). Traditionally, panettone is made with raisins and candied orange and lemon peel. But you can choose the dried fruits you prefer. The bread is delicious eaten fresh and keeps well in an airtight container for about a week. It also freezes well for up to two months.
Poolish is a fairly wet sponge with baker's yeast, typically made with a 1:1 ratio of flour and water by weight, that means 100% hydration.

1 package / 7 g Dry yeast 60 ml Water at 43C/110F 60 g German #550 flour ((AP or bread flour) 100 g Butter, room temperature 2 Eggs, medium 4 Egg yolks, medium 150 g Sugar

110 ml Milk at 43C/110F Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean angiesrecipes 540 g German #550 flour (AP or bread flour) 1 tbsp Lemon zest 200 g Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries or apricots) 50 g Almond slices plus more for topping

1. To make the sponge, dissolve the yeast in 60 ml warm water in a bowl. Add 60 g flour and stir to make a very loose dough. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, eggs, yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla seeds. Add in the starter dough. Gradually add the flour, beat on low speed just until dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl and pull together. Increase speed to medium, and beat until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
3. Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it once to coat both sides. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and let rise on the kitchen counter until doubled in size (mine took about 5 hours). Or leave it in the fridge overnight. With your hands, flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Evenly distribute the lemon zest, raisins, apricots, and almond over the dough. Fold the dough to seal the fruit and knead to distribute the fruit throughout the dough.
4. Line a 8-inch mousse ring or baking pan (or panettone paper case) with parchment paper that has been well buttered on both sides and set it on a baking tray. Place the dough in the mould, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place. The key here is to have the rise above the rim of the pan or case.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Make a cross on the top of the bread with a sharp knife and insert a cube of butter. Sprinkle some extra almond flakes if you desired. Bake the bread on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F. Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes until the surface is golden and crispy. The panettone is ready when a skewer comes out clean.
6. Place the bread on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the mold. Dust the bread with icing sugar if desired. Be sure the bread has cooled completely before wrapping for storage.

May your holidays be filled with lots of LOVE, HAPPINESS and PEACE!

This almost no-knead bread recipe uses a mix of white, wholemeal, spelt flour and a rye sourdough starter, though the recipe could use any other flour or combination. The method is almost identical to the white leaven bread in The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard
angiesrecipes, however the result is a bit different, with a dark, nutty sour taste to the crust and crumb thanks to the use pure rye sourdough starter.

470 g Rye leaven or white leaven 550 ml Water at 20C/68F 650 g Plain flour angiesrecipes

200 g Wholemeal flour angiesrecipes 75 g Spelt bread flour angiesrecipes 20 g Salt

1. In a large bowl, whisk the leaven with the water. Add the flours and salt. Mix the ingredients together to form a sticky mass. Cover and leave 10-15 minutes to stand, to allow gliadin and glutenin proteins in the compound gluten to hydrate and bond.
2. On a lightly oiled work surface, place the dough and knead briefly, 20 to 30 seconds will be enough. Shape the dough into a ball and put it back into the mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Next day, scrape the dough on to a lightly oiled work surface and pat it out to form a rectangle, roughly 40cm x 20cm. Fold one end, a third of the length, back to the centre. Fold the other end back over it, so we have 3 layers of dough, like folding puff pastry.
3. Pat it out again and fold it once more. Leave one hour at room temperature and repeat. Leave another hour and repeat. The dough should be rising nicely. To check, slash the dough with a sharp knife. It is ready to shape once bubbles formed in the dough. Otherwise leave the dough a further hour to check again.
   
   
4. Divide the dough into 3 smaller dough. Shape into balls on a lightly floured surface and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Form dough into a baton or round. Turn the shaped loaves into the floured baskets or tins with the seams up and leave them to finish rising. They're ready for baking when doubled in size, about 3 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Upturn the loaves on to floured baking trays and slash a few times across it. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling wire.

Bread made with an old dough / pâte fermentée has a more complex flavour and texture. Use an old dough (Pâte Fermentée) saved from the previous baking, or simply mix together 105 grams of flour, 70ml of water, 2 grams of salt and tiny tiny bit of yeast until a dough forms and leave it, covered with a plastic film, at the kitchen counter overnight. You can double the portion and save the rest in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Aromatic bluegray tiny Poppy Seedsangiesrecipes are used to flavour breads, cakes, cookies, and many other dishes in European and Middle Eastern cooking. Poppy seed is generally recognized as safe for human consumption as a spice or a natural flavoring.

Another loaf baked with an old dough and wholemeal flour.

390 g Spelt bread flour / Dinkel #1050angiesrecipes 1 tsp Salt 50 g Sugar 4 g Instant dry yeast 240 g Whole milk

1 Egg 2 tbsp Olive oil 180 g Old dough saved from a previous mixangiesrecipes 1 g Baking soda 50 g Poppy seedsangiesrecipes

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast. Add in milk, egg and olive oil. Mix the ingredients until combined. Add in old dough in portions and baking soda. Knead until a soft and smooth dough ball forms. Stir in the two thirds of poppy seeds and mix on the slow speed until incorporated. Alternatively sprinkle all the poppy seeds over the bread before baking.
2. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and let proof until doubled in size. Press the dough down and divide it into 4 or 6 even portions, each about 260 grams or 175 grams. Shape each dough into a ball and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. One alternative is to divide the dough into 16 even portions for the individual buns.
3. Flatten each dough and roll out into an oval shape. Fold it into thirds, overlapping them in the center, press the dough down firmly. Turn over and roll out into a 30-cm long strip. Turn over, roll up and pinch seam to seal. Place 3 rolls, seam side down into a greased and floured loaf pan or lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise until almost to the seam of the baking pan.
4. Once the dough has risen, brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle the rest of poppy seeds over. Bake in the middle rack of a preheated 200C/400F oven for 15 minutes. Adjust the oven temperature to 175C/350F and bake 18 minutes further or until done. Immediately remove loaves from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

Natural white leaven refers to sourdough starter made entirely from white flour, either bread or all-purpose flour. The bread made with preferments (either prepared with commercial yeast or wild yeasts and bacteria) yields a more complex flavour and taste. Enjoy this rustic apple oat bread with a bowl of steaming hot soup or a salad for a simple yet satisfying lunch.

50 g Rolled oats 100 g Boiling water 200 g Apple, peeled and grated 50 g Water at 20C/68F 100 g White leaven

2 g Instant dry yeast 250 g German #550 flour angiesrecipes or all purpose flour 3 g Sea salt 2 tbsp Egg wash 2 tbsp Rolled oats

1. Put the rolled oats into a small bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave aside for 5 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. Add the grated apple to the water, leaven, and yeast. Stir the mixture well until the yeast is dissolved, then stir the soaked oats into this. In another bowl weigh the flour with the salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and stir the mixture with your hands until it is evenly combined and you have a soft, sticky dough. Scrape any dough from Your fingers into the bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Rub 1 teaspoon olive oil on the work-surface and knead the dough on the oiled surface for 10 seconds, ending with the dough in a smooth, round ball. Clean and dry the howl, then rub lightly with a teaspoon of olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave for a further 10 minutes. Remove the dough and knead once more on the oiled surface, returning the shape of the dough to a smooth, round ball. Put it back in the bowl, cover and leave for 1 hour at room temperature.
3. Lightly flour the work-surface and shape the dough into a baton or a round. Rub a tea-towel with a handful of flour (or use a linen-lined proving basket) and place the dough inside seam-side-up. Wrap the dough snugly in the cloth, and leave to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until almost doubled in height.
4. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Upturn the loaf on to a flour dusted tray, then brush the surface of the loaf with the egg wash and dust with rolled oats. Bake the loaf in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 190C/375F and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, until the loaf is a good brown, feels light in weight, and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Challah, usually braided and typically eaten on Jewish holidays. The dough is enriched with eggs and oil, while using sugar or honey for some sweetness. The fun and exciting part comes from the braiding the dough. A simple 3-stranded braid would be gorgeous enough as the centerpiece for your dinner table. But a 4, or 6 stranded challah would really impress your guests. You can also coil the long braided loaf into a circle.

Grape Sourdough Starter	Dough
454 g Organic red grapes Rye flour Water	240 g Wild Grape Sourdough Starter 2 Eggs, lightly beaten 1 Egg yolks, lightly beaten 120 ml Water 55 g Honey 50 g Sunflower oil 2 tsp Salt 440 g All-purpose or bread flour 1 Egg white 1 tbsp Water 1 tbsp Oatmeal bran or seeds/nuts

1. Start with the starter. Stem grapes into a medium mixing bowl. Crush with hands and cover with a plastic wrap. Use a fork or wooden toothpick to gently poke some holes along the top and set aside for 3-4 days at room temperature. After 3-4 days there should be bubbles in the grape juice/must, indicating fermentation has begun.
2. Measure 240 grams of strained grape juice and pour in a 1-quart glass jar. Stir in 120 grams of rye flour to make a thick, porridge like mixture. Set aside for 24 hours at room temperature.
3. Measure 1 cup starter, discard any extra. Add in 110 grams of filtered water and 110 grams of rye flour. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
   
4. Repeat the following day. Some activity should be noticeable: the mixture should be starting to bubble. Repeat twice more. You will need to discard some of the mixture each day.
   
5. The starter is full of bubbles and ready for use to make bread. If you won't be using the starter for several days, put the jar, with the lid covered loosely, into the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. If you are going to use the starter in the next day or two, just leave it out and feed it every 12 hours or so.
6. Prepare the dough by mixing the starter, eggs, egg yolk, honey, oil, water, and the salt. Stir. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, adding more flour sparingly, until the dough is smooth, satiny, has lost most of it's stickiness, and is fairly firm. Cover and allow it to rise until tripled in volume.
   
7. Punch down the dough, knead briefly and cut into 4 equal pieces. Divide one piece into 3 equal portions. Form each of them into strands of about 30-cm in length, tapered so the center of each piece is thicker than the ends. You should now have three thick and three thin strands.
8. Braid the three thick strands into a loaf and set aside. Braid the three smaller strands into a smaller loaf. Lightly indent the top center of the larger loaf down its length. Wet it slightly with water. Put the smaller loaf on top of the indention. Beat egg white with a tablespoon of water. Brush this egg wash all over the loaf and allow them to rise until doubled.
9. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Brush the loaf with the egg wash again and sprinkle the top with oatmeal bran. Place it into the oven, bake about 35 minutes.