Switzerland: Grittibänzen (Christmas "Bread Men")

These traditional figures, which have many other names in various Swiss dialects -- such as hanselmanne and bonhomme -- represent Saint Nicholas (in Swiss German, "Samichlaus"). They can be found in most bakeries in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland as Christmastime approaches. Families and kids' classes at school tend to bake them on December 6th, which is the proper Feast of St. Nicholas, and is the Christmas "gift holiday" for children in numerous European countries.

 Grittibänzen are made of a sweet yeast dough similar to the one used for challah, and are often decorated with little twigs of pine or fir. The recipe below is for a very basic type of grittibänzen: the decoration can be much more elaborate, depending on the baker's preferences. There are some modern variants on the theme appearing, including savory grittibänzen (the unusually energetic-looking gritti you see here is one of these). Click "read more" to see the recipe and method, and to view links to some web-bakers' efforts.

Ingredients:

• One recipe sweet yeast dough
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4-6 small sprigs of evergreen, to decorate

Prepare the dough the day before, according to the instructions in the master recipe, re-kneading it briefly before use. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into 4 or 6 rectangles, depending on whether you are making small or medium-sized figures. Leave a small amount of dough for decoration.

Using a sharp knife, cut out a round head. Make two slashes on either side of the head and cut away arms. Make one slash up the middle, almost to the waist, to make the legs. Roll a small piece of dough in a very thin strand. Cut off three pieces and coil them to form two eyes and a nose. Brush the surface of the figure well with egg and apply the tiny rings to the face.

Roll a slightly larger piece of dough into another thin strand twice the height of the figure. Double the rope and loop it around the head and neck of the figure. Twist it two or three times to secure it, like a tie, and trail the ends down the center of each leg. Trim off even with the feet.

Make a similar string and tie one piece around the waist for a belt, two small pieces above the feet to simulate the tops of boots, and two others at the wrists to make cuffs. Use a sharp knife to score a smiling mouth and to mark a double-breasted row of three buttons each on either side of the tie. Or make the buttons from dough, pressed in well with the tip of a knife. Tuck one arm behind a hip: raise the other behind the head. Brush all the decorations with lightly beaten egg.

Place the Grittibänzen on buttered baking sheets with 2 1/2 inches between each, and leave in a warm place until they have risen noticeably -- approximately 20-25 minutes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to help them keep their shape during baking.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400° F / 200° C / gas mark 6. Brush the figures once more with beaten egg. Bake in the bottom third of the oven until golden -- approximately 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Place a piece of evergreen in the arm of each one.

German-speaking readers might like to check out this recipe for "Pikante Grittibänzen" at the Spar.ch site. Also: the Vogt Family bakes Grittibänzen in Santa Monica, California: Merlikin shows us before-and-after pictures.