The Tyrol: Schüttelbrot (Alpine-spiced Rye Flatbread)

Schüttelbrot is a favorite crispbread of the Tyrolese regions, one that typically appears on the table at mountain ski huts and in cafés and casual restaurants at mountain resorts, in company with the local Alpine smoked hams and cheeses. The source of its name is a cause for mild controversy, as no one's entirely sure where it comes from. Though in modern German the verb forms of schüttel can mean to shake or shiver, there's nothing particularly shaky about this bread. It seems more likely that the name goes back to a dialect word for a drawer in a wall-mounted kitchen cupboard -- the kind of place where you might logically store a hard-baked thin bread like this one for long periods.

Possibly the most unusual thing about schüttelbrot is its spicing. The seeds of fennel, a herb that doesn't mind heights and grows well in the chilly alpine weather, normally make an appearance in schüttelbrot. So does caraway seed, one of fennel's relatives and an equally hardy herb. But a slightly more surprising ingredient is bockshornklee, "goat's-horn clover" -- or, in English, fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum). Normally these days fenugreek is more commonly associated with Indian food. But the herb shares its relatives' ability to grow successfully on barren ground like mountain scree-slopes, and it also turns up in some alpine cheeses (a close relative is the herb used in schabzeiger) as well as in this bread.

The seeds of these herbs are all pounded in a mortar, or otherwise chopped and crushed, and kneaded into the bread. After rising, the bread is rolled flat before one last pre-baking rise. (Some recipes suggest you use a pasta machine for this, but EuroCuisineLady thinks this may be going to a little too much trouble: a rolling pin seems to work fine.)

The essentially rural nature of schüttelbrot means that, in its normal habitat, there'll be a lot of variation in how it looks and tastes, depending on the local baker's preferences. Those who're trying for a very traditional look and feel will incorporate whole rye groats or kernels (roggenschrot): these are optional. (If you go for this approach, do not forget to pre-soak the rye kernels in warm water for a couple of hours before adding to the dough! Otherwise somebody's going to break a tooth.) Other bakers will coarsely chop, pound or grind down the same kernels before adding them to the dough in the early stages. Still other bakers prefer to leave the rye kernels out entirely, instead depending on the rye flour to carry that portion of the flavor, and pointing it up with varying amounts of caraway, dill, fennel or fenugreek, according to local preferences. What everybody seems to agree on is that regardless of its thickness -- which, depending on who's making it, can vary from paper-thin to about a quarter-inch when baked -- schüttelbrot has to be crunchy to best set off the sliced meats and cheeses it accompanies.

Click on "read more" for the recipe.

This version steers a middle path, leaning on the fennel and fenugreek for flavoring purposes, and using rye flakes instead of whole rye kernels. We also added some dry acetic acid crystals as a dough improver: "a turbocharger for the yeast," one German baker comments thoughtfully... and possibly with reason, as any rye-containing bread recipe always poses a little more of a challenge in the rising department. But you can omit the dough improver if you prefer.

Schüttelbrot ingredients:

• 250 grams white flour
• 250 grams rye flour, preferably coarsely ground
• Optional: 100 grams whole rye kernels, chopped or very coarsely ground. (If whole, presoak in lukewarm water for at least 1 hour. Test by pinching one between your nails to see whether it needs more time to soften.)
• 1 package fresh yeast (if you can get it), or dry yeast (not the fast-acting kind)
• 1/4 liter / 250 ml / 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 liter / 125 ml / 4 fluid ounces / 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• About 1 teaspoon each, coarsely chopped or ground --
  • caraway seed
  • fennel seed
  • coriander seed or fenugreek seed or anise
• Optional: 1 cup rye flakes (check your nearest health food store for these, or the natural-foods section at your supermarket)
• Flour for the work surface
• Bran or more flour to dust the baking surface

Mix the rye and wheat flours (and rye flakes, if you're using them) in a large bowl: make a well in the middle. In another container, crumble the fresh yeast or add the dry yeast to the lukewarm water. Add the sugar, and stir to dissolve.

Pour the yeast and water mixture into the well in the middle of the flour and stir a little of the flour into to it get it started. Let rest for fifteen minutes or so. Meanwhile, pound, grind or chop your spices together. Allow the buttermilk to come to room temperature. (Optionally, warm it very slightly in the microwave, just to the point where it's lukewarm.)

Mix the egg, oil and spices into the buttermilk. Sprinkle the salt around the edges of the flour mixture. Stir the yeast/water mixture into the flour: add the buttermilk/egg/spice mixture and keep mixing until everything is well blended. Also add the presoaked rye kernels / groats at this point if you're using them.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well for about ten minutes: or knead in a mixer for about five minutes using the dough hook. Form into a ball when finished, dust with flour, and leave covered in a warm place for about an hour. (Or put into a buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap / clingfilm and allow to rest and rise for the same period.)

Return the dough to the work surface and knead again thoroughly. Divide the dough into about 20 portions: roll each one into a ball. Roll each one out to about 5 mm thick and 15 cm wide. (The shape is up to you: some prople prefer circles, others like oblongs.) Dust baking sheets with flour or bran and lay the individual breads out on them. Prick each one a number of times with a fork. Allow to rest and rise again for about twenty minutes.

Preheat the oven to 210F / 160C (190F / 89C for a fan oven). Bake the breads for about ten minutes. When baked, allow to cool on a rack so they dry out properly. Check one of the early ones for doneness by tapping the bottom: you should get a crisp, "hollow" sound back.

Serve with cheeses, sliced smoked ham or other cold cuts, etc.

Schüttelbrot keeps extremely well, once dry, when stored in a tightly closed biscuit tin or similar container.