Wurzelbrot "The Bread with a Twist"
While conducting research at a small family owned bakery, in a charming little village just outside Zurich, Switzerland, I happily discovered a delightful bread the Swiss call, Pan Pirolle, which I call, “The Bread with a Twist”. The Germans and Austrians call it "Wurzelbrot". Sadly, the French, Italians and other Europeans, have nothing quite like it!
I hopped on the train, grabbed a seat near the window, tossed my black and red Swiss backpack on the bench across from me and pulled the loaf of Pan Pirolle out of the environmentally friendly cloth shopping bag I was carrying. The alluring aroma of the freshly baked bread was particularly inviting as it permeated the paper sleeve in which it snugly rested. Its tantalizing fragrance subtlety distracted the other passengers, who were preoccupied with their newspapers and iPhones as they journeyed home for the evening, after a hard day’s work at the office.
As the train pulled away from the station I tore off a piece of the loaf I had acquired just before leaving the bakery. As I bit through the thick and crispy crust and into the supple and moist crumb, my reward was an indescribably delicious, herbal and nutty flavor that filled my mouth with pure culinary pleasure.
I had eaten Wurzelbrot several times in the past, while living in Germany and it was quite tasty. However, this unique bread was far superior. Truly in a class of its own, both in texture and flavor. The precise words required to accurately describe the experience fail me. It tasted utterly magnificent as I savored my first bite and each of the subsequent bites, until the last remnant of the loaf disappeared as we pulled into the Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main train station).
On account of my observations at the bakery earlier in the day, I surmised that Herr Pfyl’s “Pan Pirolle” was going to be something special - out of the ordinary, and as usual, my conjecture was correct. While other doughs screamed for attention, the superiorly elastic Pan Pirolle, coolly exuded a sense of supremacy over its lesser brethren, strewn across the immense wooden workbench, which was noticeably worn after years of daily use by artisan bakers.
After a brief rest on a warm bed of sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds, flour and schrot (coarsely ground wheat and rye), each hand scaled portion of dough was tenderly rolled and twisted, each into a uniquely shaped loaf, before being gently placed onto the patiently awaiting, lightly floured oven loaders, where they were awarded one final, short rest, before being thrust into the hot oven, sweltering at 500 degrees F° (260 C°) and then infused with a burst of scorching steam.
Half an hour later, the freshly baked loaves looked exceptionally inviting, crackling as they slowly cooled on the stainless steel racks, among the other spectacular breads, rolls, croissants and pretzels, tempting me as I photographed them in all their glory.
I spent the early morning hours interviewing and photographing the bakers as they formed loaves from the dough that had been mixed the previous afternoon and left to rise gently overnight, in the cool and tranquil environment of the refrigerated proofing room.
When observing professional bakers at work, my day typically begins around midnight and lasts until early in the morning, usually winding down as the sun rises over the snowcapped Alps. However, on this occasion, I arrived at the bakery in the late afternoon instead, a day earlier than expected, so that I could photograph the store front. I shot the breads, pastries and chocolates on display in the storefront until about 6:00 PM and then caught a train to the next village where I was staying in a quaint Gasthaus (Bed & Breakfast) for the evening.
I had dinner at the Gasthaus as I reviewed the extreme high resolution photos which I had downloaded to my MackBook Pro, from a brand-new Canon 7d, attached with Sigma’s 30mm prime lens. Afterwards, I laid down for a few of hours of light sleep before catching the midnight train back to the bakery in Hedingen.
Because this was not just a bakery or even a bakery and pastry shop, but a Bäckerei/Konditorei/Confiserie (Bakery/Pastry/Confectionery), I remained until about noon, much longer than usual, captivated by the impressive array of handmade breads, pastries and chocolates, typically found in Switzerland. I bought a few items for the trip home to Germany before rushing off to catch the train back to Zurich.
One last bit of interesting information, before I close this story. Herr Pfyl continues to bake in the tradition of his forefathers, using age old European baking techniques, preserved by generation after generation of artisan bakers. However, he also employs state-of-the-art technology in sourdough production, a key ingredient in most German breads, and an amazing new technology that reduces baking time by as much as 50%, producing a more voluminous loaf, with a crisper crust, and which cools the bread to room temperature, thus finishing the baking cycle, all within 2 minutes. In my next article, I will introduce this mind boggling technological Swiss advancement, that will revolutionize baking, perhaps to an even greater degree than the advancement attained by the original powered dough mixers invented by the Hobart company in 1908.
February 22, 2011
I hopped on the train, grabbed a seat near the window, tossed my black and red Swiss backpack on the bench across from me and pulled the loaf of Pan Pirolle out of the environmentally friendly cloth shopping bag I was carrying. The alluring aroma of the freshly baked bread was particularly inviting as it permeated the paper sleeve in which it snugly rested. Its tantalizing fragrance subtlety distracted the other passengers, who were preoccupied with their newspapers and iPhones as they journeyed home for the evening, after a hard day’s work at the office.
As the train pulled away from the station I tore off a piece of the loaf I had acquired just before leaving the bakery. As I bit through the thick and crispy crust and into the supple and moist crumb, my reward was an indescribably delicious, herbal and nutty flavor that filled my mouth with pure culinary pleasure.
I had eaten Wurzelbrot several times in the past, while living in Germany and it was quite tasty. However, this unique bread was far superior. Truly in a class of its own, both in texture and flavor. The precise words required to accurately describe the experience fail me. It tasted utterly magnificent as I savored my first bite and each of the subsequent bites, until the last remnant of the loaf disappeared as we pulled into the Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main train station).
On account of my observations at the bakery earlier in the day, I surmised that Herr Pfyl’s “Pan Pirolle” was going to be something special - out of the ordinary, and as usual, my conjecture was correct. While other doughs screamed for attention, the superiorly elastic Pan Pirolle, coolly exuded a sense of supremacy over its lesser brethren, strewn across the immense wooden workbench, which was noticeably worn after years of daily use by artisan bakers.
After a brief rest on a warm bed of sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds, flour and schrot (coarsely ground wheat and rye), each hand scaled portion of dough was tenderly rolled and twisted, each into a uniquely shaped loaf, before being gently placed onto the patiently awaiting, lightly floured oven loaders, where they were awarded one final, short rest, before being thrust into the hot oven, sweltering at 500 degrees F° (260 C°) and then infused with a burst of scorching steam.
Half an hour later, the freshly baked loaves looked exceptionally inviting, crackling as they slowly cooled on the stainless steel racks, among the other spectacular breads, rolls, croissants and pretzels, tempting me as I photographed them in all their glory.
I spent the early morning hours interviewing and photographing the bakers as they formed loaves from the dough that had been mixed the previous afternoon and left to rise gently overnight, in the cool and tranquil environment of the refrigerated proofing room.
When observing professional bakers at work, my day typically begins around midnight and lasts until early in the morning, usually winding down as the sun rises over the snowcapped Alps. However, on this occasion, I arrived at the bakery in the late afternoon instead, a day earlier than expected, so that I could photograph the store front. I shot the breads, pastries and chocolates on display in the storefront until about 6:00 PM and then caught a train to the next village where I was staying in a quaint Gasthaus (Bed & Breakfast) for the evening.
I had dinner at the Gasthaus as I reviewed the extreme high resolution photos which I had downloaded to my MackBook Pro, from a brand-new Canon 7d, attached with Sigma’s 30mm prime lens. Afterwards, I laid down for a few of hours of light sleep before catching the midnight train back to the bakery in Hedingen.
Because this was not just a bakery or even a bakery and pastry shop, but a Bäckerei/Konditorei/Confiserie (Bakery/Pastry/Confectionery), I remained until about noon, much longer than usual, captivated by the impressive array of handmade breads, pastries and chocolates, typically found in Switzerland. I bought a few items for the trip home to Germany before rushing off to catch the train back to Zurich.
One last bit of interesting information, before I close this story. Herr Pfyl continues to bake in the tradition of his forefathers, using age old European baking techniques, preserved by generation after generation of artisan bakers. However, he also employs state-of-the-art technology in sourdough production, a key ingredient in most German breads, and an amazing new technology that reduces baking time by as much as 50%, producing a more voluminous loaf, with a crisper crust, and which cools the bread to room temperature, thus finishing the baking cycle, all within 2 minutes. In my next article, I will introduce this mind boggling technological Swiss advancement, that will revolutionize baking, perhaps to an even greater degree than the advancement attained by the original powered dough mixers invented by the Hobart company in 1908.
February 22, 2011