Birewegge – pear bread

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 500 g wheat flour type 405
• 500 g spelt flour type 630
• 125 g butter, soft
• 125 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp, leveled salt
• 1 cube of yeast or 2 packets of dry yeast
• 400 ml milk, warm
• 300 g pear(s), dried, e.g. home-dried pear chips
• 125 g sugar
• 500 g nuts or almonds
• some cinnamon
• Cherry brandy or pear schnapps

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Rest time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 15 minutes

not so sweet

Dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm milk. Put the flour in a bowl, make a well, add the yeast milk, and mix it with a little flour to form a pre-dough. Let it rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Then proceed as described below. If using the dried yeast, the yeast can be mixed directly with the flour. Then add all the other ingredients, knead into a smooth dough, and let it rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours. For the filling, soak the dried pears in cold water or apple juice for about 2 hours. The pears should be covered so they can absorb the liquid. After about 2 hours, bring everything to a boil, let it bubble briefly, then simmer for about 1/2 hour until soft. Then pass through a food mill. Now add the sugar, ground nuts, cinnamon, and schnapps and mix well. Divide the risen dough in half (do not knead the dough any further) and roll each out into a rectangle measuring approximately 40 cm x 50 cm. Spread half of the filling on each half, roll it up, and place it seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Bake both rolls/Weggen in an oven preheated to 200°C for approximately 30–45 minutes (depending on the oven and the thickness of the rolls). The best way to test whether they are cooked is the same as for baking bread: if they sound hollow when tapped, they are done. After baking, the Weggen should cool completely and ideally be left to rest for a few days before cutting them. They also freeze wonderfully and can be thawed or rebaked as needed. Birewegge are a traditional Baden pastry that our family bakes during the winter/Christmas season.