Grittibänz
Grittibänz is a fun and traditional holiday treat the whole family can make together. A sweet and delicious bun in the shape of a person.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g All-purpose flour
- 50 g Sugar
- 2 tsp Instant dry yeast
- 1½ tsp Salt
- 320 ml Milk
- 60 g Butter melted
- Sugar crystals optional
Instructions
Make dough
- Add melted butter and milk to the flour mixture and knead the dough until it is soft and smooth. A good rule to see if the dough is kneaded enough is the newspaper test. If you can stretch out the dough so thin that you can read the newspaper through it, without it tearing, your dough is kneaded enough!
- Place the dough into a big bowl and cover it up with a damp kitchen towel.
- Let it rest on the kitchen counter for 1½ hours.
Form the Grittibänz
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take the dough out of the bowl and cut it into 4 equal pieces (or 2 large ones if you prefer a bigger Grittibänz). Leave some extra dough for decorations - hat, scarf, belt, and nose.
- Roll each dough piece into an elongated torso. Put a little more pressure on one side to form the head.
- Cut the legs and arms using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Then, with the extra dough, form a triangle for the hat and roll a long string for the scarf and a bigger string (flattened) for the belt. Make a small dough ball for the nose. Decorate however you feel like; there are endless different ways - be creative!
- Place them on the lined baking sheet.
- Add raisins, cranberries, or chocolate chips for the eyes and buttons (make sure you push them deep into the dough so that they don't fall out or burn during baking. Brush the whole Grittibänz with egg wash.
- Take kitchen scissors and snip a place for the mouth and add some texture to the legs. Optional: sprinkle some sugar crystals on top.
- Preheat your oven to 395°F or 200°C.
- Let the Grittibänz sit for 30 minutes before you bake them.
- After 30min, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 20min. Baking time varies depending on your range. Keep a close eye on the Grittibänz; take them out of the oven when they are golden brown.
Notes
All-purpose flour: King Arthur is my go-to flour for baking that asks for all-purpose flour. It's unbleached and strong enough for bread and gentle enough for cakes and pastries.
Granular sugar: It is excellent for decorating baked goods. The sugar crystals are bigger than the ones of regular cane sugar.
Instant dry yeast: There is no need to mix this yeast with warm milk or water. Instead, you can directly mix it in with the dry ingredients. I don't use any other yeast!