Since last year I plan to bake “Basler Fastenwähe”, a special bread which is bake in Basel during Three Kings Day and Carnival. It is made with a very rich dough with a lot of butter,  similar to the swiss butter braid, glazed with egg and sprinkled with caraway.

The form with the four cuts is made with a special tool named “Faschtewaije Yse”. But I don’t own one and so I used a small trick and made the cuts with a not longer used (and very welled cleaned) credit card. The card has the perfect size and making the cuts worked very well.

I liked the Fastenwähe very much, they are very delicious with a rich buttery flavour, which is especially good when the bread is still a little bit warm from the oven!

Basler Fastenwähe

yields 12 Fastenwähen

Pâte Fermentée

• 175g flour Type 550
• 125g Water
• 2g fresh yeast
• 3g Salt

Dough

• Pâte Fermentée
• 275g flour Type 550
• 50g spelt flour Type 630
• 160g Milk
• 7g Salt
• 12g fresh yeast
• 150g Butter

For glazing

• 1 egg yolk, mixed with a little bit water
• caraway seeds

Mix all ingredients for the Pâte fermente and proof it for 1 hour at room temperature. Then put the dough into the fridge for 12 hours.

Knead all ingredients except the butter for 5 min at slow speed.

Then knead 7 min at slow speed. Now add the butter all at once and knead until the butter is completely incooperated.

Let the dough rise one hour at roomtemperature then cool the dough for two hours in the fridge.

Now divide the dough into 80g pieces and form then into rolls with pointed ends. Let the rolls rest for 30 min, then flatten them and cut them lenthwise for four times (like in the picture). Pull the cuts open and place them on a paper lined baking tray.

Proof for 1 hour.

In the meantime heat the oven to 220°C.

Prior to baking glaze them with egg yolk and sprinkle with caraway seeds.

Bake for 20 min at 220°C with steam.