von Tessa Mellinger
01 April 2020
KOCHSTUBE
On Pinzen & Striezeln: An Easter Recipe
There are a few things that simply must not be missing at Easter: These include colorful eggs, the Easter bunny – and Pinzen and Striezel! These delicious treats sweeten our Easter meal in Tyrol. The beautifully braided pastries are not difficult to bake at all, and we have an old Tyrolean traditional recipe for you that will ensure the perfect Pinzen and Striezel.
A sweet piece of tradition: Pinzen & Striezel
Easter Recipe: Pinzen & Striezel Made Easy
Ingredients:
- 230ml milk
- 30ml buttermilk
- 1 splash of cherry rum
- 1 splash of mineral water
- Grated lemon zest
- Vanilla pod: seeds
- 1 packet of vanilla sugar
- 1 packet of yeast (dry yeast)
- 60g sugar (e.g., birch sugar)
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 1 egg
- 510g flour (all-purpose)
- 80g margarine
- 20g butter
- for brushing: 1 beaten egg
- for dusting & processing: flour
Preparation:
First, heat the milk with butter and margarine. Then prepare the flour with the dry yeast, salt, sugar, vanilla sugar, and vanilla seeds, rum, lemon zest, and the egg in a bowl. Add the warm milk mixture and knead briefly on a low setting with the mixer. Next, add the buttermilk, knead the dough again briefly, and finally add a splash of mineral water. Finally, knead everything once more on high speed.
Once the dough is firmer, dust some flour over it and shape it into a ball with your hands. Once the ball no longer sticks, place it in a bowl, dust it with a little more flour, and let it rise covered in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.
When the dough has risen nicely:
Braid (twisted loaf): Dust the workspace with a little flour and work on the dough. First, form equal-sized balls. Then roll the balls into three strands of equal length and braid them together. A small tip: If you like, you can also form several thinner strands to make multiple small braids. Good connect the ends together, best done with a little water. Place the braid on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it rise briefly again. Meanwhile, preheat the oven and beat an egg. Then brush the braid with the egg (this gives it the golden color later), sprinkle some coarse sugar on top (optional), and place it in the preheated oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (about 20 minutes). Once the braid turns golden brown, reduce the temperature to 160 degrees Celsius and bake for another 5 minutes.
Buns (round pastries): Dust the work surface with some flour and work the dough. Form even balls and place them on the baking sheet. Let the dough rise briefly again. Meanwhile, preheat the oven and whisk an egg. Then brush the balls with the egg (this will give them a golden color later), sprinkle some coarse sugar on top (optional), and place them in the preheated oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes. Then make a cross incision on the balls and continue baking. Once they turn golden brown, reduce the temperature to 160 degrees Celsius and bake for another 5 minutes.
A little tip: You can place an egg (not too hard-boiled) into the buns that are not fully baked yet and bake for the last 2 to 3 minutes. This creates pretty egg baskets!
Let cool and simply enjoy: plain, with butter, or with jam!
Get creative: Really cute Easter bunnies
The dough of the princes and striegeln is perfect for getting really creative. Baking is also a lot of fun with kids! We have two ideas for really sweet Easter bunnies that will look great in the Easter basket for your loved ones!
Easter Bunny: the simple version
What looks complicated is not really so. For these cute bunnies, first roll a long strand of dough, fold it over once, then twist it gently a second time (see the image gallery), and the body is ready. Shape a small ball of dough for the tail, press it on – and done! Next, let the bunnies rest briefly, brush them with egg as usual, and put them in the oven. Bake at 180 degrees with both top and bottom heat until they are golden brown (depending on size, 20 to 30 minutes).
Easter Bunny: the slightly more difficult version
Even this Easter bunny is not as difficult as it may seem. It just takes a little skill to conjure up the bunnies made of yeast. First, roll out a longer braid from the dough here as well. Then shape 3 more balls. For the ears, cut one of the balls with a knife and shape it.
Carefully roll the braid into a snail shape, attach the head, ears, and tail – and the figure is complete. Then let the bunnies rest briefly, brush them with egg as usual, and place them in the oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius with top and bottom heat until golden brown (depending on size, about 20 to 30 minutes).
We wish you lots of fun baking, experimenting, and of course tasting the sweet Tyrolean delicacies!
Recipe: Bettina Friedrichs
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