How to make Mennonite Zwieback

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil reduces saturated fat while maintaining moisture.

milk

🥗Healthier: almond milk

💰Cheaper: water

Almond milk is lower in calories, while water is a cost-effective substitute.

Introduce the dish and its cultural significance.

List the ingredients needed for zwieback.

Warm 3 cups of milk until it's comfortable to the touch.

Add 3 teaspoons of instant active dry yeast to the warm milk and stir gently, letting it sit for about a minute.

Add 3 teaspoons of sugar and 3 teaspoons of salt to the milk mixture.

Melt 4 ounces of butter in a glass bowl for about 30 seconds.

Gradually add 7 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, starting with 3 cups and mixing well.

Continue adding flour one cup at a time, monitoring the dough's consistency.

If the dough is sticky, add more flour gradually, up to 7.5 cups if needed.

Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky.

If mixing by hand, use a large bowl and a spatula, then transfer to a clean table for kneading.

Knead the dough until it feels like play-doh, adjusting flour as necessary.

Place the kneaded dough back in a bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise in a warm oven for about 1 hour.

After rising, check that the dough has doubled or tripled in size.

Prepare baking sheets for forming the zwieback buns.

Demonstrate the technique for shaping the dough into buns, emphasizing not to just roll them up and place them on the baking sheet.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens