Swiss bread – tradition with taste

Over 200 different types of bread are baked in Switzerland. Some of them have been for several hundred years, others have become classics in a short time.

The essentials in brief:
°Switzerland has a multifaceted bread tradition.
°Each region has its own specialties.
°There are also regional differences in bread supply in retail.
°Switzerland has a long and lively bread tradition.

The type of grain and the degree of grinding are decisive for taste and consistency.

In addition, individual ingredients give the bread the finishing touch. Everyone knows “burli” and snake bread from the school trip. But did you know that over 200 different types of bread come out of the oven in Swiss bakeries? You can find out here which of them are typically Swiss and how they achieve their respective tastes.

Diverse bread landscape

Whole grains, wholemeal, sourdough – there are countless types of bread on supermarket shelves. In order to discover the secrets of the individual bread, you have to know the differences. If the whole grain is used, it is whole grain bread. If, on the other hand, only the inside of the grain is used, there is white bread. Most traditional Swiss bread is somewhere in between and is made from semi-white or smoked flour. If you then still know whether the bread was made with yeast or sourdough and which additional ingredients are used, you better understand the characteristics of the bread type.

The Ticino bread – the classic

Ticino bread is a Swiss classic. White bread has a prestige problem in certain circles because it contains fewer minerals and vitamins than whole grains. But not everyone uses nutrient tables to measure the value of food.

If the indicator of good food is the speed with which it disappears from the kitchen after shopping, then Ticino bread is a real superfood. It is usually made with the addition of sunflower or rapeseed oil, which ensures a soft, fine interior of the bread.

The Valais rye bread – the homely lover

Valais rye bread is a fine and healthy piece of tradition. As one of only 23 Swiss products, it carries the AOP label, Appellation d’Origine Protegée. This means that the product was made in a traditional way. In the region and with local raw materials.

The Valais rye bread consists of a mixture of wholemeal rye flour and wholemeal wheat flour, salt, and water. The rye flour makes up at least 90% of the flour used. The leavening agent used is not yeast, but sourdough. This loosens the dough and, thanks to its sourdough bacteria, makes the rye bread easier to digest and has a unique taste. Because rye flour makes a rather dense, heavy bread, Valais rye bread is usually cut into thin slices. It goes perfectly with sausage and cheese specialties. But it is also a real treat as a confectionary slice.

St. Gallen bread – the multifaceted one

St. Gallen bread is made from Ruchmehl. What is special about it is that the bread is made with pre-dough. This makes the bread taste unique because many flavors are formed while the pre-dough is left to rest for several hours. Bread with pre-dough also has the advantage that they stay fresh longer because the water in the dough is better bound.