Birnbrot is a Swiss pear bread.

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Swiss birnbrot bread is distinguished from other breads by its generous dried fruit filling, primarily dried pears, but also other dried fruits, nuts, candied fruits, and aromatic spices. The filling, mixed with a small amount of dough, is formed into a loaf, wrapped in a thin layer of yeast dough, and baked. The bread is incredibly delicious, sweet from the abundance of dried fruit, and rich with warm, spicy aromas. Birnbrot is considered a traditional New Year's and Christmas treat in Switzerland. It is also very popular among skiers in the Swiss Alps and is usually served with slices of cheese.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Dough

2 teaspoons dry yeast
100 ml whole milk
250 g whole grain flour
250 g of premium flour
50 g melted butter
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
180 ml of sour milk

Nachika

300 g dried pears
100 grams each of light and dark raisins
200 g prunes
50 g candied orange peel
50 g of candied lemon peel
150 g of walnuts
100 g whole hazelnuts
100 g of almonds
A little less than 0.5 tsp ground anise seeds
A little less than 0.5 tsp ground star anise
1 tsp coriander, ground
0.5 tsp ground cloves
0.5 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
2 tbsp. l. pear concentrate
75 ml. pear schnapps
Surface lubrication
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp whipping cream

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Dissolve the yeast in warm milk (approximately 43°C) with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes to activate the yeast.
In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the yeast. Once combined, turn off the mixer (the dough will look dry and lumpy) and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then add the butter, sour milk or yogurt, and salt, mixing on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 7 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a ball. Place it in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Coarsely chop the dried fruit, candied peel, and nuts. Place in a large bowl, add the schnapps, concentrate, and all the spices. Stir to moisten the mixture.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Once the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and divide it in half. Place half the dough in the bowl with the fruit and mix everything together by hand or with a mixer. If mixing by hand, it may take 20 minutes, as everything needs to be so thoroughly combined that no dough is visible. Mixing with a mixer on low speed will take about 10 minutes. Let the filling rest for 30 minutes. Then, place it on a sheet of parchment paper and divide it in half, forming each half into a compact log. Wrap each log in parchment paper and press firmly to eliminate air pockets.
On a lightly floured countertop, divide the remaining dough in half. Roll each half into a thin sheet, large enough to wrap around the filling log. Place the filling on the dough sheet and roll it tightly. Place the log, seam-side down, on a parchment-lined and greased baking sheet, pressing down to form an oval loaf. Prepare the second loaf in the same manner.
Whisk the yolk with the cream and brush the loaves several times with a pastry brush. Prick the entire surface of the loaves with a fork.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, checking occasionally and covering with aluminum foil if the pastries are browning too quickly.
Cool the finished birnbrot to room temperature. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The next day, slice thinly and serve with cheese or butter.

Birnbrot can be wrapped in a zip-lock bag and stored in the freezer for several months.