Grittibanz

Hey foodies!

This weekend I'd like to suggest making Grittibanz, Grittibenz, Saint Nicholas figures or Mannele... In short! These little figures made from braided dough that are super cute and kids love shaping themselves. :o)

Here are the ingredients to make 6-7 Grittibanz:

- 500gr white flour

- 1.5 tsp salt

- 270ml milk

- 1 packet dry yeast

- 2 tbsp sugar

- 1 egg yolk

- 70gr butter

- Pearl sugar

- Chocolate chips

- 1 egg

Let's get started with the recipe!

Start by pouring 500gr of flour and 1.5 tsp of salt into a large bowl and mix lightly.

This process prevents the salt from coming into direct contact with the yeast later on and killing it.

In another bowl, pour 270ml of milk and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds at 600 Watt to bring it to room temperature.

Then add 1 packet of baker's yeast and 2 tbsp of sugar.

Mix the three ingredients together, then add one egg yolk and mix again.

Make a well in your flour/salt, then pour in the liquid mixture.

Make sure to get all the yeast from the bottom of the bowl. Scrape everything well with a spatula.

Then attach the dough hook and mix at medium speed.

The flour will gradually mix into the liquid.

When there is no more flour on the sides of the bowl, add 70gr of cold butter.

The dough doesn't need to form a ball before adding the butter. On the contrary! It mixes much better when the ball hasn't formed yet.

Once the butter is added, continue mixing with the dough hook, at medium speed for a good 10 minutes.

Once the 10 minutes of kneading are done, shape into a ball.

Then cover your bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise for about 2h.

It will have doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 180°C, fan-assisted.

Let's get started on the Grittibanz!

To make nice little figures, weigh dough portions of about 140-150gr. This will give you 6 or 7.

Roll your dough portion into a log 17 cm long.

Then cut the dough 4 cm from the bottom. These will be our two legs. :o)

Now let's make the arms and scarf!

Cut diagonally on each side to form two arms.

Then cut again to make the shoulders.

And cut one last time to make the scarf.

This might sound a bit confusing, but look at the following images and you'll understand.

Take the two ends of the scarf between your fingers and roll them just a little to lengthen and thin them out.

Then cross the two little rolls to create a scarf! :o)

Next make a very long, very thin roll as in the third photo below. This will help us create a hat.

Fold the roll in half, then twist it to make a nice rope.

Then place the rope on top of the figure's head, making sure to tuck both ends of the rope under the head. Because if the rope isn't held down by the head, it will come loose during baking! :o)

And there's our lovely hat.

For the eyes and buttons, I used chocolate chips that don't melt during baking.

You need to press them firmly into the dough as they may pop up during baking if they aren't well embedded.

Let your imagination run wild! Little men, ladies or crazy hairstyles! :o)

The kids made hedgehogs, turtles... Anything goes! :o)

Place your figures on a perforated baking tray, lined with a perforated baking mat.

Once your works of art are finished, let them rise for another 15 minutes.

Then brush your works of art with a beaten egg.

Be generous so they come out nicely golden once baked.

Once our figures are nicely brushed, add a little pearl sugar to finish decorating and above all to give a lovely sweet bread taste. :o)

Here I put some on the feet and on the hats.

If you see that the chocolate chips have popped up a bit, press them back down so they stay in place during baking.

Bake your Grittibanz in the preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes.

And here's the result! :o)

I spared you the sight of my kids' animals! lol! But they love playing with the dough and shaping the strangest animals!

Have a wonderful Sunday all you foodies!

Karin

P.S.: All the products used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.