Grittibänz – Bake A Swiss St. Nicholas Day Treat

My family is Swiss and German so I grew up celebrating St. Nicholas Day on December 6th.  Before going to bed on December 5th, my brothers and I would put one shoe outside our bedroom door for St. Nicholas to fill.  The next morning our shoes overflowed with marzipan, chocolate and Lebkuchen. I still put my shoe out and St. Nicholas still comes faithfully every year.  Here in Switzerland, kids get small tangerines or Mandarin oranges, burlap sacks filled with peanuts and sweets or bound twigs festooned with candy.

In the weeks leading up to St. Nicholas Day in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland, bakeries throughout the country sell a slightly sweet, brioche-like bread in the shape of a little man called Grittibänz .  They range from very simplistic to elaborate representations. Often with a pipe in their mouth, simple ones might just have 3 raisins for the eyes and nose.  More elaborate ones are decorated with dried fruit and nuts.  Some have beautiful decorations made from cut out or twisted bread dough.

I read accounts that claim Grittibänz dates back as far as the 16th century and originated in Basel. Some people told me they think it’s supposed to be Santa Claus but who really knows.

The bread man is known by several names such as Grittibänz or Basler Grättimaa.  Gritti means straddle or splayed legs.  Benz or Bänz is a shortened form of Benedict, a common name hundreds of years ago.  So, basically, it means man with bow legs.  In Germany, he is often called Weckmann – Weck meaning a bread roll. Some bakeries sell several versions with different names.  This past week alone I saw Grittibänz Benjamin, Grittibänz Piccolo and a chocolate-studded one named Grittibänz Schoggi (Swiss-German for chocolate).  For more history, here is a link to a radio show I did last year.

To make your own little bread man at home, begin by making a yeast dough or, less desirable, use frozen bread dough (follow manufacturer’s instructions for defrosting and rising).  The full recipe is at the bottom of the post in printable format.

Stir dry yeast into warm milk and let it sit a few minutes.  Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Make a well and pour in the milk and yeast along with an egg and some melted butter.  Stir it together then dump it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  Cover it with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for an hour.  Punch it down then start to form your man.

Form a dough oval and place it on a parchment-lined sheet pan.  Reserve a golf ball-size piece of dough for the scarf.

Pinch a portion large enough for the head and give it a 350° twist to form the neck.  Pinch the top to form a hat.

Use floured scissors or a knife to make slits for the arm.   Do not cut all the way through.  Pull the elbows away from the body

Make a slit up the middle of the base and separate the legs.  Pinch a small bit at the bottom and twist 350° to form the feet.

Using your hands, roll the reserved piece of dough back and forth to form a snake.  Place the middle behind the neck.  Bring both sides to the front and twist to form a scarf.  Tuck the ends behind the hands.  Cut off and reserve any excess dough.

Use the excess scarf dough to form base of his hat and cuffs on the slacks.  Typically, raisins are used for the eyes and nose.  I made a slightly more elaborate version using dried cranberries for his eyes, a macadamia nut for his nose and an almond for his mouth.

After decorating, let it rise again in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Beat an egg and brush it gently over the entire surface.

Bake in a pre-heated 190° C / 375° F oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

When cool enough to handle, remove from the baking sheet and place on a cooling rack.

Ready to eat!!