Birnbrot is a Swiss pear bread.

Ingredients:

Dough

• 2 tsp 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

Preparation:

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm milk (approximately 43°C) with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes to activate the yeast.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Bake for 50-60 minutes, checking occasionally and covering with aluminum foil if the pastries are browning too quickly.
9. 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.