Zweiback

For the non-Mennonites in the audience, zweiback are double-decker buns. BL's MH has not had a good track record in making them - either they don't rise or the top bun piece rolled off the bottom while in the oven. BL's Aunt Lisa is renowned as a great zweiback maker so we got her recipe and gave it a try (recipe included at the end of this post in case you want to give it a go).

We started with the mix and kneading in the bowl.

Then BL takes it outside and goes a few rounds with the dough on the counter-top.

  

 Things kept going well, the yeast was behaving and we got a good rise out of the dough.

BL added a belly button to what looked like a pregnant woman's belly a few months in.

 Then you form the buns and let rise again.

A bit of baking and voila, not quite a dozen odd-looking (but delicious) zweiback!

Zweiback

1 cup margarine butter (that's my only deviation from the original)
3 cups milk
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
about 10 cups flour (closer to 9)

• Heat 1 cup margarine butter and 2 cups milk to scalding
• Pour into large mixing bowl over 1 Tbsp salt (heaping) and add another cup of milk 
• Let cool
• Prepare yeast: 1 cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar, 2 Tbsp yeast
• Let rise
• Add yeast to milk mixture and stir gently
• Start adding flour, mix with spoon, then with hands, then knead
• Let rise in bowl
• Form buns on pans
• Let rise again
• Bake 20-22 minutes at 350°