From grain to golden crust

There are few things more authentic than the aroma of freshly baked Tyrolean bread. Warm, earthy and deeply comforting, it stirs memories of childhood, shared moments and life’s simple essentials. At the Green Luxury Hotel Pfösl, this feeling becomes tangible. Bread here is far more than nourishment. It is craftsmanship, patience and nature - a living expression of South Tyrolean culture. Out in our fields and among our herb beds, when we make bread at home together and savour it fresh from the oven, grain is transformed into crust - and into the unmistakable aroma of home.


Growing our own grains and herbs

For over ten years, we have been cultivating our own grain on 35 hectares of meadow at 1,375 metres above sea level. Wheat, organic Regiokorn rye and, for the past four years, Waldstaude - an ancient, now almost forgotten variety of rye - all grow here, prized for its wonderfully nutty flavour, resilience and modest needs. Many dedicated volunteers from our circle of friends lend a hand using sickles, rakes and other traditional tools to harvest the heritage rye, bind it into sheaves and leave it to dry.
In our raised bed “Bread & Salt”, the plants and herbs that refine our bread spices also flourish: caraway, fennel, anise, bread clover, flax, sunflower, coriander and more all come together in our Tyrolean bread.


Bread baking course at Pfösl

Throughout the summer, our hosts Eva and Brigitte invite guests to a weekly baking experience. To make bread at home at Pfösl is far more than simply attending a course - it is a reconnection with nature, with craftsmanship and with the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands. Naturally, we use our own flour made from Waldstaude rye, along with a variety of bread spices, which Brigitte introduces during a short tour of her raised beds. Then our 300-year-old stone oven in the garden is fired up - and the baking begins.
Eva then shares the art of sourdough - along with a few closely guarded secrets of traditional baking. Each participant kneads, shapes and bakes their own loaf, with plenty of time to ask questions and, of course, to taste. Because truly good bread needs just three things: time, attention and honest ingredients. Served alongside the still-warm Tyrolean bread is a traditional South Tyrolean Marende with speck, cheese, cured meats and homemade spreads.


Two of our favourite recipes

Our sourdough starter
•On the first day, mix 50 g rye flour with 50 g lukewarm water and leave to rest at a minimum of 24 °C.
•On the second day, add 20 g of flour and 20 g of lukewarm water and mix well, then leave to stand at the same temperature.
•On each subsequent day, it must be "fed" with an equal amount of flour and lukewarm water.
•From the seventh day onward, a portion of the sourdough starter can be used for making bread. The remaining portion must be continued to be cultivated daily as described above.
•If you feel like taking a break from baking bread, place the sourdough starter in the refrigerator. It can rest there without requiring feeding.

Rye nettle sourdough bread

Ingredients for 1.5 kg of Tyrolean bread:
700 g wholemeal rye flour
300 g wholemeal spelt flour
300-400 g sourdough starter
28 g salt (organic sea salt)
a pinch of caraway
a pinch of fennel
200 g chopped nettle
approx. 600-700 ml water
100 ml buttermilk
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp flaxseeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Other spices you can add to your bread spices include anise, coriander or bread clover, as well as calendula, ribwort plantain and daisies…

Method:
Knead all the ingredients in a bowl for around 5 minutes, either using a mixer or by hand. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, cover and leave to rest for about 15 minutes. Line baking trays with parchment paper. You can now shape the dough as you wish - into large or small loaves, baguettes or rounds… For decoration, score patterns into the loaves or sprinkle them with flakes, seeds and herbs - there are no limits to your creativity. Once your loaves are shaped, place them on the trays with enough space between them, cover and leave to rise for 30-60 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 °C. Lightly mist the loaves with water before placing them in the oven. Then reduce the temperature to 190°C and bake for around 20 minutes. To check if they are done, carefully remove a loaf and tap the underside - if it sounds hollow, your bread is ready. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Our tip for a perfect crust: about 10 minutes before the end of the baking time, wedge a wooden spoon in the oven door so it remains slightly ajar.
Would you like to try more Pfösl recipes? You’ll find them in our bread baking booklet.


What makes our Tyrolean bread so special? It begins right outside our door. Both the flour and the herbs that give Pfösl bread its distinctive flavour grow around our house on untouched soils, surrounded by pure mountain air. Freshly harvested and hand-picked, they are rich in aromas and natural nutrients – a gift from nature itself. In this way, every loaf becomes a reflection of our landscape and a living expression of our deeply rooted culinary and artisanal tradition.
Would you like to make bread at home yourself and discover many more ways to use the herbs from our gardens? Then enquire now about your nature-inspired wellness stay at the Green Luxury Hotel Pfösl, nestled in the heart of the Dolomites!