Ingredients (for 14-16 pieces)
- 700 ml water (38°C)
- 1 cube of fresh yeast (room temperature)
- 1 kg wheat flour type 550
- 20 g salt
- grated cheese, coarse salt, caraway seeds (to taste)
- Flour for the work surface
Pour the water into a mixing bowl and dissolve the yeast in it. Add the flour and salt and knead for approx. 10 minutes to form a smooth dough.
Cover the dough and leave to rise at room temperature for approx. 60 minutes.
During this time, knead the dough 2-3 times with wet hands. After the last kneading, leave to rise again.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a strand approx. 15 x 30 cm long. Use a pastry card to cut off 3-5 cm wide pieces of dough. Pull these to a length of 20-30 cm and place on the floured work surface with the cut surface facing upwards.
Cover and leave to rise for another 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
Heat the MERKLINGER to approx. 250-300°C.
Brush the souls with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, cheese or caraway seeds.
Pick up the Swabian souls with a floured pizza peel, place in the hot MERKLINGER and bake for approx. 30 minutes on a low heat.
Then remove from the MERKLINGER and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Tip: Yeast dough also gets better and more aromatic if you give it time. It is best to make the dough the day before and leave it to mature in the fridge. Then reduce the amount of yeast to 3-4 g (!).