As noted, I’ve got some nice bags of Swiss flour that I’ve often used on my vacations at my sister’s house in Basel. This time, the whole family was visiting us in our city.

Years ago, she took me on a rainy morning through a farm field and dark woods to an ancient house. It was there that I witnessed and observed two women, a mother and daughter, as they prepared Bauernbrot, also known as farmers bread. I couldn’t help but ponder over the process: the bulk fermentation, shaping, and baking techniques seemed almost primitive, as if they were passed down through generations without formal training or missing crucial instructions. Regardless of the circumstances, the sight of an old Artifex mixer and a wood-burning stove ignited my passion for bread-making.

And so this time, I saw a video from Haussler and decided to adapt a Swabian farmer’s bread. Having served in the Army in Stuttgart, I reminisced and did the calculations on my calculator. The interesting thing about this formula was the buttermilk and cider vinegar, and while I didn’t quite grasp the science behind it, I understood it was for flavor enhancement without it being a sourdough bread. I have seen formulas for Bavarian bread that used vinegar too.

I proceeded with my modified edition, employing the technique of my longtime acquaintance Mick Hartley to calculate the transformation from yeast to sourdough. It was remarkable—the texture of the dough brought back memories of Schwabia, although my source of satisfaction was beer, not bread.