Austrian Farmhouse Loaf Recipe (Bauernbrot)

If you would like to make a wonderfully wholesome and authentic loaf of Austrian bread, try this Austrian farmhouse loaf (Bauernbrot) recipe.

Bauernbrot Crumb
Freshly baked Bauernbrot with a lovely moist crumb

Great with any winter vegetable soup or Goulash although I love it with any dish (even Thai curries!)

Ingredients (for 2 small loaves)

  • 300g 100% hydration rye sourdough (prepared the day before)
  • 150g fine rye flour
  • 150g strong bread flour
  • 150g plain flour
  • 3g dried yeast
  • 17g salt
  • 8g bread spices
  • 250g buttermilk
  • 100g lukewarm water

How to make it (2 small loaves)

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl
  2. Knead for 10 mins
  3. Cover and prove for approx.  2 hours
  4. Give the dough another brief knead
  5. Divide into two equal parts and shape into two loaves
  6. Place the loaves on a baking tray lined with baking paper
  7. Cover with a kitchen towel and rest for another 1.5 hours
  8. Preheat the oven to 200°C
  9. Bake for 40 mins at 200°C and for a further 20 mins at 150°C
  10. Cool on a wire rack
Austrian Farmhouse Loaf
Austrian Farmhouse Loaf

If you want to find out more about Austrian cooking, there is no better starting point than “Tante Hertha’s Viennese Kitchen” based on the original notebook and recipe journal of a 1900s Viennese Baroness. It contains over 100 original recipes, all of which have been tested and brought up to date.

Tante Hertha's Viennese Kitchen
Tante Hertha’s Viennese Kitchen