Sterling Terrain V02 - Flipbook - Page 20
18 | Sterling College
Obatzda (Bavarian Beer Cheese)
& Buntzels
For the Obatzda
Liz Chadwick ‘14
Director of Dining Services
Taste of Place
8oz Brie or Camembert, we use Jasper Hill
“Harbison”
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8oz spreadable cheese, we use Sweet Rowen
Farmstead “Farmer’s Cheese”
8oz cheddar cheese, shredded fine, we use
Cabot “Seriously Sharp”
6 tbsp beer, wheat is classic, we use Hill Farmstead “George”
½ tsp caraway seed, toasted and ground
1 tsp paprika (not smoked!)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp maple syrup
Living in Northern Vermont can be a challenge at times, but admittedly, there is
a quiet luxury to it. Sure, we have long,
harsh, unpredictable winters. Fleeting and
tireless summers - and let’s not discuss
mud season - all of it can be truly exhausting! But we do live in a land of exponential
beauty and bounty.
2 medium shallots, thin sliced
1 bunch scallions, thin sliced
Here at Sterling, Obatzda and Buntzels illustrates bounty in its harshest - and it’s
a really fun dish to run, especially as the
leaves have fallen and the temperatures
dip. It utilizes ingredients that are very
close to us, that we don’t grow or make
ourselves. It’s also a convivial, unassuming, and comforting dish that is perfect after a long cold day. Whether that day was
spent working on the farm, going for a long
ski, or being in the woods - no matter. This
is a dish that greets and warms you.
3-4 cups bread flour, we use King Arthur Sir
Lancelot
½ tsp salt
More water, as needed
We have amazing award-winning creameries just miles from campus - the Cellars
at Jasper Hill in Greensboro and Sweet
Rowen Farmstead in Albany. While we
could settle for a basic brie or spreadable
cheese, we are fortunate to not need to.
This may sound high-end, but for us, it is
simply supporting our neighbors, friends
and alumnx. Feel free to use your favorite
comparable cheeses - or take the opportunity to explore new ones near to you.
In lieu of wheat beer, classically used in
Obatzda, we use Hill Farmstead’s “George”
- I find an American Brown Ale lends a
sweeter, nuttier nuance to the dip. Also, if
the recipe only calls for six tablespoons, I
want to enjoy the other 18 as they are, not
waste them. Lucky for us, the brewery, too,
is “right down the road”.
For the “Buntzels”
Yield: 25 buns
2 cups warm water - 108°-110°
¼ c dry active yeast
¼ c granulated sugar
¼ c maple syrup
For Boiling Mixture:
4 c water
2 c maple syrup
2 tbsp baking soda
Coarse Salt, or Maldon
Preheat oven to 375°
In a large bowl, or mixer attached with a
dough hook, stir together water, yeast,
sugar, and maple syrup. Let stand for 5-10
minutes until yeast begins to foam. Add the
flour and salt to the yeast mixture and knead
for 5-8 minutes. The dough should be soft,
smooth, and threateningly sticky, but pull
away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough
is dry, add water. If the dough is too sticky,
add flour. When the dough is smooth and
elastic, transfer it to a floured surface.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Cut brie or camembert into small chunks. Add
to a medium bowl. Add butter and farmer’s
cheese. Fold together until mixture is even.
Add cheddar, beer, caraway seed, paprika, salt,
pepper, and maple syrup. Mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to an oven-safe dish. Sprinkle more cheddar on top. Bake for 15 minutes,
or until bubbling and browning. Top with shallots and scallions.
Do not let dough rise or rest - the goal of a
pretzel is all in the chew, we have no interest
in crumb competition here (but I see you, sourdough faithfuls).
This next part is up to you. Ardent pretzel-ists
believe in the twist. I lack patience when making pretzels for 120 hungry mouths with limited time, and I am 100% accepting of all shapes
and sizes, hence the “buntzel”. If you want to
meticulously twist, great. If you want to roll the
dough out and cut with a biscuit cutter, great. If
you want to just rip and dollop into the boil, you
do you. Here’s what we do:
Divide the dough into 2 oz portions with a bench
scraper, and then roll each piece with the palm
of your hand on the table to form a smooth,
rounded bun. In a small pot (dutch ovens are
great for this), bring 4 cups water, maple syrup
and baking soda to a simmer. Carefully drop the
buns into the water. Simmer for 1 minute, continuously stirring and drenching the bun in the
boiling mixture.
Transfer to a greased baking sheet - and immediately sprinkle with salt. You will be working in
batches. When all buns are boiled and topped,
bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes until a bit beyond golden brown. Let cool, or don’t - your
choice. Immediately dip into Obatzda.
We take our own authorities with this recipe - as you should, too. We don’t use barley malt
in the dough (it isn’t produced around here, and we’re not about to ship it in). We don’t use
lye to boil the pretzels (that’s confusing and a whole production itself). We’re happy to simply use the maple syrup we produce on campus every spring. Lastly, we bake the cheese
spread - as opposed to serving cold - it gets plenty cold here, and there’s nothing better
than warm dippy-cheese after a long day.