Swiss Bread Recipe: Bütschella – A Sweet Roll from Graubünden

Switzerland may not be as well-known for the quality of its bread—in comparison to chocolate and cheese, for example—but it should be. With over 200 different types of Swiss bread—delicious crusty loaves, saffron-tinted breads, flatbreads topped with cumin seeds and many more—you can always find a new one to try. As an American living in Switzerland, I especially enjoy learning about the history of individual breads, and particularly those with strong regional connections. My latest discovery is a sweet, yeasted bread roll made with raisins and lemon zest from the Swiss canton of Graubünden known as Bütschella.

I first learned about Bütschella during my stay at the historic Hotel Waldhaus Sils-Maria in Switzerland’s Engadine Valley. The expansive breakfast buffet at the hotel features many local food products. As I considered my options that morning, I came across a basket full of these enticing bread rolls with raisins, each topped with a generous sprinkle of coarse-grained sugar. The card in front of the basket identified them as “Bütschella.”

A Bütschella from the breakfast buffet at the historic Hotel Waldhaus Sils-Maria.

When I returned home, I started searching for more information about Bütschella. According to Patrimoine Culinaire SuisseBütschella has existed in Graubünden for over 400 years. It goes by multiple names and comes in various sizes, depending on where you live and how you make it. This bread is popular during holiday celebrations, like Easter and Christmas, but can also be found throughout the year. Ingredients such as white flour, butter, eggs and raisins for this bread, which seem quite common today, were once considered to be luxury items in this region of Switzerland and reserved for special occasions.

Celebrating Chalandamarz

One of these special occasions is Chalandamarz, which takes place every year on March 1st in Graubünden. Boys and girls from the towns and villages in this canton dress in traditional costumes and ring cowbells to help drive out winter and usher in the season of spring. In the streets of St. Moritz for ChalandamarzConfiserie Hanselmann hands out Bütschella to all the children participating in this festive celebration, a tradition that has spanned four generations for this local bakery, since 1894.

Where to find Bütschella – Confiserie Hanselmann in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Children receiving Bütschellas from Confiserie Hanselmann for Chalandamarz in St. Moritz. Photo credit: Andreas Mutschler, F. Hanselmann’s Erben AG.

Bütschella and other similar Swiss breads

The description of Bütschella from Patrimoine Culinaire Suisse compares them to the Rosinenweggen, a loaf of bread that also has raisins from the canton of Nidwalden in central Switzerland. Unlike the Bütschella, which is traditionally made with water, Rosinenweggen contains milk. In my opinion, Bütschella also resembles Taillaule, a brioche-style bread with raisins and lemon zest from the canton of Neuchâtel. Taillaule gets its name from the French verb tailler or “to cut.” Before baking, you take a scissor (or sharp knife) and make deep, horizontal cuts in the top of the dough.

Since I cannot find Bütschella in my corner of French-speaking Switzerland, I wanted to try making it at home. To develop my own recipe, I borrowed from a regional recipe for these bread rolls shared by the talented Swiss food blogger, Einfach Essen. This recipe comes from a 1964 cookbook entitled, Bewährte Kochrezepte aus Graubünden (Proven Recipes from Graubünden). I like these rolls when they are still a bit warm and slathered with butter.

All the ingredients you need to make Bütschella.

How to make them:

Bütschella

  • Difficulty: average
  • Print
Recipe adapted from Bewährte Kochrezepte aus Graubünden (p. 61, 1964).
Allergens: eggs, gluten, milk and wheat

Ingredients

– 200 ml water, very warm
– 7 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
– 575 grams (4 cups) flour
– 100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
– 1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
– 113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
– 3 eggs, slightly beaten
– zest of one lemon
– 75 grams (1/2 cup) raisins
– 1-2 tablespoons coarse-grained sugar

Instructions

1. Add the yeast to the very warm water. Set-aside and let the yeast fully dissolve.
2. In a large bowl, measure and add all the following ingredients: flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
3. To the flour mixture, add the butter, 2 eggs (reserving the third egg for later) and the yeast mixture. Stir until a dough forms.
4. Knead the dough—either by hand or use an electric mixer with a dough hook—for about 10 minutes. When the dough is almost ready, add the raisins and knead them into the dough until they are evenly distributed. The dough should be smooth and elastic—when you press the dough and make an indentation with your finger, it bounces back.
5. Place in a bowl and cover with a hand towel. Let the dough rise for at least an hour or until doubled.
6. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Form each of the pieces into 12 round rolls and place on a baking sheet (or two) covered with parchment paper.
7. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let them rise another 30-60 minutes.
8. Remove the plastic wrap and using a pastry brush, apply a thin coating of the beaten egg to the rolls. Then, sprinkle them with some coarse-grained sugar.
9. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes in an oven preheated to 180ºC / 350ºF, until they are golden brown.
10. Place the rolls on a wire rack to cool. They are best eaten the day they are made.

For more information:

Where to buy:

Here are two examples of bakeries in Graubünden where you will find Bütschella.

Please note: This article is part of a paid partnership with Schweizer Brot / Pain Suisse. However, as always, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are purely my own.

Updated: January 8, 2023

11 replies »

  1. “…slathered in butter.” There’s no finer phrase in English.

    I love that you have found specialty breads from an area served exclusively in that area. So different from hotel chains in the US that serve the same breakfast food regardless of where the hotel is. Enjoy! And thanks for the recipe.

    • Hi Carol! Thanks for reading my article. I love discovering new regional breads like this. And, this hotel is really special! It’s been in the same family for four generations. I hope you like the recipe! If you try it, please let me know how it turns out. Many thanks!

  2. this seems very similar to one the the sweet bread recipes from my hometown! I’ll definitely try this recipe when i have time

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