Meitschibei (Swiss Horseshoe-Shaped Pastries)

A recipe for Meitschibei (Swiss Horseshoe-Shaped Pastries)! These pastries from Bern are filled with a sweetened hazelnut mixture and baked until golden.

Our Culinary Tour de France

Today, I am joining a group of fellow bloggers to explore the cuisines featured in the Tour de France 2016!

Each talented blogger has made a dish that is representative of one of the regions on the race route. I picked Switzerland (Bern) and am sharing a recipe for Meitschibei for the event.

Meitschibei (Swiss Horseshoe-Shaped Pastries)

Meitschibei are nut-based pastries (Nussgebäck) from the Canton of Bern. Their name in the local Swiss German (Bärndütsch) directly translates to “girls legs” due to the distinctive shape.

A flattened yeast-based dough is cut into long individual strips, filled with an aromatic hazelnut filling, then rolled into a thin rope and folded at the center to make a horseshoe shape.

After a final 30 minute rest, the pastries are brushed with an egg wash and baked in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven until golden.

These Meitschibei are best warm from the oven and especially within a day of baking. They can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

Looking for more Swiss baking?

Try my:

• Schoggiweggli (Swiss Chocolate Buns)
• Basler Brunsli (Swiss Chocolate Spice Cookies)
• Chäschüechli (Swiss Cheese Tartlets)

Blanching and Toasting the Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts can be particularly stubborn to remove the skins. After trying a few different methods, I found simmering in water with baking soda to be the easiest so far.

Fill a large pot 1/3 with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, carefully add 3 tablespoons of baking soda, then the hazelnuts. Continue to simmer for 4 minutes. Stay nearby in case foam starts to rise towards the top.

Drain and rinse the hazelnuts well in cold water, then press each hazelnut out of its skin using your fingers.

Gently remove any excess water with a towel and arrange the blanched hazelnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Toast in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven until fragrant and golden. Due to the added moisture, this may take closer to 20 minutes compared to toasting hazelnuts straight from the pantry.

Keep an eye on the color as of the hazelnuts as they become golden. They should be golden brown and fragrant, not burnt.

Allow to cool before pulsing in the food processor with the other filling ingredients.

A Few Meitschibei Tips

When adding the yeast to the milk, make sure the milk isn’t too hot or it will damage the yeast. The temperature should be about 105˚F (40˚C)- just warm enough to activate. Allow to rest at room temperature until frothy, about 10 minutes.

Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.

If the dough is too crumbly and just won’t come together after mixing everything thoroughly, add some more milk a splash at a time. Give it some time to blend fully with the flour before adding more.

Add just enough flour to create a smooth and workable dough. Too much flour or overworking will cause the pastries to become dense.

In a warm kitchen, the first rise should take about 1-1 1/2 hours to double in size. During the winter with cooler temperatures, it sometimes takes closer to 2 hours.

You want the dough thin enough to easily roll and shape, but not tear- about 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) thick. Any weak spots may cause the filling to burst through during baking. When wrapping the dough around the filling, seal the seams and edges well.

Make sure the hazelnuts are finely chopped. If the pieces are too large, they may tear through the dough.

Only add enough water to bring the filling together with a thick, almost paste-like texture. If there is too much liquid, you will have difficulties sealing the dough and the filling may burst while in the oven.

Place the egg white in one bowl and the egg yolk in another. Use the egg white to seal the dough around the filling. Add a splash of milk to the egg yolk and this will be the egg wash to add some color to the top of the Meitschibei.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Escalope de Poulet à la Normande (Chicken Normandy) from Curious Cuisiniere- Northwestern France/Normandy (Mont St Michel)
• Rillettes de Porc from The Petit Gourmet- Loire Valley (Angers/Saumur)
• Walnut Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook- Southwestern France/Midi-Pyrénées
• Catalan Escalivada from Culinary Adventures with Camilla- Catalonia, Spain (Andorra)
• Coca de Espinacas a la Catalana from Manu’s Menu- Catalonia, Spain
• Meitschibei (Swiss Horseshoe-Shaped Pastries) from Tara’s Multicultural Table- Western Switzerland (Bern)
• Summer in Paris from Tout va bien- Paris

This recipe was originally posted in July 2016 and updated in July 2024.

Meitschibei (Swiss Horseshoe Pastries) Recipe

Adapted from Swiss Milk

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Meitschibei (Swiss Horseshoe-Shaped Pastries)

A recipe for Meitschibei (Swiss Horseshoe-Shaped Pastries)! These pastries from Bern are filled with a sweetened hazelnut mixture and baked until golden.

Course Bread

Cuisine Swiss

Keyword Bern, bread, hazelnut, pastries, pastry, Swiss, Switzerland

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Pastries

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) active dried yeast
• 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) lukewarm milk 105-115˚F, 40-46˚C
• 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature

Hazelnut Filling:

• 7 ounces (200 grams) blanched and toasted hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) water

Topping:

• 1 large egg divided
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) milk

Instructions

To make the dough:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk, stirring briefly to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature until frothy, 5-10 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Mix in the frothy yeast with milk and the butter until a dough comes together. If still too dry, add a little more milk. If too sticky to handle, add a little more flour.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic. Oil a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.

To prepare the filling:

• In a large food processor, pulse together the hazelnuts, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt.
• Once finely chopped and well combined, slowly add just enough water to hold together the mixture with the consistency of thick paste. Do not add too much water or the mixture may become too loose.

To assemble the pastries:

• Separate the egg into an egg white in one small bowl and egg yolk in another small bowl. Add the 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) milk to the egg yolk.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment or lightly grease.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a thin sheet about 20 inches (51 centimeters) long and 18 inches (46 centimeters) wide.
• Cut the dough in half lengthwise to make two 9 inch (23 centimeter) wide rectangles.
• Cut each rectangle crosswise every 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) to make 12 strips in all.
• Add a thin rope of filling across the center of one of the strips, keeping about 1/2 inch (1.5 centimeters) clear around the edge.
• Brush the edges with the egg white. Bring up the edges over the filling, pinching together to seal.
• Gently roll the pastry to lightly stretch into a filled rope about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) long and to completely seal.
• Fold the rope in half to form a horseshoe and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Repeat with remaining dough and filling, placing 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart on the baking sheets.
• Cover the baking sheets with towels and allow to rest at room temperature until lightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
• Brush the tops of the pastries with the egg yolk milk mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden on the top, 15-20 minutes. Serve warm from the oven or at room temperature.