Shaking Bread Noodles

Schüttelbrot Pasta from Eggerhof with Caraway and Fennel

Schüttelbrot Pasta from Eggerhof are egg-based fettuccine incorporating ground South Tyrolean Schüttelbrot (crispbread). Along with the breadcrumbs, caraway, fennel, and the bread's sourdough infuse the pasta, providing a savory, slightly tangy flavor.

Schüttelbrot Pasta is a unique South Tyrolean specialty from the Eggerhof range, created from two pantry staples of mountain farm cuisine: egg pasta and hard flatbread. The breadcrumbs make up a significant portion of the dough, transforming the pasta into a side dish that is flavorful on its own. The pack contains 310 grams.

Caraway, fennel, and a hearty bite

Caraway and fennel are the spices that give Schüttelbrot its character, and during cooking, they leach out of the dough into the water and back in again. Added to this is fenugreek, whose slightly bitter spice is familiar from South Tyrolean farmhouse bread.

The sourdough used to bake the bread adds a subtle acidity. It is so faint that you don't perceive it as "sour," but rather as the reason why there is more flavor in this dough than in plain egg pasta.

The crumbs also provide the rustic texture that sets this variety apart from all others on the shelf. Despite the coarse crumb, the ribbons remain supple because the high egg content compensates, creating an interplay of soft and granular textures in the mouth.

Speck, mountain cheese, and a robust game ragù

This pasta stands up to hearty ingredients, just like the bread to which it owes its name. Diced speck in a pan, grated mountain cheese, and a few crispy fried onions make a mountain hut-style meal that doesn't need any additional sauce.

Robust game sauces are the second obvious choice: the venison ragù from Eggerhof comes from the same kitchen and, combined with the breadcrumbs in the dough, makes for a thoroughly alpine dish.

For those who prefer the speck already inside the pasta, go for the South Tyrolean Speck Pasta; the rest of the pasta workshop's offerings can be found in the Eggerhof Pasta collection.

A bread that had to last until the next baking day

Schüttelbrot is made from a soft rye dough that is shaken by hand until it spreads out into a thin flatbread. It then dries out completely in the oven, becoming hard and keeping for months without molding.

That was exactly the point: on remote farms, baking only happened a few times a year, and the bread had to last until the next baking day. The flatbread was mentioned as early as 1610 in the Tyrolean bakers' regulations, though it had been eaten long before that.

No one at the time would have imagined that this emergency supply would one day become pasta. At Eggerhof, the crumbs are now kneaded with semolina and eggs, turning a pantry staple from one century into a product of the next.

The bread spices round things off: caraway, fennel, and fenugreek were used in the bread because they balanced the robust rye and kept the flatbread tasting fresh for months. In the pasta, they now play the same role.

Cook al dente so the crumbs hold their shape

Seven minutes is enough, and it shouldn't be any longer: cooked too soft, the crumbs lose their structure and the dough becomes dull. Drain, immediately toss the ribbons in brown butter, and sprinkle with coarsely ground pepper. Stored tightly sealed in a dry, dark place, an opened pack will keep for months.

If you want to use the ribbons in soup, it is better to cook them separately and add them to the bowl only at the end. In the broth, the crumbs would continue to absorb liquid and lose their structure after just a few minutes.