In Manitoba Prairie Mennonite baking, zwieback refers to soft double buns: a small round sits on a larger one and is pressed into place. Historian Marlene Epp reproduces a 1962 Chortitz, Manitoba household formula and explains that the name carries both the double-bun form and a history of twice-baked travel bread. This version is baked once and served as a soft roll, not dried into a rusk.
Mennonite family formulas vary in their proportions and sometimes use different fats or enrichments. This measured, egg-free adaptation keeps the butter, milk and paired shape of one documented Manitoba recipe. Its gentle kneading and two rises help the buns bake up tender and pull apart at the join.
Step 1Warm 320 mL milk in a saucepan until steaming. Add 151 g butter and 3 g salt; stir until the butter melts. Cool to 35–38°C. In a small bowl, dissolve 3 g sugar in 80 mL water at about 38–40°C, sprinkle in 5 g yeast and leave 5–10 minutes until foamy.
Step 2Combine the yeast mixture with the cooled milk mixture. Add about 250 g of the measured flour and beat until smooth.
Step 3Work in the remaining flour a little at a time, reserving a spoonful from the measured 500 g only if needed to dust the surface. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky.
Step 4Cover the dough and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 60 minutes, until doubled. Gently press out the gas.
Step 5Divide into 16 larger pieces of about 44 g and 16 smaller pieces of about 22 g. Shape each into a ball, set a small ball on a larger one and press a thumb through the centre to join them. Arrange eight buns per parchment-lined sheet. Cover and proof 45–60 minutes until puffy; heat the oven to 180°C near the end of proofing.
Step 6Bake one sheet at a time for about 18–22 minutes, rotating if needed, until the buns are lightly golden and baked through. The crumb of a larger bun may read about 93°C as a doneness cue. Cool on a rack before serving or storing.
Serve the buns warm with butter or jam, or alongside soup and other dishes. Let them cool completely before packing so trapped steam does not soften the crust. Store airtight at room temperature and use within 2 days for best texture, or freeze for longer storage. Thaw covered at room temperature. This batch is scaled to 16 joined buns; flour absorption and proofing speed vary with room conditions.
Rounded estimate per bun from the listed ingredients and generic USDA FoodData Central composition values, divided across 16 buns. The batch is about 3,126 kcal before rounding. Flour absorption, brands and final roll weights vary; this is not laboratory analysis or a product label.
Contains wheat and milk. This version contains no egg. Do not taste raw dough because it contains uncooked flour. Bake the buns fully and wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling flour.
The smaller round pressed onto a larger base gives this Prairie Mennonite style its familiar double-bun shape. The centre dimple anchors the pieces while they rise and bake.
