Ultner Brot Struzen Chips. Crispy organic bread chips made from rye fruit bread – with hazelnuts, sultanas and currants, sweetened only with dried fruit.
Ultner Brot Struzen Chips are crispy bread chips made from organic rye dough with hazelnuts, sultanas and currants, seasoned with caraway, fennel and blue fenugreek. They are baked by the organic bakery Ultner Brot in St. Walburg in the Ultental valley, South Tyrol. One bag contains 175 g.
Struzen Chips from Ultner Brot are based on an old farm bread. "Struzen" is what the people of the Ultental valley call a type of fruit bread. When bread was baked on the farms in the valley, a bit of rye dough would always be left over. The farmers would mix fruit and nuts into this last bit of dough and bake their "Struzen" from it. Ultner Brot has turned this tradition into chips: thin, crispy slices that you can snack on straight from the bag. The dough contains 60% rye flour and 13% each of hazelnuts, sultanas and currants. Added to this are rock salt, caraway, fennel, yeast and blue fenugreek. According to the bakery, no sugar is added; the sweetness comes entirely from the dried grapes. All ingredients except for the salt come from organic farming. They have been our top-selling South Tyrolean baked goods for years.
Taste
The first bite is hearty and nutty, with the rye taking the lead. Then the fruit comes through. The light-colored sultanas taste mild and balanced, while the small, dark currants are somewhat stronger and slightly tart. Together, they create a sweetness that never becomes sticky and always remains secondary to the bread.
The hazelnuts provide a nutty undertone and some extra crunch. Over everything lies the seasoning that belongs to almost every rye bread in South Tyrol: caraway, fennel and blue fenugreek. Blue fenugreek is also known as "Schabzigerklee" and adds a spicy, slightly hay-like note. Fennel contributes a hint of anise, and caraway provides savory depth.
The result sits right between sweet and savory. This is why the chips go as well with cheese as they do with a cup of tea. They are lightly salted, with the rock salt merely highlighting the rye. Those expecting classic potato chips with intense seasoning will find these too mild. Conversely, those who enjoy fruit bread will find a crispy version of it here.
The texture is also unique. The slices break in a dry and splintery way, more like a thin rusk than a cracker. The fruit pieces remain slightly chewy, giving the bite some variety. The longer you chew, the more the blue fenugreek comes through.
Usage
The easiest way to eat these chips is straight from the bag as a snack. They are crispy, light and ready to eat. In a backpack, they can survive a long hike as long as the bag remains well-sealed and is packed at the top of the pack.
They are excellent alongside cheese. A spicy mountain cheese, a mature Gouda or a mild blue cheese handle the fruit sweetness perfectly. They also work with herb cream cheese or fresh goat cheese, where they serve as an edible spoon for dipping. On a South Tyrolean snack platter, the "Marende," they sit next to bacon and salami, bringing a touch of sweetness to the wooden board.
For afternoon tea, the chips replace cookies or rusks. Crumbled over an autumn salad with field greens, pear and walnuts, they take on the role of croutons. And with a glass of apple juice or cider, they make a perfect little snack for the end of the day. Store the bag in a dry place away from heat and keep it well-sealed after opening. According to the manufacturer's catalog, the chips have a shelf life of seven months unopened.
Our tip: Place a bowl of them on your cheese platter instead of a baguette. A piece of mountain cheese on a slice, with a fresh grape – and your appetizer bite is ready.
Origin
Struzen Chips come from St. Walburg in the Ultental valley, a side valley near Merano in South Tyrol. Ultner Brot bakes there at an altitude of around 1,200 meters, in the middle of the valley's mountain landscape. The bakery has existed since 1919, when it was opened by the current owner's great-grandmother. Richard Schwienbacher ran the business in the third generation. His wife, Gerti, persuaded him to purchase a grain mill because she wanted to have whole-grain bread baked. In 1982, the large stone mill was installed in the bakery, and Richard pushed his first organic bread doughs into the oven.
Today, his son Hannes Schwienbacher, the great-grandson of the founder, runs the bakery. The company motto is "Full grain ahead." According to Ultner Brot, all ingredients for their baked goods come from controlled organic farming, with the eco-control body being IT-BIO-013. In addition to around 70 types of fresh bread, Ultner bakes around 70 types of long-life baked goods, including grissini, Schüttelbrot and chips. The bakery states that it buys organic grain directly from farmers or the nearby mill in Merano whenever possible. Since 1982, Ultner Brot has been milling the grain itself in its in-house mill.
The chips made from fruit bread belong to this second group. They translate a farm recipe into a snack that can be shipped and stored. This brings a piece of Ultner farm culture into the bag without losing the character of the fruit bread. Rye, dried fruit, nuts and bread spices are the same ingredients that ended up in the "Struzen" in the past.
For whom
Struzen Chips are for anyone who likes something hearty when snacking: rye instead of white flour, fruit instead of sugar glaze. They fit in a lunchbox, on a cheese platter and in a hiking backpack. As a souvenir from South Tyrol, they are also well-received by hosts who already have everything. According to the manufacturer's data sheet, they are vegan. If you want a classic South Tyrolean bread for a snack, take the hand-shaken organic Schüttelbrot. The Vinschger Paarl made from whole-grain rye is softer and heartier. You can find all baked goods from the Ultental valley on our page for Ultner Brot. The chips contain gluten from rye and hazelnuts. According to the manufacturer, traces of milk, lupine, almonds, walnuts, sesame and soy may be present. They are therefore not suitable for those with nut or gluten intolerances.
Rye, hazelnuts and two types of grapes, baked until crispy – bread chips from the Ultental valley for cheese platters, snacks and hiking backpacks.
