St. Galler brot is a traditional bread loaf that is shaped into a round knot with a torn front. It consists of yeast, salt, water, and either strong white flour or dark wheat flour. In order to get a shiny crust, the bread is brushed with water immediately after it is taken out of the oven.

This dense, dark-crusted bread usually comes in two varieties – ruch (dark bread) or halbweiss (a combination of dark and white flour). It is recommended to serve it with butter or homemade fruit jam.