Norwegian Kneip Bread Recipes

NORDIC WHOLE-GRAIN RYE BREAD

Steps:

• On Day 1, make the starter: In a medium-size bowl, mix 3/4 cup warm water with the buttermilk or yogurt. Whisk flour and yeast together, add to the buttermilk mixture and use your hands to mix together until sticky and moist; add more warm water as needed. Cover tightly and set aside at cool room temperature overnight, or up to 24 hours.
• Also on Day 1, soak the grains: Mix 4 cups cold water with the rye berries (or meal) and sunflower seeds. Cover and set aside at cool room temperature overnight, or up to 24 hours.
• On Day 2, make the bread: Drain the soaked grains in a colander. Measure 35 ounces/1,000 grams of the grains and place in a deep bowl. Add 14 ounces/400 grams of the starter and mix well. (Any remaining starter can be saved to use with other bread recipes.) Add the flour, salt, malt (or molasses), yeast and 2 cups water. Mix dough firmly by hand to combine. The dough should be grainy, but quite runny and wet, almost like a thick batter. To achieve that texture, add cold water, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. To test: When a walnut-size piece of dough smeared on the rim of the bowl slides slowly and smoothly down the inside, like a snail leaving a trail, the dough it is wet enough.
• Thickly butter 3 medium or 2 standard-size loaf pans. Divide the dough evenly among the pans, filling them about half full. Cover and let rise at room temperature until dough almost fills pans, about 2 hours. (Dough will not rise more during baking.)
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake loaves for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 360 and bake until firm and glossy brown, 80 minutes to 2 hours more depending on size and moisture content of loaves. Let cool completely in the pans before turning out. Bread freezes well, and lasts for at least a week at room temperature, wrapped in paper.

NORWEGIAN FLAT BREAD (UNLEAVENED BREAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir flour and salt together in a bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir milk into mixture and knead with hands to form dough.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough into sandwich-size pieces and poke each piece several times with a fork. Transfer slices to a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until just golden brown, about 30 minutes.

NORWEGIAN KNEIP BREAD

Steps:

• Mix all dry ingredients together.
• In a bowl heat 1 1/2 c milk and 1 1/2 c water; add margarine till melted.
• Heat 1/2 c milk and 1/2 c water just till slightly warm then add yeast.
• Add wet ingredients to dry a little at a time; mix after each addition of wet ingredients.
• Flour table; place dough on flour and then knead for at least 10 minutes.
• Place dough in a large greased bowl and put in a warm place.
• When double in bulk, turn out on floured table and knead 5 minutes.
• Divide into 3.
• Place in greased loaf pans.
• Let stand in warm place till doubled.
• Bake 45 minutes at 400°F.

NORWEGIAN OATMEAL MOLASSES BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, pour boiling water over oats. Let stand until mixture cools to 110° to 115°, stirring occasionally. , In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the molasses, oil, salt, oat mixture and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cove rand let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into loaves. Place in two 9x5-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour., Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks. Brush with melted butter.

NORWEGIAN HERB-NUT BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water and let stand until it is spongy.
• In a large warm mixing bowl, pour the hot milk over the sugar, butter, salt and herbs; stir to melt the butter.
• When mixture cools to 110F -115F, stir in beaten egg and yeast mixture.
• Gradually add about half of the flour, stirring first with a wooden spoon or dough hook if using an electric mixer.
• Mix in the nuts.
• Add just enough flour to make a soft, nonsticky dough.
• Turn out on a lightly floured surface, knead until the dough is satiny.
• Lightly oil a large, warm bowl and place the dough inside, turning once to cover with oil.
• Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place (80F) until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Knock the dough back and shape into a loaf.
• Place in a buttered or oiled bread loaf pan and again set in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 45 minutes.
• Bake at 375F about 30 minutes or until the loaf is brown and sounds hollow when thumped with your fingers.
• Turn out to cool on a wire rack.
• Slice thickly and store in a plastic bag to keep it moist.