Norwegian Rye 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.

RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Put the milk, water and sugar in a small saucepan and heat very gently, stirring constantly, for just a few seconds until the liquid is lukewarm and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a bowl.
• Stir in the yeast and leave for 10 minutes until there is a light froth floating on the surface.
• Put all the flour, rye and white, in a large bowl, stir in the salt and caraway seeds, then make a well in the centre. Pour the warm yeast mixture on to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon and then your hands to form a soft, spongy dough.
• Turn the dough out on to a well-floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Kneading this dough can be hard work so you'll need to roll up your sleeves and give it some welly.
• Put the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely with oiled cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1½ hours or until it has doubled in size.
• Put the dough on a floured work surface and knock it back with your knuckles, then knead for another minute.
• Shape the dough into a fat oval or round loaf, pulling the dough from the top and sides and tucking it underneath to make a neat shape.
• Place the loaf on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and score the surface 4 times with a sharp knife. Cover it loosely with the oiled cling film and leave to prove for a further 40-50 minutes until it has doubled in size once more.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Bake the loaf in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes or until it is well risen and the base sounds hollow when tapped sharply. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

RUGBROD NORWEGIAN RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
• Add brown sugar, milk, and water.
• Add 2 cups white flour; beat well; let double in bulk.
• Mix anise seeds and dark syrup in saucepan; bring to a boil; cook 1 minute; strain out seeds.
• Add butter; cool.
• When lukewarm, add rye flour, graham flour, and salt to the yeast mixture.
• Add grated orange zest; and knead on floured board, adding enough flour to make a stiff dough.
• Let rise until double in bulk.
• Divide dough into 4 parts; place each in well greased pan; let rise until double in size.
• You can brush the tops with a mixture of Karo syrup and water; put in caraway seeds in last knead.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 1 hour. Some start with 425 degree Fahrenheit oven for first 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

KNAAKKEBROD OR NAKKILEIPA (SCANDINAVIAN-STYLE RYE CRISP BREAD)

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the rye flour with all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Stir in the salt. Mix in the yeast mixture to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a board floured with rye meal. Knead lightly, mixing in rye meal as needed. Shape dough into a fat roll, and cut into 12 sections. Roll each section into a ball; cover balls with a towel and let rise 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
• On a floured board, roll out each ball into a flat round about 4 inches in diameter. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets and prick with a fork.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

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 RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients.
• Beat in as much hot water as the flour will absorb, making a stiff batter.
• Cover and let stand until lukewarm.
• Disolve yeast in the warm water, add to the dough with enough flour to knead.
• Knead.
• Let sit, covered, in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
• Shape into loaves.
• Put into bread pans, or not, your choice, and let rise again, covered, in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 75 minutes.