Scandinavian Rye Bread Recipes

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.

SWEDISH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water. Add sugar, molasses, shortening, salt and remaining water; stir well. Add rye flour; beat until smooth. Add enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. , Shape into 4 round loaves. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45-60 minutes. Bake at 350° until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Brush with butter.

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.

SWEDISH RYE BREAD I

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water.
• Scald milk. Transfer milk to a large bowl, and add salt, molasses, brown sugar, and melted shortening. Cool to lukewarm, and add dissolved yeast. Add rye flour, beating with mixer. Gradually beat in white flour. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise till double in bulk in a warm place.
• Punch down the dough, and place on a lightly floured board. Knead until dough becomes elastic, and does not stick to the board. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Divide into 3 equal portions, and shape into loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch bread pans. Let rise until double in bulk.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes.

SCANDINAVIAN RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water.
• Add molasses, salt, dry milk powder, vegetable oil, orange peel, anise seed, fennel seed, rye flour, dates, and 1 cup all-purpose flour, and mix well to combine.
• Stir in 1 to 1½ cups more all-purpose flour, to make a soft dough.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
• Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
• Roll dough into 12 x 7-inch rectangle.
• Beginning at the end, roll up tightly; pinch seam and ends to seal.
• Place, seam side down, in greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pan.
• Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Bake at 375º for 30 to 35 minutes or until done.
• Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

SWEDISH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Grind the caraway seeds, anise seed, and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or a spice or coffee grinder and place in a large bowl with the orange zest and milk.
• In a large warmed bowl, mix the yeast and molasses with 1/4 cup warm (105° to 115°F) water. Let stand about 5 minutes or until the yeast foams. Add the milk mixture, salt, and melted butter. Beat in the rye flour until smooth. Beat in enough bread flour to make a stiff dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead, adding flour sparingly, until the dough is smooth and springy, about 10 minutes. If desired, you may mix and knead the dough in a heavy-duty mixer using the dough hook.
• Cover and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch the dough down. Turn it out onto a lightly oiled board. Knead to squeeze out air bubbles. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape into two oblong loaves. Grease two 9 × 5-inch loaf pans. Place the loaves in the pans smooth side up. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Position the oven racks so that the top rack is in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to convection bake at 325°F. Bake on the center rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the bread comes out clean and dry. Remove the bread from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

SWEDISH LIMPA RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine caraway seeds, fennel seeds, and anise seeds in a spice grinder; pulse until coarsely ground.
• Heat milk and butter in a deep saucepan, stirring occasionally, until butter melts and milk comes to a bare simmer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until milk registers 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) on an instant-read thermometer.
• Stir molasses and yeast into the milk mixture. Let stand until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, rye flour, sea salt, and orange zest; stir until dough forms a shaggy mass. Knead in the saucepan, adding more flour if needed, until dough is no longer sticky, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Turn dough out on a floured surface. Knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth and springy, about 7 minutes.
• Place dough in a large greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area until somewhat puffy, about 1 hour.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place dough on the baking sheet. Cover lightly with the towel or plastic wrap. Let rise until puffy, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Bread will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

SWEDISH RYE BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Add all the ingredients to the pan according to the order in the manufacturer's instructions.
• Set crust on medium and program for the Basic cycle; press Start.
• When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack.
• Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

OVERNIGHT SWEDISH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water; stir in sugar and let stand for 5 minutes. Add milk, molasses, brown sugar, oil, oats, orange zest, salt, fennel, aniseed, caraway, rye flour and 6 cups of all-purpose flour. Add enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft but sticky dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place overnight. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Shape into four loaves. Place in greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. , Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes. Remove from the pans to cool on wire racks.