Traditional Swedish Whole Rye Bread Recipes

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.

TRADITIONAL SWEDISH WHOLE RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Soak the seeds in hot water the night before it's time to bake. Place the seeds in a pan or other heatproof container and pour over boiling water. The water shall cover all the seeds. Cover with a lid and let the mixture sit overnight.
• Prepare a levain by mixing 200 grams of water, with 250 grams rye flour and 80 grams mature sourdough starter. Let it ferment overnight, approximately 8 hours in room temperature, about 71ºF/21ºC.
• Drain the seeds through a strainer and mix with the levain and the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly so that the seeds are distributed throughout the dough, and so that there is no dry flour left.
• Let the dough bulk ferment for 4 hours at a temperature of 71ºF/21ºC. If you want a more sour taste you can let it ferment longer in a colder environment, but be careful. The taste can become a bit overwhelming.
• Distribute the dough into two bread forms that you have oiled and sprinkled with a thin layer of flour. Use a fine strainer or a sieve. Smooth the surface with a spatula.
• Let the dough proof for 2. 5 hours at a temperature of 73ºF/22ºC. It should rise about 25-30% of its initial volume.
• Preheat your oven to 480ºF / 250ºC. You don't have to bother about steam when baking this bread. But it requires some time in the oven, at least 90 minutes. Bake on the high temperature for 20 minutes, then turn it down to 390ºF / 200ºC. It's a good idea to place an extra oven plate over the bread. That will prevent it from being burned on the top. Check if it's ready with a thermometer. The internal temperature should be about 215ºF / 100ºC. Turn the oven temperature down to 215ºF / 100ºC, but don't turn it off.
• Let the bread cool in the form until you can handle it. Take the bread out of the form and place it in the oven again for about 5 to 10 minutes. That will create a crust on the sides and the bottom of the bread that will prevent it from molding.

SWEDISH LIMPA BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, molasses, butter, orange zest, salt, aniseed and boiling water; stir until brown sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Stir in cold water; let stand until mixture cools to 110° to 115°., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in molasses mixture; mix well. Add, all-purpose flour and 1 cup rye flour. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining rye flour to form a stiff dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 2 oval loaves. Grease 2 baking sheets and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Place loaves on prepared pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350° . With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across top of each loaf. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks; brush with butter.

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 LIMPA (RYE BREAD)

Steps:

• In a saucepan, mix together molasses, water, brown sugar, fennel, and salt. Bring to boiling point, then gently cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add shortening. Let stand until lukewarm.
• Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Add cooled molasses mixture and mix well. Stir in the rye flour. Beat until smooth. Cover and let rise at room temperature overnight, about 9 to 10 hours.
• In the morning add 5 cups white flour, and place remaining 1/2 cup on a pastry cloth or board for kneading. Turn out the dough and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Cut dough in half and shape into 2 loaves (round is more traditional). Place in 2 greased 9 inch pie pans. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise until light, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Remove and brush tops with melted butter.

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.

SWEDISH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Put warm water into glass measuring (1) cup and check temperature with thermometer.
• Sprinkle yeast into warm water and let stand.
• In another glass measuring cup (2 cup) place water and Crisco.
• Microwave to hot, to melt fat.
• In a large bowl, combine sugar, molasses, and salt.
• Pour the Crisco water into bowl. (I usually pour it into, over the bowl, the 1/4 measuring cup I had the sugar, then the molasses inches To get all of the goodies into the bowl!).
• Stir until sugar dissolves.
• Cool to lukewarm (85°F It will probably cool to that as you dissolve the sugar, you just don't want to kill the yeast with too high a temp.).
• Stir in rye flour and beat well. (I use my electric hand mixer).
• Add yeast and caraway seed, and mix well.
• Stir in enough regular flour to make a soft dough.
• Cover with clean towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Generously sprinkle kneading surface with flour.
• Knead for 10 minutes.
• Place dough in lightly greased bowl and turn to coat all surfaces.
• Cover and let rise in warm draft free space, until doubled, about 2 hours.
• Punch down.
• Turn out onto lightly floured surface.
• Divide in two (I use a bread knife to slice the ball in half).
• Shape each piece into smooth ball, cover, and let rest 10 minutes (this is called proofing).
• Form each into two round loaves, and place on greased baking sheet.
• Cover and let rise in warm place (I put them in oven with the light on) until doubled again, about 1 1/2 hours.
• If you put them in oven to rise, make sure you take them out before lighting oven!
• Bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes.
• If loaves are getting too brown, you may cover with foil near the end of baking.
• Brush tops, when done, with butter for a soft crust.

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.