Vörtbröd Swedish Christmas Bread Recipes

VöRTBRöD (SWEDISH "WORT" BREAD)

Steps:

• Place the rye flour into a large heat proof bowl.
• Pour the boiling water over the flour and stir until all of the flour is incorporated.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest overnight, and up to 24 hours.
• Warm the beer until it reaches about 90 to 95 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, add 35 grams of the beer. Sprinkle the instant yeast over the beer and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, until creamy.
• Add the butter to the pan with the rest of the beer and heat until the butter begins to melt. Remove from the heat and stir until the butter fully melts.
• Add half of the beer/butter mixture to the scalded rye and mix with your hands.
• Add the all purpose flour, orange zest, spices, and the yeast mixture. Slowly add the rest of the beer mixture and continue to mix with your hands until you have a smooth sponge.
• Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about an hour.
• Add the flour, salt, and syrup to the sponge, and mix with your hands to incorporate everything. Continue to work the flour into the sponge with your hands. Use a dough scraper to help scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate the ingredients into the center of the dough. This process should take about 3 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto your work surface. Begin gently stretching the dough over itself and then flipping it over on your counter. Repeat this process for about about 5 minutes. The dough should become a little more cohesive.
• With floured hands, form the dough into a ball and add it back into the bowl, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto your work surface and press it into a flat circle, and then form it into a ball again. Place the ball back into the bowl, cover, and let rise again for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 480 degrees F with a baking stone on the middle rack, and a steam pan on the lowest rack.
• Dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out with the smooth side down. Divide the dough with a bench knife into two pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Flatten and roll each piece of dough into an oblong cylinder, trying to keep a uniform width from end to end. Place the dough onto a floured tea towel or couche, cover, and let rise until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Place the loaves onto a parchment lined baking peel and slash the tops widthwise about 4 to 5 times.
• Bring two cups of water to a boil and carefully add it to the steam pan (cover the oven window with a dish towel while you are pouring the water to protect it, then remove the towel) and close the oven door.
• Slide the loaves, parchment and all, onto the baking stone.
• Bake the loaves for 5 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F.
• Bake the loaves for 25 to 35 minutes, until the loaves reach an interior temperature of about 200 degrees F.
• Wrap the finished loaves in tea towels to cool completely on a wire rack.

VORTBROD - SWEDISH CHRISTMAS BEER BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in a big bowl with porter, beer, oil and molasses.
• Melt the butter with the spices and salt. Let it cool a little (it shouldn't feel hot when you put your finger in it) before adding to the yeast mixture.
• Mix in the raisins and flour a little at the time and work the dough slowly (by hand or y machine) until it's soft and elastic.
• Let the dough rise in the bowl to twice its size under a cloth.
• Turn on the oven to 200 C / 400 F / Gas mark 6.
• Make 2 loaves of bread, put them in an oven pan and let rise under a cloth for 1 hour.
• Bake for about 50 minutes, but lower the temperature to 150 C / 300 F / Gas mark 2 after 15 minutes.
• Let the loaves cool on a wire tray under a clean cloth.