crispbread

Seed Bites

February 24, 2016


















Hosting a party? Small, crispy Seed Bites are perfect base for finger-food appetizers. You can make them well in advance, which makes life a lot less hectic on the days just before your party. Make a sandwich paste of your choice the day before and store overnight in an airtight container. On the day of your party you just spread the paste on top of each slice and decorate the batch. Easy!

35 pcs.

0,5 dl (50 g) sunflower seeds
0,5 dl (30 g) pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped 
0,5 dl (30 g) linseeds
0,5 dl (50 g) white millet
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp corn flour
0,5 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil (or other vegetable oil)
1 dl (100 g) hot water

Mix all ingredients together. Let set for 15 minutes.

 Line two baking trays with parchment papers. Use a 5-cm round cookie cutter and press generous 1 tsp of dough into the cutter. Lift the cutter up and make the next one on the tray. Continue until all of the dough has been used. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Bake for 25 minutes per tray. 

 Place on a rack and allow to cool. Store in an airtight jar.

leftover

Mash Rye Bread

February 17, 2016


The dough of Mash Rye Bread is sticky. Let your mixer do the hard work if possible.

2 breads

First day, evening 

1 dl (100 g) sourdough starter
2 dl (200 g) lukewarm water
2 dl (110 g) rye flour
Combine the starter, water and flour in a mixing bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave at room temperature overnight.

Second day

2,5 dl (250 g) lukewarm mash
0,5 dl (50 g) lukewarm water
1 dl (140 g) Scandinavian dark syrup (or light molasses)
2 tsp salt
3 dl (200 g) wheat flour
1 dl (0,5 cup, US) dates, chopped into raisin-sized pieces
3 dl (160 g) fine, light rye flour (bolted rye flour, sieved rye flour)
4 dl (220 g) rye flour

Stir the mash, water, syrup and salt into the starter dough. Gradually mix in the flours. Add the dates. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes.

Cover and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in size. This takes about 4 hours.

 I like dense bread and this is why I totally "destroy" the bread at this point. I turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it. Then I divide the dough into two equal pieces, shape the pieces into two long loaves and put them into two oiled bread tins. I preheat the oven and let the breads rise only the time the oven is warming up, only 20 minutes or so.

 If you like fluffy breads, don't knead the dough. Divide the dough gently into two equal pieces, shape the pieces into two long loaves and put them into two oiled bread tins. Cover and leave to rise for two hours.

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the temperature down to 200°C and cook for a further 40 minutes. 

Cover and let cool on a wire rack. When cooled, wrap the breads tightly and serve them the next day.

 The bread stores well at room temperature and after couple of days it's perfect for toasting.

barley

Wild Mushroom Rieska

February 10, 2016


Rieska is a traditional thin, unleavened bread made from barley or oat, sometimes with potato as additional ingredient. Because we have lots of lovely forests full of edible mushrooms here in Finland, I also put some dried mushrooms in my rieska dough. If you don't have dried mushrooms, you can use fresh ones or follow the recipe without them. 


3 – 4 pcs.

300 g potatoes
0,5 dl (0,2 cup, US) dried horn of plenty
0,5 tsp salt
50 g soft butter
2 dl (200 g) skim milk
3 dl (165 g) barley flour

Bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm. Peel and grate the potatoes. Crush and soak the mushrooms in cold water for 20 minutes.

Stir all the ingredients together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into 3 or 4 thin, round breads. Line two baking trays with parchment papers and place the rieskas on them.

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy the rieskas while still warm with a touch of butter or "munavoi" (a spread made of butter and hard boiled eggs).

leftover

Carrot Rolls

February 03, 2016


In midwinter I have a habit of pressing carrots, oranges and ginger through a juicer when I'm feeling a little under the weather. 1 kg of carrots leaves 2 cups of dry carrot pulp behind. I add the pulp to bread mixes within 24 hours or freeze it for use in recipes later. 

If you don't make juices, substitute the leftover juicer pulp with regular grated carrots. This pulp is not as dry as the carrots from the juicer, but the recipe will still work just fine. 

14 pcs.

5 dl (500 g) buttermilk 
50 g fresh yeast 
1,5 tsp salt 
2 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed 
5 dl (2 cups, US) grated carrots 
1 dl (60 g) graham flour 
about 13 dl (850 g) wheat flour 

Stir the yeast, salt, honey and crushed fennel seeds into lukewarm buttermilk. Mix in the grated carrots and graham flour. Keep kneading and adding wheat flour until the dough is bouncy and elastic. This will take about 8 minutes.

Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it softly, for just a moment or two. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a rope. Cut each rope into 7 pieces. Shape each piece into an oval ball. Line two baking trays with parchment papers and place the rolls on them.

Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

With a sharp knife, score the rolls. Preheat the oven to 225°C. Bake for 15 minutes. 

Transfer to a wire rack, cover and let cool.