no-yeast

Turku Sourdough

April 26, 2017


This bread reminded me why I love to develop bread recipes. I like the magic of the process, which sometimes gives me The Best Bread in the Whole Universe. This bread, which I lovingly named after my home town, is one of those moments.

2 breads

First day

5 dl (500 g) water
5 dl (300 g) rye flour
2 dl (200 g) sourdough starter
1 tbsp honey

Mix together all the ingredients. Cover with a tea towel and leave to sit at room temperature until you see lots of bubbles, it takes a day or two.


2 dl (1 cup US) wheat berries
water

Cover wheat berries with water and leave the bowl on a table overnight. If the pre-dough isn't ready the next day, put the berries in the refrigerator until you'll use them. 

Second or third day

pre-dough
soaked wheat berries (at room temperature)
5 dl (500 g) lukewarm buttermilk
1 tbsp salt
2 dl (1 cup US) sunflower seeds
3 tbsp honey
2 dl (120 g) graham flour
14 dl (750 g) rye flour

Stir the wheat berries, buttermilk, salt, sunflower seeds, honey and graham flour into the pre-dough. Gradually knead in the rye flour and keep kneading the dough about 10 minutes.

Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Divide the sticky dough into two bread tins. Cover and leave to rise. 

Preheat the oven to 175°C and bake for 2 hours. Take the breads out of the tins and bake another 10 minutes. 

Let cool on a wire rack. When cooled, wrap the breads tightly and store in a cool place until the next day. Cut into thin slices and serve with butter.

Store in a cool place where Turku Sourdough will keep several days. Storing the bread in the freezer is a good solution too. 


grilling

Shoe Soles

March 10, 2017


During the winter months I like to cook lentil soup and it means Shoe Soles too. I don't remember how this tradition started, but I always bake this bread with the soup. This is not a Scandinavian recipe, more like a bread from India, but it's something we eat regularly. It's nice to eat it with hands and tear bits from the chewy bread.

5 dl (325 g) wheat flour
0,5 tsp salt
50 g butter, melted
2 dl (200 g) milk 

Mix together the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter and lukewarm milk. Knead for a while. 

Cover with the tea towel and let set for 30 minutes. 

Use your hands to form the dough into balls. Heat an cast iron skillet. Butter the pan. Working with one ball at a time, flatten it into a disc and cook each Shoe Sole for 1–1,5 minutes per side.


malt

Sourdough Bread

January 05, 2017


This bread has character! It has strength like rye breads even though it's a wheat bread. What's more, it keeps well and only gets better after a day or two. 

 1 bread 

First day 

2 dl (200 g) water 
2 dl (130 g) wheat flour 
1 dl (100 g) sourdough starter 

Combine the ingredients in a baking bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave at room temperature (22–24°C) overnight. 

Second day 

the starter dough from the day before 
1 dl (100 g) lukewarm water 
1 tsp salt 
1 tbsp caraway seeds 
3 tbsp bread malt 
4 dl (260 g) wheat flour 

Blend lukewarm water, salt, seeds and bread malt with the starter dough. Add wheat flour and knead for 5 minutes. Cover with a tea towel and let the dough rise for 15 minutes at room temperature. Fold. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. For the second and the third fold, repeat as the first fold. For the fourth and final fold, repeat the folding as before and shape the dough into a round bread. Put it into a proofing basket. Cover with a tea towel and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. 

Third day 

Take the bread from the fridge, let it come up to room temperature and rise until it has almost doubled in size. 

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper and flip the bread on it. Score and put the bread in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 225°C and bake for 20 minutes. 

Let cool on a wire rack.

no-yeast

Turnip Rieska

October 26, 2016


One of the joys of autumn is a hot turnip rieska topped with melting butter. I have a craving for it at the latest in October, and it won't go away until I have looked up my old, trusted recipe and baked them.

6 pcs.

1 turnip (250 g)
1 tsp salt
1 dl (100 g) buttermilk
0,5 dl (45 g) cooking oil
2 dl (110 g) rye flour
2 dl (130 g) wheat flour

Peel the turnip and cut it into cubes. Bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add the cubes and cook until tender. Mash with 0,5 dl (50 g) of cooking water and let cool for a while. 

Stir all the ingredients together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into 6 thin, round breads. Line two baking trays with parchment papers and place the rieskas on them.

Preheat the oven to 225°C. Bake for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy the rieskas straight out of the oven topped with butter.

crispbread

Kale Crispbread

October 19, 2016



Kale Crispbread has a strong taste. If you make 40–50 pieces, you might want to eat them with a creamy, mild dipping sauce. 

 20 pcs. 

1 L (4 cup, US) kale, coarsely chopped, ribs removed 
1 dl (60 g) linseeds 
0,5 dl (30 g) chia seeds 
0,5 dl (50 g) sunflower seeds 
0,5 dl (30 g) cornmeal 
2 tbsp cooking oil 
0,5 tsp salt 
0,5 tsp pepper mix 
2 small onions 
4 cherry tomatoes 

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend. 

Line a 28 x 35 cm baking tray with a parchment paper and turn the dough out onto it. Flatten the dough with wet hands. Cut the sheet into 20 squares with a knife or a roller cutter. 

Preheat oven to 100 °C. Bake for 45 minutes. Flip. Remove the paper and bake another 45 minutes. Break into pieces and bake for a further 10 minutes. 

Let cool on a wire rack.

no-yeast

Raw Liquorice Rye Bread

September 14, 2016



















Raw Liquorice Rye Bread has a pleasantly bitter taste. The bitterness is obvious on the first day. Later the taste gets more balanced and rounded.

1 bread

4 dl (400 g) lukewarm water
1 dl (100 g) sourdough starter
3 tbsp molasses
0,25 tsp raw liquorice powder
1 tsp salt
2 dl (1 cup, US) salad seed mix (sunflower and pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, dried cranberries)
5 dl (300 g) rye flour 
5 dl (300 g) wheat flour

Blend lukewarm water, sourdough starter, molasses, raw liquorice powder and salt. Add salad seed mix, 5 dl of the rye flour and the wheat flour. Knead for 5 minutes.

Cover and let rise for 12–14 hours at room temperature.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and shape it into a loaf. Put the bread into an oiled bread tin.

Cover and let rise.
Preheat the oven to 250°C. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the temperature down to 200°C and cook for a further 40 minutes.

 Slide from the tin and let cool on a wire rack. When cooled, wrap the bread and store at room temperature overnight. You don't have to hurry, the bread stores well and only gets better with time.

Spread cream cheese on a slice of bread and put cucumber slices on it. Enjoy!

no-yeast

Seed Rolls

June 15, 2016



It's time to take out the sourdough starter. In summer it's happy and works well, a dough will rise quickly in a warm place.

12 pcs.

 This is where the magic begins, the sourdough starter.


First day, evening

1 dl (100 g) sourdough starter
1 dl (100 g) lukewarm water
2 dl (60 g) graham flour
1 dl (65 g) wheat flour

Combine the ingredients in a lidded bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave at room temperature (22–24°C) for one hour. Cover loosely with the lid and store the starter dough in the refrigerator overnight.

Second day, morning

the starter dough from the evening before
1 tbsp honey
5 dl (500 g) lukewarm water
1 tbsp salt
2 dl (120 g) sesame seeds
1 dl (70 g) chia seeds
10 dl (650 g) wheat flour

Blend the honey, lukewarm water, salt and seeds with the starter dough. Keep kneading and adding flour until the dough is bouncy and elastic. 

Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently. Roll the dough into a rope. Cut the rope into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into an oval. Line two baking trays with parchment papers, place the rolls on them.

Cover and leave to rise.

Moisten the tops with a spray bottle and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Preheat the oven to 250°C and bake for 12–15 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack.

no-yeast

Sultsina

March 24, 2016


Sultsina pasties are part of a traditional Karelian cuisine. Our family started to bake them when my grand aunt got a daugher-in-law from eastern Finland in the 1960s. Now they are beloved part of our family celebrations.

The original family recipe calls for unleavened rye dough and semolina porridge. I prefer rice or pearl barley porridge. I have filled sultsina shells with potato, wild mushroom and smoked fish salad too. Maybe not sultsinas anymore, but delicious! These variations have been a huge hit among my friends. 

I have also taken liberties with the shape of sultsinas. I make cones because they look prettier than the traditional shape.

18 pcs.

Shells:
4 dl (220 g) rye flour 
1 dl (65 g) wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 dl (200 g) cold water

Filling:
2 dl (200 g) water
2 dl (170 g) short grain rice
1 L whole milk 
1 tsp salt 

Glaze: 
50 g butter 
1 dl (100 g) milk 

Combine the flours, salt and cold water. Shape the dough into a round ball. Cover the ball with plastic wrap an put it in the fridge.

Start to cook the porridge. Place the rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold water. Bring 2 dl water to the boil. Stir in rice and cook until water has completely evaporated. This takes couple of minutes. Pour milk into the kettle, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for another 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in salt.

Make the shells while the porridge is simmering on the stove, but remember to stir the porridge once in the while.


Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it softly, for just a moment or two. Roll the dough into a rope. Cut the rope into 18 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Press to flatten. Roll out each ball into a 15-cm (6-inch) circle. Make them as thin as possible, but don't worry about the perfect shape. Some roughness looks good.


Sprinkle generous amount of flour between each shell and make an overlapping pile on the table. Cover the pile with plastic wrap.


Melt the butter and add milk into it.

Brush the excess flour away and place one shell on a cast iron pan or a griddle. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until bottom turns color. Turn over with a flat spatula and cook until light brown spots appear on the underside. Brush only the other side of each shell with butter-milk mixture and pile them buttered sides against each other. Cover with foil and cloth. 

Place some of the filling on the buttered side of each shell and roll them all up into cones. Serve immediately.


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).

no-yeast

Sourdough Potato Bread

January 27, 2016


Sourdough Potato Bread is one of my all time favorites. I'll never get tired of it! It takes time to bake sourdough bread, but it's not difficult. I hope you'll try this recipe even if you haven't baked with sourdough before. You don't have a sourdough starter? You can easily make one with this recipe. 

That said, a word about salt. I usually apply salt sparingly, but this bread is the exception that proves the rule. Sourdough Potato Bread needs one tablespoon salt or it tastes like nothing at all. 

2 breads

First day, evening

1 dl (100 g) sourdough starter
3 dl (300 g) lukewarm water
3 dl (200 g) wheat flour

Combine the starter, water and flour in a large mixing bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave at room temperature overnight.

 Second day

 400 g potatoes
the starter dough from the evening before
3 dl (300 g) lukewarm water (left from boiling potatoes)
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp caraway seeds
about 12 dl (800 g) wheat flour

 Bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm. Reserve 3 decilitres of water the potatoes were boiled in and let it cool. Peel and grate the potatoes.

 Blend the lukewarm cooking water, salt, honey, caraway seeds and grated potatoes with the starter dough. Add 6 decilitres of wheat flour. Knead vigorously for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the flour and knead at medium speed another 5 minutes.

Cover and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled, this will take several hours. 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and sprinkle some flour on top of it. Use a dough scraper to assist you and fold the dough gently. Add some more flour if necessary. But, remember that the dough should be soft. Add just enough flour so you can shape it into two round loaves. 

Line two baking trays with parchment papers, place the breads on them, cover and leave to rise at room temperature. 

Don't score the breads. Let them tear apart in the oven and get a rustic-looking crust. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake for 30–40 minutes.

Cover and let cool on a wire rack.