Classic bagels

Autumn is here and before we know it winter is on the doorstep. For some people this is the worst time of the year, for myself the short days just means more time to spend in front of the open fire. Lots of films to watch, hot ports to drink and citrus fruits in season is all great things that makes the darker time of the year more bearable to me.
Other things to kill some time is of course baking, that will never become boring and there will always be someone up for freshly baked goods. A couple of weeks ago I had another go at making bagels, they turned out really nice. A crusty outside sprinkled with sesame seeds, a chewy inside with a good, dense texture; everything a bagel is about. So with a few bagels in the freezer even the darkest mornings can become really enjoyable. Serve them toasted with cream cheese. Or do you prefer marmalade or jam? The topping is really up to yourself, I can only provide you with the recipe.

Rye loaf for toasting

Having a passion for baking can sometimes be tricky when there is only two of us eating my baked goods, we simply can not eat everything while it is fresh and I don't know how many times I have ended up throwing away things. Personally I don't eat that much bread anymore and for breakfast I mostly eat cracker bread rather than toast. Martin on the other hand loves a couple of slices of toast with beans for breakfast. We all know that toast bread does not have to be fresh to be tasty. Brilliant I think because it allows me to bake loaves of bread, slice it and freeze. Toast bread like this does not even have to be defrosted but goes straight into the toaster from the freezer. Here is a version that is easy to make and it is quite healthy too, usually I put mixed seeds in it but if you like nuts or maybe dried fruit that work well too.

7 grams dried yeast
250ml water
50 grams rye flakes
50 grams rye flour
200-250 grams strong white flour
1tbsp honey
1tbsp salt
50 grams mixed seeds


Bring 200ml of the water to the boil, add rye flakes, rye flour and seeds and stir into a thick porridge. Let cool down to room temperature. Dissolve the yeast in the remaining 50ml water(luke warm) and add to the rye mix. Add honey, salt and half the flour. Work as much flour in to the dough so it it easy to knead and not too sticky, but be careful not to add too much flour, the dough will get to compact and have difficulties to rise properly. Knead the dough for 5 min and let prove until doubled in size. On a floured surface knead into a loaf, put in a loaf tin and let prove again until doubled in size. Bake for 30-40min on 220C.

Herb bread

Having homemade herb oil left over in the fridge I decided to make a savory bread. Honestly I had no high expectations but it turned out absolutely delicious; crusty edges with a light, fluffy center with streaks of herbs going through it. A couple of days old I had it grilled, rubbed with garlic and served with a caprese salad covered in pesto on top. Do I have to tell you it was delicious? My herb oil had only basil in it but of course you could put any other soft fresh herbs in as well.

500ml water, luke warm
600 grams strong, white flour
7 grams dries yeast
1 1/2tbsp salt

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add salt and about 500 grams of the flour. Work the dough with a wooden spoon in a bowl, if it looks too wet ad a little more flour before turning out on a floured surface. Knead for 5min by hand. Let prove for 40min while making the herb oil.

50ml olive oil
1 clove of garlic
2 hand fulls of basil
1/2 lemon, juice

Blend basil, garlic and lemon juice until pureed, add oil bit by bit and mix until smooth.

Roll out the dough to one large flat rectangular shape. Spread the herb oil on the top and roll together as a "Swiss roll". Divide into 2 pieces, fold in the edges under each roll before placing in loaf tins. Let prove to double size. bake for 30-35min on 225C.

Duck egg brioche

A week ago Martins mum brought me 2 duck eggs from a friend of theirs who has his own ducks. I am not a fan of eggs, I don't eat them poached, boiled or scrambled, so what was I to do with 2 beautiful locally sourced duck eggs? Well, after a bit of thought put in to my actions I decided to bake with them. Duck eggs provides extra strength and richness to your baking due to the high content of fat in the yolk, and protein in the white. I baked brioche with my duck eggs and the result was fantastic, the dough really rose and created a light, fluffy yet rich bread that melts in your mouth. There is hundreds of recipes and ways of baking brioche, this is a simple version that wont take you the whole day to make.

100 grams butter, room temperature
2tbsp water, warm
7 grams dried yeast
2 duck eggs
1/2tbsp sugar
1/2tsp salt
250 grams flour
1 egg yolk for brushing

Dissolve the yeast in the water, add duck eggs and beat them lightly. Add sugar and salt and work flour in to the eggs. When you have a firm dough start adding butter bit by bit while kneading the dough. Work the dough by hand for 8-10min. Let rise to double size. Divide the dough in to 3 parts and create a braid shaped loaf. Let rise to double size on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Brush with egg yolk and bake for about 20min on 220C.

More foccacia

For this bread I have just used my regular foccacia recipe but rolled little balls of the dough, placed them near each other and stuck little cubes of parmesan cheese in between. It does not taste any different but it looks great and at a dinner party it is so handy that each guest can break off pieces as they want.

Yogurt and spelt bread

When experimenting with making my own yogurt the result was not always up to my standard. One morning the yogurt was not quite set, still sour and tasty but not thick enough for me to sprinkle my muesli on. Not much goes to waste in this house though so I decided to bake with the "sour" milk. Yogurt is nice to use in bread baking because it gives the bread a little more flavour and makes it more moist. First I was going to make Rye cakes but when I opened my cup board I saw a bag of spelt flour and decided to use that instead of rye.. With a small amount of yeast and lots of time for proving the result was a lovely moist bread with a nice crust and lots of flavour.

350 grams plain flour

200 grams spelt flour

7 grams dry yeast

2tsp salt

2tbsp golden syrup or honey

500ml yogurt or butter milk+25ml warm water

50 grams butter, room temperature
a couple of hand full of mixed seeds if you like

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and add to the yogurt. Add syrup/honey, salt and butter (and seeds if using) to the liquid. Add spelt flour while stirring. Work the plain flour into the mix, you might need a little more to create an elastic dough, not too wet and not too compact. Leave to prove under a cloth for 3h. Work the dough a little by hand and cut into 8 pieces. Roll balls of each piece and roll out to about 2cm thick. Let prove again for 30min. Bake for 20min on 200C.

Bagels

Waking up on a weekend morning there is few things that taste better than a dense, chewy bagel toasted with cream cheese. The ring shaped bread with its variety of toppings and flavours has its origin in Poland and has since the 16th century spread around the world and is now mostly associated with cities in USA, Canada and UK with a big Jewish population.
For me bagels brings back memories of been a teenager and going to cafes to meet my friends for tea/coffee and having toasted sesame seed bagels with cream cheese and ham or turkey. Even before I tried a bagel I just knew I would like them. These days I don't eat too many bagels since they are rich in white flour and carbohydrates, but on a weekend a treat is a must and bagels really does the trick. What makes them so chewy and dense is the process of boiling the bagels before baking, sound a little tricky but it is easy enough and definatley worth the effort.

8 bagels

250ml water, luke warm
8 grams salt
8 grams sugar
7 grams dried yeast
400 grams plain flour

seeds, cheese, nuts...

Dissolve yeast in water and add sugar and salt. Add flour and bring together to a dough, Knead the dough by hand for 10min. Let prove under a damp cloth for 1h. Divide the dough into 8 equally sized pieces and shape little round buns. Let rest for 10min. Make a whole in the middle of each bun and pull gently to make it a little bigger and even. Let prove again for 30min.

Turn the oven on 250C. Bring a pot of water to the boil with 2tbsp of sugar. Gently drop bagels in to the water and turn the heat down to let the water simmer. Cook the bagels for 1min on each side, lift up from the water and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle topping of your choice on top of each bagel. Turn heat down to 220C when you put the bagels in to the middle of the oven and bake for 20min.

Focaccia

Bread, bread, bread...I just don't get tired of it; baking or eating. All diets telling us to cut down or even cut out carbs drive me crazy because there if few things that makes me so happy as freshly baked bread coming out of the oven smelling delicious. Lately I have been experimenting with sour dough and different types of flour, with varied results. The other day I decided to go for something classic and easy so focaccia was baked.
I started making this bread when working in an Italian restaurant and even the Italians were impressed, that says a lot you should know because Italians are some of the most difficult people to please when it comes to food. I don't blame them though because while in Italy on a holiday last year I was really impressed with the food, such simple dishes with the most amazing flavours.
I like my focaccia in different flavours depending on what I am using it for, this time I decided to put some parmesan, white onion and thyme into the bread and that way you can just eat it on its own. It could also be left plain with just olive oil and sea salt, or maybe some sun dried tomatoes and olives, or anchovies and garlic...
The recipe is very simple and it does not need a lot of kneading, work or attention.

1 tray of foccacia

750 grams strong flour
600ml water, lukewarm
10 grams dried yeast
1 1/2tbsp salt
2tbsp olive oil

parmesan, herbs, sundried tomatoes, olives...

Dissolve yeats in the water. Add flour, salt and oliveoil and work the dough with a wodden spoon for a couple of minutes. Let prove until doubled in size, about an hour. Drizzle olive oil on a piece of baking paper and tip the dough out on to it. Drizzle oil on top and stretch out so the dough covers the whole sheet. With oiled fingers press little holes in the dough, fill with what ever flavour you decide to go for and let prove again for 35-45 min. Bake for 25min on 225C

Crisp bread, cracker bread, crackers...

In Sweden we eat a lot of bread; sour dough, rye, plain white ... but there is one particular type that im going to write about now. It is hard for me to say what it is called in english because as the name of this post says there seems to be a few names to choose from. I will simply call it cracker bread.
Cracker bread is originally from Sweden and back in the days it was mainly bakes on rye flour or other whole grain flours. The dough is very heavy due to a low content of water and is rolled out very thin, baked quickly on a high heat and then dried out. It keeps very well, weighs very little and is therefore a great addition to lucnhes serevd in schools, prisons and in the army. You can take my word for that (not because I have been in prison or the army) because the lunch served in our canteen in school was not very tasty at all so I lived on cracker bread.
In Ireland it is not so common to eat cracker bread, and beacuse of that there is not the same variety here and in the shopes at home. Recently I found a recipe that I had to try and with a few minor adjustments I now have a very nice cracker bread recipe.

150ml water, luke warm
5 grams dried yeast
12 grams butter
1tsp salt
115 grams plain flour
100 grams whole wheat flour, stone ground
60 grams mixed seeds (I used sesame, lins seeds and sunflower seeds)

Dissolve yeast in the water. Stir in butter, salt and seeds and last whole wheat flour. Add plain flour and work the dough by hand for a bout 5min on a floured surface. Let prove for 1h.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll out to very, very thin sheets on a floured surface, about 2mm. Prick with a fork before baking on 250C for 5-8 min. Let dry on an oven rack before storing in an air tight container.

Tea cakes

It has been a bit of a dry spell here on Hoglunds Homemade, and all I can blame is the month January. For me it is one incredibly unnecessary month that if I could I would sleep through without problems. However, February has come and so has a little taste of the spring. It is mild and sunny, birds are singning in the mornings and time is flying by. Happy days.
I have not been very ambitious since after chistmas everybody wants to cut down on sweets and treats but there has been a lot of bread baking going on here on Victoria Terrace. This lovely recipe is not sweet, even though the name Tea Cakes sound so, it is actually a very nice bread. It looks white but there is some goodness to it too; porridge. Yes you read right, the bread baking starts with making quick porride that will create a very moist yet fluffy bread. It is very handy to make the double recipe and freeze the bread since it defrosts very quick.

8 tea cakes

40 grams oatflakes
250ml water
25 grams butter
1tbsp honey
1/2tsp salt
250 grams plain flour
7 grams dried yeast

Bring 150ml of the water to boil and pour over the oatflakes in a bowl, add butter and stir until melted. Add the rest of the water (cold) and let the mix come down to luke warm temperature. Dissolve yeast in the porridge and add honey, salt and 200 grams of the flour. Work the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5min by hand. Let prove under a cloth for 30min or until doubled in size.
Work the dough for a minute or so. Divide into 8 pieces the same size. Roll into balls and roll out to flat circles about 1cm thick with a rolling pin and the flour left over from the dough. Let prove again under a cloth on baking trays. Prick with a fork before baking on 226C for 5-6 min.

Rye loaf

Rye bread is originally from Germany but is now a big part of Scandinavias and Eastern European countries food culture. It is heavy, compact and dark, rich in fibre and iron. Growing up in sweden I am very used to this type of bread and still remember one particular typ of Finnish rye bread that was very dark and sour. Delicious I say but for someone who is not so used to eating rye bread I here give you a recipe that has a lovely mild taste of rye.
The recipe comes from my mum and even though my memory is letting me down in this case she claims she used to bake it a lot when I was younger, I have to take her word for that!
Baking with rye flour can be a little tricky since it binds water different than plain wheat flour so a great way of creating a moist bread that wont get crumbly is to "soak" the flour in boiling water the night before baking the bread. So be prepared to set a side time for baking this bread, it is worth it.

1 litre water
550 grams rye flour
14 grams dried yeast
1 tbsp salt
100ml butter milk/sour cream
3tbsp treacle
900 grams wheat flour

Day 1
Bring the water to boil and pour over the flour, mix until it looks like porridge. Cover with cling film and leave in room temperature over night.

Day 2
Dissolve yeast in a couple of tablespoons of warm water and blend with the rye flour/water-mix. Add butter milk, salt, treacle and 800 grams of the wheat flour (leave the rest of the flour for kneading the dough and shaping the loaves). Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is elastic and easy to work with. Let prove for 1 hour. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape 2 loaves. Let prove again until doubled in size on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Bake for 1 hour on 200C in the lower part of the oven. Brush the loaves with water when taking it out of the oven and let cool down wrapped in tea towels.

Toast bread

I bake nearly all bread we eat here at home and here is a recipe I have tried, tested, changed and finally I am happy with. It is very basic and easy to bake and makes one great big loaf good for slicing and freezing, then you will always have toast bread at home. It can be made very plain but I like to add extra goodness such as whole wheat flour and seeds.

500 grams white flour
150 grams whole wheat flour
10 grams dried yeast
500ml milk
50 grams butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 hand fulls of mixed seeds (lins seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds...)

Melt butter and add milk and heat until luke warm, add golden syrup. Dissolve yeast in the liquid. In a bowl mix flours, salt and seeds. Pour the liquid in to the dry mix and blend with a wooden spoon. When it comes together to a dough start kneading with floured hands. When the dough is elastic put aside to prove for 1h or until it has doubled in size.
Tip the dough out on to a floured surfade and shape in to one loaf. Put in a bread tin and let prove again until double in size.
Bake on 225C for 10min, turn down heat to 200C and bake for another 20min. Take the loaf out of the tin and bake for 5 more minutes to get a crust all around. Let cool on a rack before slicing.

Crackers

Sometimes in my job I get requested to make things I have never made before and thats when a chef gets to use her brain and think twice before saying "no, I cant do that". Last year I was working in an Italian restaurant and of course a cheese board was on the dessert menu. Home made honey roast walnuts, chutney and grapes was served next to the fine Italian cheeses and it sure was a treat. But we seemed to miss something and thats when I got the question if I (the pastry chef at the time) could make some crackers. "Eeeeh sure thing, no problem, anytime" I answeared while thinking: how do you make crackers that wont go soggy or rock hard?
Easy peasy I say now! An old recipe of my mums taco-bread/wheat tortillas was turned into rosemary and black pepper crackers. Usually the dough is rolled out thin and just cooked on both sides on very high heat in a frying pan, but for crackers you need to pop them in to the oven to dry out on a low heat. The crackes went down a treat and I feel a little proud over myself when I think of how clever that recipe is.

At home a few weeks ago I remembered this recipe and made the crackers with rye flour and sesame seeds, used a cookie cutter and cut out heart shapes, put them in a pretty box and brought over to friends house as a gift.

75 grams plain wheat flour
75 grams rye flour
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp baking powder
1tbsp butter
75-100ml water
sesame seeds

Mix wheat and rye flour, baking powder, sesame seeds and salt. Rub butter into the dry mix until crumbly. Add just enough water to create a firm, compact dough. Work the dough by hand for about 5min. Let rest under a damp cloth for 30min. Roll the dough out very thin on a floured surface. If you want you can use cookie cutters and make pretty shapes, or just cut into size and shape of your own choice. Heat up a frying pan until smoking hot and cook the crackers for about one minute on each side. Let dry out in the oven on 50C for 40min or until completely dry and crispy. Store in an airtight jar.

Treacle bread

The days are just getting shorter and darker this time of the year and at 5.30 in the morning when my alarm goes off it feels like waking up in the middle of the night. Still I manage to get up, get dressed and even sit down to a proper breakfast every morning before heading to work.

In the summertime I like fruit, smoothies, youghurt or muesli for breakfast but in the winter my body seem to crave more filling food. In the cold and dark mornings porridge is the best option for me, it is so comforting to eat something hot that will keep you going for a few hours. But one can not survive on only porridge (thats not a fact, it's just that I prefer to eat different things or else I get bored and turn to unhealthy stuff) and a tasty slice of wholgrain bread with pate and gherkins, or cheese, ham and tomato works a treat with a cup of hot tea for breakfast.

I usually bake sour dough bread or yeast bread since I'm not a huge fan of soda bread but this recipe here makes lovely bread without yeast. Full of goodness it comes out of the oven smelling delicious, and it keeps quite well for a few days. Usually I freeze half though to keep it as fresh as possible. It is super easy to make and the only thing you need is time for it to cook in the oven, the rest is done in a few minutes...

1 loaf
170 grams plain white flour
50 grams rye flour
80 grams wholeweat flour
30 grams wheatgerm
150 grams mixed seeds (sunlower, pumpkin, linsseed, sesame..)
2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
500ml youghurt or 450ml buttermilk
40 grams golden syrup or treacle

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. Add yoghurt/buttermilk and syrup, stir until all ingredients are well mixed. Pour into a greased bread tin and bake for 100min on 170C in the lower part of the oven.

White loaf

Here is a very simple and quick recipe for just normal, plain white bread. It may sound a little boring for someone who likes sour dough and healthy options when it comes to bread baking but trust me, this is delicious. My mum made this when I was young and she would divide the dough into 3 pieces and braid a loaf and sprinkle with poppy seeds, very pretty. I decided to just make an oval shaped loaf with a little decorative swirl on top. This recipe makes two loafes.

50 grams fresh yeast/ 14grams dried
50 grams butter
500ml milk
2tsp salt
1tsp sugar
750 grams strong white flour

1 egg
sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Melt butter and add milk, check that the temeparature is correct for the yeast you are using (37C for fresh, 45C for dried yeast). Dissolve yeast in the milk and butter mix, add sugar and salt. Add enough flour in to the liquid until you have a firm dough. Kned the dough by hand for about 5min. Let the dough prove under a damp cloth for 40min or until double in size.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces, take a little of each piece and save for decoration. Shape two oval loafes and decorate with the left over dough. Let prove again for about 30min.

Heat your oven up to 225C.

Brush the loafes with a whisked egg and sprinkle seeds on top. Bake for 25min, or until the bread is golden and feels light.

Carrot bread

I bake almost all the bread we eat here at home, but sometimes I find myself getting a little bored with eating the same types of bread every day, so the other day I decided to try something new; carrot bread. We all know how good carrot cake is and I dare to promise you that this bread will be just as popular. It is first of all very tasty but the big plus is that it is very healthy; packed with seeds, carrots and wheat germ.This recipe here will give you 8 large buns.

25 grams freash yeast
25 grams butter
250ml water
200ml grated carrot
75 grams whole wheat flour
25 grams lins seeds
25 grams sunflower seeds
25 grams wheat germ
250 grams strong white flour
1tsp salt

Melt butter and add water,let go luke warm. Dissolve the yeast the liquid and add carrots, seeds, wholewheat flour and salt, mix this into a thisk paste. Slowly add the white flour while working the dough, you might not need all flour or you might need to add a little more flour to get the right texture.The dough should not be too sticky. Knead the dough until it is elastic and easy to work. Let prove under a damp cloth until it has doubled in size.
Knead the dough for a couple of minutes and divide into 8 pieces, shape into little balls and let prove again on a baking tray lined with baking paper for 30min. bake on 225C for about 20min.

Sunday morning sunflower bread rolls

Usually I bake scones on sunday mornings for breakfast, but last night I got the brilliant idea to make little bread rolls to prove over night and bake off in the morning. I was well impressed by how easy it is to get perfect bread with very little work involved; the little rolls did not look much to the world last night but this morning they came out of the oven looking great, and the taste was even better.

Day one

8 grams fresh yeast
125ml cold water
150 grams strong flour, white
4 grams salt
1/2tsp honey
25 grams sunflower seeds, lightly toasted in a hot, dry pan

Dissolve the yeast in the water and add honey, seeds and flour. Mix until it forms a dough and add salt. Knead the dough with a little oil on your hands until it is elastic and easy to work. Divide into 8 pieces, form little balls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover with clingfilm and let prove over night in the fridge.

Day 2

Take the tray out of the fridge and let prove in roomtemperature for about 30 minutes. Bake in the middle of the oven on 225C for 10-12min with a tray of water in the bottom of the oven.

Another baguette

I know I said that there is only one recipe that works for me when it comes to baguettes but the other day I had to try something I dont do very often; proving the dough over night. To do this you need to do polish (starter dough) and you need time. I takes 2 days to get this bread ready but belive me, it will be worth it. Texture and flavour really improves by letting the dough take its time.

Day one

Polish

70ml cold water
40grams rye flour

50grams strong bread flour

3grams fresh yeast

Dissolve the yeast in the water and add both types of flour. Mix until it creates a thick paste. Let this prove in a warm spot under a damp cloth for at least 10 hours.

Day one, evening

Dough

8grams fresh yeast

350ml cold water

470grams strong bread flor

65grams wholeweat flour

10grams fine sea salt

polish

Mix the yeast with water and polish. Add both types of flour and mix, add salt and start kneading the dough by hand for a least 7min. Let the dough prove over night in the fridge, in a bowl covered with clingfilm.

Day two

Take the dough out of the fridge and work it by hand for a couple of minutes, let prove for about 30min. Bake out 4 baguettes and let prove again for about 40min. Heat up the oven to 225C. Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for 18-22min with a tray of water in the bottom of the oven.

Fabulous Fougasse

Fougasse. In French cuisine, fougasse is a type of bread typically associated with Provence but found (with variations) in other regions. Some versions are sculpted or slashed into a pattern resembling an ear of wheat. It can be flavoured with herbs, olives, sundried tomatoes or anchovies.
Working in a bakery a few years ago I saw this being baked and sold every day, little did I know then that I was going to bake this myself one day. That day was today! Yesterday I was just looking through some recipes on BBC's webbsite and came across this recipe for fougasse. Eager as I am to try something new I was all of a sudden standing in my kitchen making a polish (dough starter) at 10pm. Today I made the bread dough by hand, and I am telling you that it is very nice sometimes not to have a kicthen assistant. Kneading dough by hand is like therapy I realised. I brushed it with some olive oil that I keep sundried tomatoes in and sprinkled thyme, oregano, blackpepper and salt on top.
Now for the recipe, remember you do need time to make this. The polish is to be made at least 10 hours before you can make the dough. This is important for the flavour of the bread since yeast activates and feeds on the natural sugars present in the flour, over time it produces a distinctively tangy or sour taste.

Day 1

Dough starter/ Polish
3 grams fresh yeast
70ml cold water
50 grams rye flour
50 grams strong bread flour (white)

Dissolve the yeast in the water, add both types of flour and mix until it forms a thick paste. Let rest under a damp cloth for at least 10hours, preferably 18hours.

Day 2

Bread dough
11 grams fresh yeast
350ml cold water
470 grams strong bread flour (white)
65 grams rye flour
8 grams fine sea salt
polish from day one

olive oil, herbs, sundried tomatoes, olives...

Mix the polish with the water, add yeast and mix until completely dissolved. Add both types of flour and start mixing by hand. Add salt and start kneading the dough for roughly 7min. Let the dough prove for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Divide in to 2 pieces. Shape each piece in to a flat triangle shape. Make a cut all the way down the centre, then make 3 or 4 deep slashes on each side of the middle. Gently pull apart a little so you get holes in the dough. Let prove again on baking paper for 30-40min.
Brush the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped herbs or olives/sundried tomatoes. Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt is lovely as well.
Heat up your oven to the highest temperature, 250C or gasmark 9. Let a baking tray heat up inside the oven. Leave a small dish of water in the bottom of the oven to create a nice crust on the bread.
Carefully transfer the bread to the baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for 18-22min.
Enjoy with cheese or maybe a nice dip such as pesto.

Soft rye cakes

The name of this bread makes it sound like something sweet, but it is actually bread. In sweden we eat a lot of rye bread and, for someone who is not so used to that flavour this recipe is a great way of learning to like it. It is very soft and has got a mild, kind of sweet rye-flavour because of the mix of wheat flour and rye flour. I have had my mum make this since I was a kid, and the best part was that the little piece you cut out in the middle went in to the oven and came out as a perfect little piece to nibble on, hot with butter of course! These days I obviously bake my own bread, and because I like to experiment with old recipes I have added a bit of linsseeds and sunflower seeds to this bread. It gives it a bit more bite and of course more goodness, but you can just leave it plain.

400 grams plain flour

260 grams ryeflour

50 grams fresh yeast or 12-14 grams dry yeast

2tsp salt

2tbsp golden syrup or honey

500ml milk

50 grams butter

1tbsp anisseeds or fennelseeds,

Melt butter and add milk, dissolve the yeast in the milk/butter mix. Add salt, syrup and spices. Work in the flour until it forms a dough. Work this dough for about 5-7min by hand. Let prove until doubled in size. Divide in to 4 pieces, roll each one in to a ball. With a rolling pin shape the balls in to flat cakes, about 2cm high. With a glass or cake cutter cut out a whole in the middle. Prick with a fork and let prove again on a baking tray for about 30min. Bake on 225C for 12min in the middle of the oven.