Rye Bread with Lingonberry Jam

It is no longer autumn in Finland. Two days a go we got white fluffy flakes which covered the land and turned the whole world white. However, I know, it won't last yet. It will melt away here in southern Finland. Now we just need to wait and see will we get a white Christmas. Hopefully we do. In a mean while we can enjoy these colorful autumn photos of lingonberry bread.

Lingonberries and rye are one of those match made in heaven ingredients. this one of the variations I have made since no one (not even Finns) want to eat same bread day after day. Still healthy, especially if you make your own lingonberry jam since then you can control how much sugar you add in to it and you can even choose to use better sugar option than the common white sugar.

Lingonberries grow even in our yard. They are wonderful addition to many dishes like smashed potatoes and (now close your eyes, if you believe in Santa) sautéed reindeer but also equally delicious with liver casserole which is one of my favourite ones. Lingonberries are smashed and  spiced with sugar when used with these dishes. if you ever have a change to try them - go for it! They are delicious!

I remember that my grandmother who lived in Rovaniemi, always made sautéed reindeer (poronkäristys) when we visited there. She served it often with boiled potatoes and that version was great too but I simply love smashed potatoes with milk, butter and little sugar so you can guess which option I like the best. And I must say that my mom makes the greatest smashed potatoes I have ever eaten. Well, enough about the lingonberries and other dishes. Back to the lingonberry bread.

The recipe goes like this:

350-400 grams (12.346-14.110 oz) sourdough starter
300 grams (10.582 oz)  lingonberry jam
500 grams (1.1023 lb) water
1200 grams (2.6455 lb)  ryeflour

1. Mix the strater, water and salt.
2. Add lingonberry jam. Mix well.
3. Add rye flour.
4.Knead on the baking board, add flours when needed.
5. Bake into two breads
6. Leaven them under a baking cloth for about 6-8 hours or so. Even over night works weel at my house.
7. Then bake them in the 250 °C (480°F) for about 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 200 °C (400°F) and bake them 60 to 75 minutes more or until they are done.

Finnish Sourdough Rye Bread with Malted Rye Flour

 My family wanted to have a different sort of rye bread after a while. I had these malted rye flours in my pantry and I decided to add some of them into the dough in order to get a little richer and slighter sweeter taste. It completely changes the taste of the sourdough rye bread.

I like malted flours. You can do so many things with them and special Easter time treat called mämmi is made by using malted rye flours. It is delicious even though it does look like something you can find in baby's diapers. Still, if you ever have a chance to taste mämmi I say go for it! It's really worth it.

This bread was so good that my family ate half of the bread I had baked before I could take the photos. I had other two  breads too but I had already frozen them so  I was left with this little piece to deal with. Luckily  there was still something left so that I did not need to shoot just  the crumbs.  :)


550-600 grams (1.2125 - 1.3228 lb) sourdough starter
appr.  1100 grams (2.4251 lb) water
1100-1200 grams (2.4251 - 2.6455 lb)  rye flour
800 grams (1.7637 lb) malt flour (I used malted rye flour)
salt

1. Mix the sourdough started, lukewarm water, salt and malted flours. Mix.
2. Add almost all of the rye flour and start kneading. Add more flours if needed. Bake 3 breads.
3. Let the bread leaven in a warm place, under a baking towel for about 6-9 hours (depends on the room temperature)
4. Then bake them in the 250 °C (480°F) for about 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 200 °C (400°F) and bake them 60 to 75 minutes more.

Nutty Raisin Bread

This bread recipe is perfect for our already nutty day! :D

The life here has been more than hectic. I have missed writing my blog and recipes. Now it seems that things calm down a little and maybe I am able to post recipes more often.

This bread was so wonderful to make. After such a long time I was able to do something else than just basic bread. Basic is good too but it becomes boring after a while and you would like to add something extra in it. This time it was nuts and raisins. Breads and nuts go so well together!  Add some raisins or other dried fruits with them - it's well made match in heaven!

This is what I made this time. It was rather large dough since I had lots of sourdough starter which needed to be used. It's good idea to either down size the recipe or maybe you can freeze some of the bread so you will save some time on the following days.

600 grams (1.9842 lb) sourdough starter
1000 grams (2.2046 lb) water
150 grams (5.2911 oz) hazelnuts
250 grams (8.8185 oz)  raisins
3-4 tsp salt (or what ever you prefer)
1800-2000 (3.9683 - 4.4092 lb) grams all-purpose flours
appr. 100 grams (1.7637- 3.5274 oz)  olive oil


1. Add lukewarm water to the sourdough starter.
2. Add chopped nuts and raisins to the dough and let them soak for about 30 minutes so that the raisins get softer.
3. Add some flours and salt. Then almost all the flours
4. Keep kneading and adding flours if needed.
5. Add the olive oil
6. Knead some more (add flours if necessary) and let rest about 30 minutes before kneading a bit more and shaping into breads.
7. Cut the bread in a preferred way and let them rise under a baking cloth about 6 to 8 hours depending on the room temperature.
8. Bake in the 200°C (400°F) for about an hour or so. Knock the bottom of the bread and if you hear the nice "drumming" sounds it's well baked.

Enjoy the days nutty recipe!

Traditional Finnish Sourdough Rye Bread

Rye bread is something heavenly. Fresh from the oven, cut a thick slice of the loaf, spread some  organic butter on the slice and enjoy the rich taste of it.  The experience is beyond words.

Sadly not many bake their daily bread anymore. Especially rye bread is usually bought from the store since people feel it is complicated to bake. But it is not! I made these rye breads with my sourdough. Traditionally the rye bread is baked with 3 ingredients only. Rye flour, water and salt - and it's leavened by using the sourdough.  You don't need anything else. Some store brought breads here are made with sourdough starter but far too many use baker's yeast for leavening the rye bread. But you really don't need to. Rye bread is simple and heavenly at the same time.

Rye bread stores really well - most sourdough breads do. Wrap it in a baking towel so the crust doesn't become so hard. In old times people stored the rye breads like that.

Some people prefer this bread straight from the oven but others like it after it has matured day or two. Then it's less "sticky" when cut with the knife. Either way it's good! Spread some butter on the bread, cut a nice slice of cheese and maybe some cucumbers too. So good! It really is something else than those wheat breads. Rye bread has a character.

300 grams (10.582 oz) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)

600 grams (1.323 lb) lukewarm water

appr. 1000-1100 grams (2.205 - 2.425 lb) rye flour

3 tsp salt

Mix the starter, water and salt. Add 1000 grams  of rye flour. Start mixing, add more flour if needed. Knead the dough on the baking board, add flours if necessary. Rye dough is different from wheat dough. It has no viscosity what so ever. You need to have relatively soft but firm dough in your hands. You have kneaded enough and added enough flour once it doesn't stuck on your hands anymore. Be careful not to add to much flour or you will end up having some really hard bread! Shape them into two breads. Leaven  them under a baking towel for about 6-8 hours. Then bake them in the 250 °C (480°F) for about 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 200 °C (400°F) and bake them 60 to 75 minutes more. 

Swede Sourdough Bread

Swedes are terrible to dry. I mean the smell that fills the house is simply ghastly. But I have dried vegetables in every autumn and I guess this year is no exception. Must admit though that I am seriously thinking about quitting swede drying. Beetroots, carrot, onions and numerous wild vegetables are totally different thing.

Most people say that you must dry your wild veggies before midsummer. I think that is sort of short sighted. It can't be that the wild vegetables would be totally useless after that day. Bigger plants don't usually taste that nice but even in late summer there are still small plants too. And you can always cut down the plants and they will grow back in a week or two and you'll get small ones again! That's how I do it anyway and so far I have dried a big jar of nettles so during the winter we will have nettle bread and get all that green in a good use! Nettles are great in dough, soups, pancakes, pies...almost every where! And bigger wild veggies can be easily used once dried and grounded into a green powder, they are nor bad at all once used like that.

Today I made swede sourdough bread - just because I still have dried grated swedes in my pantry and no one wants to use them. But I can't throw them away. I simply hate throwing away food so I needed to use it some where. Breads and buns are usually always a solution for that and  root vegetables are very commonly used in Finnish baking. So here comes my altered sourdough recipe for swedes! And surprisingly enough it tasted well, really well actually! But be aware that the swedes give taste quite easily. The amount I used is not huge but it gave enough taste for the bread. Of course if you are mad about swedes you can put a lot more!

300 grams (10.6 oz) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)

600 g (1.323 lb) lukewarm water

900-1000 grams (1.984 - 2.205 lb) all purpose flour

3 tsp salt

appr. 20 grams  (0.7055 oz) dried, grated swedes 

some olive oil ( I never measure this)

Mix the ingredients except the oil. Knead the dough for a while and then add the oil. Knead some more and let the dough rest about 15-30 minutes and then knead again. Shape into bread and let it leaven about 6 hours under a baking towel. Bake in the 200 °C (400°F) for about an hour or so.

Beetroot Sourdough Bread

I still have dried beetroot in the pantry. Now I really have to use them quite fast since new harvest is on the way. I think I also need to check do I still have dried courgettes and carrots too. Those can be easily used in breads.

Yesterday I decided to use some of it in the bread I was making. It turned out really good. The children said it was the best bread ever. I was supposed to grind it into a powder but the pieces were so hard that my little machine could not handle it so I decided to mix some powdered beetroot and beetroot pieces which got soft after I soaked them for awhile. The end result was really good. I used about 50 grams into the bread in the picture. made the second one with about 100 grams and I think that was better one even though the smaller amount of beetroot was quite nice too. I guess it depends do you want lots of beetroot or little less. The beetroot also creates a little reddish color. It was quite pretty that way.

I like using vegetables in breads since that way you eat more veggies and don't even notice it. They also make a great difference in the dough. I highly recommend using them.

300 grams (10.582 oz) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)
600 g ( 1.323 lb) lukewarm water
900-1000 grams (1.984 - 2.205 lb) all purpose flour
3 tsp salt
50-100 grams ( 1.764 - 3.527 oz) dried beetroot (you can use small pieces or grounded)
some olive oil ( I never measure this)

The Taika mug by Iittala

Mix the sourdough, water, and salt. Mix well and add the flour. Mix and add the oil. Knead for a while, lett the dough rest for about 30 minutes and then knead some more to get that viscosity. Once the dough feels right shape the dough into a bread and tuck it in to sleep on a papered baking tray for about 6-8 hours. Bake in the 200 °C (400°F) for about an hour or so.

Beetroot gave a nice taste for the bread. It is probably one of the best root vegetables to be used in dough.

Sourdough Carrot Buns

It really is hot in Finland. The heat wave has been upon us for some time now and my family thinks it could already go away. Warm is nice but hot is not.  Makes me wish winter would already be here. But that's how it is. You are never happy with what you have and you always think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Well, since it is so hot baking is pure pain when the oven spreads more warm air around the house. So, now I bake only what we really need and that is the daily bread. And today is time to make some delicious carrot buns by using the sourdough starter - which is probably the only one who loves the warm climate we now have. It's constantly hungry and demanding more food. Seems that our sweet little pet has turned into a monster! :D


300 g (10.582 oz) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)
appr. 300 grams (10.582 oz) grated carrots
600 g ( 1.323 lb) lukewarm water
appr. 1000-1200 grams (2.205 - 2.646 lb) all purpose flour
3 tsp salt
3 tbsp honey
some olive oil ( I never measure this)

1. Peel and grade the carrots.
2. Mix the sourdough starter, lukewarm water, graded carrots and salt.
3. Add the flour. Mix and knead. Add more flour if needed. Add the oil.
4. Let the dough rest about 15-30 minutes.
5. Knead some more and make about 25 buns.
6. Leaven them on the papered baking tray for about 4 hours or so.

7. Bake in the 225°C (450°F) for about 20 minutes.

These were quite nice but I think I want more carrot in them so next time I am going to add more of it. This is similar amount of carrot I have seen in a bread that was sold at the stores a couple of years ago. But now that I think of it, it was nice bread and I liked it but I remember complaining then too that it had too little carrot in it. So maybe tomorrow our buns will have double amount of carrot. But to you all who don't wish to eat bread with that much carrot, this amount I used today will probably be just perfect.

Sourdough Courgette Buns

The last couple of days have been very interesting ones. We had a thunder storm during which we lost one of our pine trees and today another one needed to be cut down since it wouldn't have lasted the next storm. It was a close call that the tree did not fell on our house. Today I managed to somehow bake some buns between the normal chores and the tree disaster.

Today's buns are delicious. I decided to add about 4 cups of courgettes in it since well I have lots of courgettes and I hate throwing food away so if we are not going to eat them in salads or dishes we need to use them on baking! So that's why I ended up making these today.

Buns are usually always a bit more tastier than bread. There is more of that delicious crust and somehow it seems to taste sweeter on buns. And it's also nice to have that nice size little bun in your hand. And it's all yours to enjoy!

After working outside it's nice to have fresh buns straight from the oven. Butter them, let it melt on the bun and eat. After all the wood chopping and carrying these buns disappeared in no time!

300 g (10.582 oz) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)
appr. 1 liter (appr. 4-5 cups) graded courgettes 600 g (1.323 lb) lukewarm water

1000-1200 grams (2.205 - 2.646 lb) all purpose flour2-3 tsp salt
some olive oil ( I never measure this)

1. Grade the courgettes and salt them lightly in a bowl. Wait about 30 minutes and remove the liquid from the courgettes but don't throw it away. Substitute part of the water with it.
2. Mix the sourdough starter, lukewarm water,  graded courgettes and salt.
3. Add the flour. Mix and knead. Add more flour if needed. Add the oil.
4. Let the dough rest about 15-30 minutes.
5. Knead some more and make about 25 buns.
6. Leaven them on the papered baking tray for about 4 hours or so.
7. Bake in the 225°C (450°F) for about 20 minutes.

Sourdough bread

Sourdough bread is heavenly. Compared to store bought plastic bag bread it is totally something else. Once you have tasted the sourdough bread you simply can't go back to eating those tasteless plastic monsters. So, consider yourself warned. Once you step onto the road of sourdough baking there is no turning back.

When you have your own little starter ready you can start baking. It well worth the effort!

I used the 1 2 3 method from Flo Makanai. And it works great. It is wonderful basic recipe and at least for me it works every time! This method means the following: Number 1 is for starter. I used 300 grams of it. The number 2 means the water. So I multiply 300 by 2 and get 600 grams which is the amount of water needed. The number 3 is for flour so I multiply that 300 by 3 and get 900 grams. Must say though that in most cases I need to add 1 kg of flour but flours are different in each country so you still need to "feel" the dough. But that's what my grandmother used to do too! Experience was the key ingredient! And don't forget the salt. Use the amount you feel is good - bread needs salt to became a bread but everyone has a different taste so add according to yours. I added about 3 teaspoons salt. And a little honey and olive oil and 4 teaspoons or oregano. I love oregano bread!

So my recipe looked like this: (and it's quite large loaf)

300 grams (0.661 lb) sourdough starter (I have starter with rye flour)
600 grams (1.323 lb ) lukewarm water
900-1000 g (1.984 - 2.205 lb) all purpose flour
3 tsp salt
4-6 tsp dried oregano
3 tbsp honey
some olive oil ( I never measure this)

I make the dough, knead for a while, letting it rest for about 30 minutes and then knead some more to get that viscosity. Once the dough feels right I make the bread and tuck it in to sleep on a papered baking tray for about 6 hours. Sometimes I keep it over night. Bake in the 200 °C (400°F)for about an hour or so.

The bread in the photo leavened about 4-5 hours which is a little short time but I was in a hurry and needed to get it done. I usually keep it about 6 hours or so. But in a family with small children it's not always an option. Things happen and even the sourdough bread needs to adjust a little.  But with a little shorter time it came out wonderfully! And the taste is so awesome! You guys really need to try it if you already haven't! Sourdough bread is what makes the world go round.

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough Starter is like a family member - old times Tamagotchi one might say. Sure thing is that a starter does feel like a pet. At least it needs a lot of love and time. You leave it behind and it's dead. You forget to feed it and water it - it's dead. So it does sound awfully much like a pet to me!

Sourdough baking has been a traditional baking method in Finland. My grandmother used to bake all their breads in a big baking oven and she used sourdough.  Now it seems that sourdough has been forgotten in many places. That is sad. The bread made with sourdough starter tastes so much better than when commercial yeast is used to leaven the bread. Starter brings totally different world into your bread. And it's not that hard to use either. Hardest things is to get that starter running in a jar on your kitchen counter or some other place that is warm enough for your new pet. Give it a try and you get to taste the best bread in a whole world!

My own little sourdough starter has been in our family ever since this spring. I had done it before with moderate success but this time I had a real struggle to get that starter up and running. But finally I did it and ever since that my starter has been a really lovely.

I started it with 50 grams of rye flour and 50 grams of water. Before that I tried it with dls and cups but it just didn't work. And I ended up having sourdough that did not work like it was supposed to and smelled something totally different that it was supposed to. Trust me - you know from the smell if your sourdough starter isn't what it is meant to be. Good sourdough smells mildly acid and little fruity. Bad sourdough starter smells simply bad.

On the first day I added 50 grams of water and 50 grams of rye flour, mixed it well and started to wait. Baking is something that can really build up your patience. So I waited for about 24 hours, mixed it a little couple of times and finally  it was all bubbly and happy looking sourdough starter. Then I started to feed it. I removed half of the starter and added another 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water, mixed it well and waited again. This time I needed to wait about 12 hours before it was all happy and bubbly. Then again I removed  half of it and added 50 grams of both water and rye flour. Then again the same thing after 12 hours. I continued this about a week and I had managed to create a working sourdough starter on my very own kitchen. You can start feeding it with some other flour too after 3-4 days. Tried that too and it works just fine. I gradually changed to flour though. Started half of rye and half of all-purpose flour. But in the end I went back to rye flour since I wanted to have a whole meal starter and I don't really want to keep several starters - at least for now.