I wanted to start the new year with a recipe for a typical Norwegian bread.
Norwegian loves to make homemade bread; the smell in the kitchen alone is worth making it, and this recipe is a favorite of mine for years.
Recipe credit and technique goes to my fellow Norwegian baker, @johnsbaking, who makes the most delicious bread. I love his technique of folding the dough.
My favorite way of eating this bread is topped with mascarpone, homemade jam, and brown goat cheese.
In Scandinavia, we often make our jam using just frozen or fresh berries. Simply add a few spoons of sugar, a little bit of zest and lemon juice after you taste, and combine. Then let it soak in all the flavors for some hours. The taste is so fresh and delicious; it’s much better than store bought.
With love from Norway,
Manuela
Norwegian Multigrain Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups water, at 75,2°F (24°C)
- 3 tsp honey
- 3 oz seeds or grains of your choice (optional)
- 9.125 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 3.75 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 grated carrots (optional)
Instructions
- Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, except for the grated carrots (make sure you don't place the yeast beside the salt as salt in direct contact with yeast will kill it).
- Knead the dough a few minutes until everything is well blended. If you don't have a mixer just use a large wooden spoon.
- When well blended, add the carrots and just combine the mixture with a spatula.
- Cover with a damp cloth.
- Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- After one hour, wet your hands with cold water and lift the edges of the dough in toward the center of the bowl, or just use your spatula.
- Repeat the proofing of the dough and folding for two hours more.
- In the meantime, grease three loaf pans with butter or non-stick baking spray lay a paper on the bottom of each pan.
- Tip the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into three pieces.
- Shape into loaves and place into three prepared pans.
- Allow to rise for 30 minutes covered with a damp cloth, or until the dough has risen almost to the top of the prepared pans.
- Preheat the oven to 518°F / 270°C
- Spray the top of the dough with water.
- Bake the loaves on the lower rack for 5 minutes at 518°F / 270°C then turn the oven down to 428°F / 220°C and bake for another 30 minutes.
- The loaves are ready when they sound hollow when tapped on the base.
- Note: The folding process during the rising period is not crucial, but it certainly makes these breads even better. Also, if you can have the oven at the lowest temp 122°F/ 50°C and proof the dough in the oven, it speeds up the process.
Nutrition
