Elegant Survival

Swedish Flax/Rye Bread

This is my own recipe. You won’t find this bread outside of Sweden, unless you are on an SAS flight.

Four cups of hot water, to which a half-cup of buttermilk has been added

Two tablespoons of yeast

One third-cup of molasses (substitute: dark corn syrup)

Two tablespoons of salt

Two cups of rye flour

Half cup of ground flaxseed

White flour–amounts vary, but it will be about  six cups (the amount of flour needed depends upon the climate, the altitude, and the phase of the moon)

Dissolve the yeast in warm water/buttermilk mixture. Add the molasses and some of the two flours–enough to make a sponge. After it has bubbled up, add salt and the rest of the flour except for one cup. Let the dough rest forfifteen minutes. Keep adding more white flour as needed until the dough no longer sticks to the surface. Knead dough for eight minutes. Form into a ball, set into a buttered bowl, cover lightly with waxed paper or a tea-towel, and let rise until it is double the size. Punch down the bulk, kneading it again for a minute or two.  Shape dough into loaves, dust pans with cornmeal or flaxseed, let rise until nearly double in size, then bake for one hour at 350* (moderately hot oven). Optional: brush the loaves with beaten egg-white for a shiny, crispy crust. This recipe will yield two slicing loaves and two baguettes.  — Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 25th August 2007