Dark country-style bread - Mörkt lantbröd

DARK COUNTRY-STYLE BREAD
Mörkt lantbröd

In Sweden, we used to have a special kind of flour used for baking this style of bread. I haven’t made this bread in years and in fact I don’t know if this flour is still on the market – things change all the time. But maybe you can find some equivalent? The bread gets some of its lovely taste from orange jam and you can serve it with soup or other food or make sandwiches.

3 breads

1 ¾ oz butter or margarine

2 cups milk
1 ¾ oz fresh yeast
4 tablespoons orange jam
2 teaspoons salt
4 ¾ cups flour, especially for baking dark bread
beaten egg for brushing

Melt the fat in a saucepan, add milk and heat to 37°C/body heat. Crumble the yeast in a mixing bowl and dissolve it in some of the liquid. Add remaining liquid, orange jam and salt. Add flour, little by little, and work the dough until it releases the bowl. Sprinkle with some flour, cover and leave to prove for about 30 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide in 3 and shape to round bread loaves. Put on a greased baking plate (or use baking paper) and let rise under a cloth for 30 to 40 minutes. Brush with egg and bake in the lower part of the oven at 390F for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Bella