Rye bread - Rågsiktskakor

RYE BREAD
Rågsiktskakor

It’s sheer joy to bake these soft, delicious and very traditionally Swedish sifted rye flour bread cakes, flavoured with aniseed. Of course, bread like this is best fresh from the oven.

3 bread cakes

1 ¾ oz butter or margarine

1 ¼ cups water
1 ¾ oz fresh yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground aniseed
2 tablespoons treacle/molasses
approx 3 ¼ cups sifted rye flour

Melt the fat in a saucepan, add water and heat to 37°, body heat. Crumble the yeast in a mixing bowl and stir it with some of the liquid. Add remaining liquid, salt, aniseed, treacle and sifted rye flour, little by little. Work the dough until it releases the bowl. Sprinkle with some flour, cover and leave to prove for about 20 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth and pliable. Divide in three and roll out each part to a round cake, approx ½ inch thick. Take out a hole in the middle with a cake measure or a small glass.

Put the breads on greased baking plates – or use baking paper – and prick them with a fork. Cover and leave to prove for 20 to 30 minutes. Bake in the middle of the oven at 390F for 10 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Bella