Swedish Crispbread Wheel

Breads of the Nordic Region


Here we together consider the breads of Scandinavia and the Uralic countries, Finland and Estonia. They all had similar restrictions on the breads they could make, due to the kinds of grains that would grow in the region. Wheat is not practical to grow in the region, and without the high gluten of wheat, light breads are not possible. Rye was common, but the dough needed to be soured to rise even moderately.

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Finnish Sour Rye Bread


Loaf of Finnish Sour Rye Bread [Hapanleipa (Finland)]

This photo is from from our recipe Sour Rye Bread. In eastern Finland, this bread is made into fairly thick loaves and baked about twice a week. In western Finland it is traditionally made into thin loaves the shape of millstones (with a hole in the center). In the west it is baked twice a year and strung up on poles until hard, then stored in a special room. The eastern Finns think the millstone shape is quite appropriate for this hard dry bread. Our example was probably half way between the eastern and western versions. This bread is traditionally made up in a large stone bowl. The bowl is not washed and bits of dough dried to the sides act as starter for the next batch.

Finnish Barley Bread


Loaf of Finnish Barley Bread [Ohraleipa (Finland)]

This photo is from from our recipe Barley Bread. Barley is a grain which grows pretty well under very adverse climate and soil conditions, and was the major grain in some regions in prehistoric times. Our recipe would not be considered "authentic" by purists, as it does incorporate some wheat flour. On the other hand, I think Finns have sold enough telecom equipment by now to afford an occasional bag of imported wheat flour.

Swedish Crispbread


Swedish Crispbread Wheel [Knäckebröd, Hart bröd, Hardbröd, Spisbröd, Knäcke (Swedish); Knækbrød (Danish); Knekkebrød (Norwegian); Näkkileipä (Finnish); Näkileib (Estonian); Icelandic: Hrökkbrauð (Icelandic); Knekkbreyð (Faroese); Knäckebrot, Knäcke (German); Knackbrood (Low German); Knäckebröd (Dutch)]

Production of Crispbread began in Sweden about 500 CE, and it remains very popular throughout northern Europe. It always had a hole in the middle so it could be strung on long poles, which were suspended from the rafters of the home, a storage method also used in Finland. It was made twice a year, after harvest and in spring. It was made of whole grain Rye flour, salt and water. Before baking, crushed ice was kneaded into the dough which would lighten it when evaporation left holes in the bread. The photo specimen, Leksands brand, was made in Sweden. Ingred: Rye flour, water, yeast, salt.

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©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Photos on this page not otherwise credited are © cg1 - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page permitted