Archipelago Bread – Saaristoleipä
This bread, with its soft, almost cake-like texture and slightly sweet, malty flavor, has been baked for generations in Finnish homes—particularly in the southern archipelago. This recipe is originated from Nagu.
What makes saaristoleipä special is its combination of piimä (fermented milk, similar to buttermilk) and rye malt. These ingredients give the bread its distinctive, slightly tangy taste and rich, malty sweetness. While this is a classic recipe, there are many variations, with some using apple juice instead of piimä for a lighter flavor.
This bread is perfect on its own, served with butter or cheese, but it can also be used in other dishes, like as a crust for savory cheesecakes (a recipe we’ll explore in a future post).
Ingredients
- 1 liter of piimä
- 50 g (1 packet) of fresh yeast
- 3 decilitre of dark syrup
- 3 decilitre of rye malt (kaljamaltaat)
- 3 decilitre ray bran
- 3 decilitre rye flour
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 10 decilitre of wheat flour
For greasing the pans: butter or oil
For glazing:
- 2 tablespoons of dark syrup
- 2 tablespoons of water
Instructions
- Warm the piimä gently until it reaches body temperature. Crumble the yeast into the piimä and stir in the dark syrup, rye malt, rye bran, rye flour, and salt. Gradually add the wheat flour, mixing until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. Cover the dough and let it rise for about 1½ hours.
- Grease three long loaf pans (1.5 liters each) with butter or oil. Once the dough has risen, divide it evenly between the pans.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C. Place the pans on the lowest rack and bake for about 1½ hours, or until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- In a small bowl, mix the dark syrup and water. Once the bread is out of the oven, brush the syrup mixture over the loaves for a glossy finish. Let the bread cool slightly before removing it from the pans.
- Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. It will stay fresh for over a week, and the flavor deepens after a couple of days.
0 Comments