Best Finnish Rye Crispbread Recipes

FINNISH RYE BREAD - RUISLEIPä

Steps:

• To make the starter, pour the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Break in the bread slices (or Finn crisps) and mix in the rye flour plus the Finnish starter. Stir well to combine. Cover the bowl and leave for 2 days or until the starter is clearly bubbling and smells fresh but 'sour'.
• For this to happen, stir the starter every now and then (a couple of times each day), and keep the bowl covered with tea towels at a steady room temperature.
• After two days, 'revitalize' the starter by adding a cupful of flour (from the whole amount of flour needed for the dough) and stirring it through. After that, leave the starter, covered, for 3 more hours.
• Dissolve the fresh yeast in 100 ml of warm water and add the mixture into the starter. Add in the salt, then knead the flour into the dough bit by bit until the dough starts to unstick your hand.
• At this point, take a piece of the dough to use as a starter for next time. Wrap the piece in plastic wrap and freeze it or store it in the fridge if you are using it again in the near future.
• Leave the rest of the dough to rise, covered, until doubled in size. This can take a good couple of hours or more, depending on the conditions. Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 2-3 portions and knead into loaves.
• You can use loaf tins or make free-form loaves, both will work just as fine. Try not to use too much rye flour, however, as this can toughen the bread. Place the loaves on a baking tray lined with baking paper, rub a bit of rye flour on each loaf, and cover the tray with a tea towel.
• Leave the loaves to rise for a further 30-40 minutes.Preheat the oven to 200C.Prick the loaves before baking. Bake the bread in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes or until the base of the bread sound 'hollow' when tapped with fingers. Leave the loaves to cool (covered with a tea towel) on a wire rack. This bread keeps well in room temperature, but if you want to freeze it, you should only do so the following day. Serve with good butter and enjoy!

FINNISH RYE CRISPBREAD

Steps:

• Pour warm water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in yeast until dissolved. Season with salt. Gradually mix in 4 1/2 cups of the flour. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Sprinkle a clean, flat work surface with the remaining 1/2 cup flour; turn the dough onto the floured surface. Divide evenly into 4 balls. The flour from your work surface is to keep the dough from becoming sticky, but be careful not to work the extra flour into the balls of dough.
• Roll out each ball until 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick and about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Very carefully, use a thin, flat object to transfer each round to baking sheets that have been greased and well-sprinkled with flour. Cut a 2-inch hole in the center of each round. A cookie cutter generally will do the trick. Prick all over with a fork.
• Keep rounds in a warm place to rise for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Bake rounds in the preheated oven until firm to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 1 hour. The rounds will not be crisp yet.
• Let the cooled rounds dry on racks in a cool, dry place for 8 hours, or overnight. Avoid humidity.