Monday 24 September 2012

Norwegian Mountain Loaf

 








I made this Norwegian Mountain Loaf because we were nearly out of bread, it was almost dinner time and I thought it would be easier to make bread than to go out and buy it. You may think I'm bonkers, but wait. This is one of those quick yeasted breads where you throw everything together, no kneading, rising or resting and the oven does all the work. I ate a sneaky slice straight from the oven and  I was so happy and crazy-proud of my creation that I kept going on and on at my family about how delicious and awesome this bread was and that they were going to love it. So they were all set to sit down to the best dang bread they'd ever eaten. I do believe they were pretty happy with it, with lots of "Yums."and "Can I have another slice?" I do like to instruct people on how they should react when presented with my food. I try to be helpful like that.



Norwegian Mountain Loaf
from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess

250ml water
250ml low-fat milk
350g wholemeal flour
50g rye flour
7g dried yeast
50g rolled oats (not instant)
25g wheatgerm
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1 tablespoon sea salt flakes

Butter a loaf tin really well.

Mix the milk and water together in a measuring jug and combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, stirring all the while, to make a sticky, porridge-like mixture.

Scrape the dough into the pan and place in a COLD oven.

Turn the oven on to 110 degrees C and after 30 minutes, turn it up to 180 degrees C and bake for an one hour. Check to see if the loaf is cooked by poking a cake-tester or fine skewer in the centre, if it comes out clean, its done. Slip it out of its tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

12 comments:

  1. Interesting....must give this a go sometime. Just found your blog via foodgawker, beautiful photos and inspiring recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Northern Hi-Lights: Thanks so much for the lovely comment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh god, you make me laugh Jennifer, I love your writing so much!!! I love that too when people react like this with my food haha :P

    Your bread is really inspiring, it would save me time when I'll come back to school plus, it's super mega healthy. I love that :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just wonderful! I like the way you think:) This bread looks like a perfect "stick to your ribs" kind of bread. This would be one of those breakfast/lunch/dinner meals for me! You are keeping my mind very busy with all these pleasantries I just HAVE to make. I just have to find the best way to convert them to the American version! LOL! That's part of the fun though:)
    My favorite pic here is the one where it’s tucked ever so neatly in it’s cozy little tea towel…
    Thank you for your wit, your talent, and for sharing it all so beautifully!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds amazing! Do you know if there are any alterations required for higher altitudes? Most of my yeasted recipes are just fine, but I have the odd one or two that require a modification here or there. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Gabrielle. This bread so so easy to make and so satisfying to eat. Sometimes it's nice to spent ours rolling and folding, kneading and mixing, but other times you just want great bread without all the work... are you with me?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey Leah. Yep, you got it. Rib-sticking bread this certainly is. One thick slice and you're good... but that generally doesn't stop me from eating a second slice :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. @The Laws. I believe the main effect on yeast cookery at altitude is the lower air pressure that allows the yeast to rise 25 to 50 percent faster. As all the "action" happens within the controlled environment of the oven, I wouldn't think you would need to change anything. I'd love to know what results you get if you make it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This recipe sounds really interesting. The bread looks dense... is it tough?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey AlmaRosa. This is a dense, substantial bread with structure. It's texture is a bit like pumpernickel, with the taste of those typical Scandinavian nubbly breads. But it's certainly not tough :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Preethi Sukumaran4 October 2012 at 18:40

    This bread looks lovely - so it needs 1.5 hours of baking (30 minutes on 110) and 1 hour on 180, correct?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks Preethi. Yes, that's right. Bake it for 30 minutes at 110 then for another hour at 180 (90 minutes total). The yeast is activated in the warm oven in the first 30 minutes. Then it bakes for an hour at the higher temperature :)

    ReplyDelete