Issue #159: Scandinavian Crispbreads
You say knäckebröd, I say knekkebrød—Whole-Grain, Seeded, and Even Gluten Free
One of the many reasons I feel fortunate to be able to find an excuse to go to Scandinavia about once a year is that I get to fill up on some of my favorite breads. Danish rye or rugbrød is an all-time favorite. Swedish crispbread or knäckebröd is a close second. I have two packages of knäckebröd I carried back from Stockholm in April in my freezer right now.
More like a large, round, dimpled cracker or matzo with a hole in the middle than a loaf of bread, knäckebröd is nevertheless popular for breakfast “sandwiches” with butter, cheese, and ham. I always make a bee line for it at a Scandi buffet. If you’ve had a Wasa cracker, you know the genre. But if you’ve only had a Wasa cracker, you have no idea of the range. Artisanal knäckebröd is made with heirloom whole grains and natural levain and is often baked in wood-burning ovens. The hole in the middle is traditional so the breads can be strung up and hung to dry and store above the stove.
Knäckebröd stays fresh, that is, crisp and dry, forever. Some think it’s more accurate to say they arrive stale. Nate loves to make fun of my knäckebröd, likening them in look and taste to the mats the custodians at his high school used on the polishers to clean the terrazzo floors. I don’t disagree. But I love them no less.
I’ve tried to make many different versions of the large, round knäckebröd at home, going so far as to purchase a special rolling pin to dimple the discs before they go in the oven. To be honest, I haven’t been able to get the texture quite right, which requires a slight rise before baking so they have a wafer-like quality and aren’t too tough. I like what I make, but they could be better. I will keep trying.
In the meantime, there’s another form of knäckebröd I’ve encountered, a crisp, seeded rectangular cracker, that I also love and that are easier to make at home—no fermenting, rolling, or dimpling necessary. Some consider this variety Norwegian (where they spell it knekkebrød), though I’ve seen it for sale throughout Sweden and Denmark, as well.
The beauty of this style of crispbread is that you can use almost any combination of grains and seeds. It can easily be made gluten free. As a binder I’ve used leftover oatmeal, sourdough discard, or instant oats. The main variable is the amount of water you add in order to get a totally dry, crisp result. But if you get that wrong and add too much, which I’ve done once or twice, you can compensate with an extended drying time. Once fully dried, they will last a long time.
I found the original recipe for these “breads” on North Wild Kitchen, the website/blog of Nevada Berg, a native of Utah who moved to a farm in Norway after marrying a Norwegian. If the images and stories are to be believed, she is living the kind of simple, Scandinavian fantasy life in nature some of us have dreamed about. Now that we’ve moved to the New Hampshire countryside and I’m baking these crispbreads, I feel like I’m halfway there, myself.
RECIPE: Knäckebröd or Knekkebrød (Seeded Crispbreads)
Makes about 30 “breads”
2 cups (500 ml) warm water
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling (optional)
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup (135 g) dark rye flour
1 1/2 cups (135 g) quick cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup (25 g) wheat bran
1/2 cup (80 g) sesame seeds
1/2 cup (60 g) pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup (60 g) hulled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup (25 g ) flax seeds
1/4 cup (35 g) oat bran
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two sheet pans with nonstick silicone mats or parchment. (Note: the original recipe recommends parchment, but the first time I made them with organic brown parchment my crisp breads fused to the parchment with such Krazy Glue–like adhesion that it took me more than an hour to scrape the paper off half of them and then I gave up and threw the rest away. To be safe, I’d suggest you use the mats.)
In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the warm water, honey, and 2 teaspoons of salt until both the honey and salt are dissolved. In a separate bowl, mix together the rye flour, oats, wheat bran, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds, and oat bran. Slowly add in the water mixture, stirring to form a wet paste. Don’t add all the water at once in case you don’t need it all (more likely if you are subbing in sourdough starter discard or cooked oatmeal, see notes below). The texture you want is a kind of clumpy paste. Note that the mixture will thicken as it sits. When you think the mixture is adequately moistened, let it stand for about 10 minutes so the grains and seeds swell. If dry, add more liquid if you have it. If there’s too much liquid, let it sit a little longer and/or add a tablespoon or more of rye flour.
Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans. Using a small offset spatula, spread it out thinly and evenly to the very edges. Check for any holes (when you spread some of the seeds, they can leave tracks you should dab to fill). If you like salty things, sprinkle the surface with some additional kosher salt.
Place both sheet pans in the oven. Bake for just 10 or 12 minutes to set and then remove them from the oven. If using silicone mats, use a thin metal spatula, dull pizza cutter, or other dull blade to cut each sheet into 15 equal rectangles. (You don't want a sharp knife to damage the mat by cutting into the silicone.) If using parchment, use any sharp knife. Either way, watch that the blade doesn’t drag any seeds through the dough.
Place the sheet pans back in oven and bake for another 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pans once or twice during the cooking time. Occasionally open the oven door to release steam. When done, the breads should look dry and have evidence of light browning around the edges. They should also separate (see photo). At this point I like to turn off the oven, prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon, and let sit to dry until the oven cools. Once cool, if the crackers are not quite crisp, turn the oven to 150°F. or 200°F and continue drying for another 30 to 60 minutes.
Store in an airtight container—my knäckebröd-themed tin makes me smile. They will keep several weeks at room temperature or several months in the freezer.
Variations
Change up the grains and seeds for an endless variety of crisp breads. You can also add caraway, fennel seeds, or other flavorings, as you wish.
With Sourdough Starter
For some additional flavor and to use up my discard, I add some sourdough starter as a binder. My sourdough is 100% rye flour at 100% hydration, so I add 100 g of sourdough discard and reduce the water to 450 ml and the rye flour to 85 g.
With Leftover Oatmeal
If you have leftover oatmeal from breakfast, stir it in. Reduce the oats and water according to how much you have added.
Gluten Free
If you can’t consume rye, substitute any gluten-free flour for the rye four and adjust the water to achieve the right texture.
Right up my alley! Tack sa mycket! I think that means thank you very much in Swedish….Cheers, Lonni