Many people enjoy eating Swedish crispbread with butter spread on top. Others enjoy spreading jam or honey, too. Still, there are those who enjoy eating crispbread with cheese, smoked salmon, or ham, among other foods. Although each family makes them differently, these are the basic steps for producing some of the best Swedish crispbread recipes. Look for a short ingredient list, made up of basics like whole grain rye flour, yeast, water, and salt. Roll your crispbread thin. PAPER thin.When you think it’s thin enough, keep rolling. You will get a much more crisp final product when you take the time to roll it out as thin as you possibly can. You can also expect your crispbread to expand slightly when baked so it will not be quite as thin as when it went into the oven. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F) or 225°C ( 437°F) convection/fan. Dust your board with rye flour and work with one ball at a time, leaving the remaining balls covered. Now, roll your dough ball out with your rolling pin to about 15 cm (6”) diameter circle. After it’s rolled out, move it to a parchment baking sheet. Once on the parchment paper, roll again making it as thin as you can, or to about a 30 cm (12”) diameter circle. Remember though, the thinner the crispbread the crispier it will be. You can go artisan here and not worry about making them into perfect circles. If you want a perfect circle, cut them using a large plate as a guide. Sprinkle the top of your crispbread first with the salt flakes, then the sesame seeds and cumin seeds. Next, lightly roll your bread one last time to press in the toppings.

Now, add the warmed milk into your stand mixer bowl. Then, with the mixer running at a low speed, slowly add the mixed flour, reserving half of a cup. Then slowly add your flax and sunflower seeds. Continue mixing on low speed until the dough forms into a ball and cleans the bowl (about 4 minutes). If your dough is too wet, slowly add the rest of the flour mixture. If the dough is too dry, add a touch of water. Then knead the dough in your mixer on medium speed for about 6-8 minutes. But at this time of the year, who can pass up a hunk of Christmas smörgås with honey and mustard marinated salmon. I sure can’t! Begin by setting up your stand mixer using your recommended dough hook/paddle/roller. This is a very heavy dough, so unless you have a very powerful stand mixer (mine is 1500 watts), you will need to hand mix in a large bowl. Next, warm the milk to the touch, about 105° and 115°F (41 – 46°C ). While the milk is warming, blend the two flours and salt in a large bowl. Next, add the yeast and stir to blend all. Roll your crispbread thin. PAPER thin. When you think it's thin enough, keep rolling. You will get a much more crisp final product when you take the time to roll it out as thin as you possibly can. You can also expect your crispbread to expand slightly when baked so it will not be quite as thin as when it went into the oven.Swedish flours differ slightly in weight from flours from other countries. Our flour is 142 grams per cup or 5 ounces per cup. Cut a hole in the center of your crispbread using a round biscuit cutter.Not just because it’s charming and traditional, but also because the center is the last part of the crispbread to crisp up. Creating that hole in the center creates extra edges and helps prevent the dreaded soggy crispbread. Go ahead and leave the little rounds in place while the crispbread bakes. Also, many people enjoy making this bread because it’s an easy Scandinavian bread recipe and it keeps well, too. This is a very heavy dough, so unless you have a very powerful stand mixer (mine 1500 watts), you will need to hand mix in a large bowl. While there are many obvious ways to use crispbread, there a few not so obvious but popular ways to eat this crunchy bread in Scandinavia:

These delightfully wobbly crispbreads are irresistible and perfect for breaking and sharing. Serve them simply with good quality butter, cheese and fruit, or elegantly with salmon, cold meats, pâtés and dips.

How to choose the best crispbread

There is salt in the dough itself, and there is also flaky sea salt sprinkled on top for baking. Both help highlight the flavors of the rye and oats.

Use any flour you want. If you want to go rustic, use stoneground, and if you want to go healthy, use fine rye, spelt or barley flour. Traditional Swedish rye crispbreads consist of a round flat loaf with a hole in the middle. Why the hole, you may ask? Well, that’s to make it easier for storage! These loaves of bread would be hung on a long pole, leaving more space in the kitchen. I seriously hope you consider making one of these delicious Swedish rye flatbread recipes. They’re super delicious and addicting and go well with just about any spread you can think of. Brush the crispbread with butter and sprinkle on some flaky sea salt before baking. This helps with browning and adds incredible flavor.

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Traditionally, Swedes wanted a bread that was easy to bake and would keep well - most therefore chose to bake crispbread. Nowadays it is easy to store in airtight containers, but originally they were made with a hole in the centre so that they could be hung over the oven to keep dry. Use a pizza cutter to even out the edges if necessary. Don’t worry if your crispbread is more amoeba-shaped than round. Simply use a pizza cutter to even out the edges. Or leave your crispbread amoeba-shaped! That’s rustic and charming, too. The more you make your own crispbread at home, the better you will become at rolling out the dough. Crispbread traditionally consists of wholemeal rye flour, salt, and water. Today, however, many kinds of crispbread contain wheat flour, spices and grains, and are often leavened with yeast or sourdough, and milk or sesame seeds can be added. [7] What do we do with all this crispbread? How about having it with caviar and a glass of champagne! OK, that’s not the most common way to enjoy it, but it’s damn good. If you like this rye crispbread recipe, you might also want to explore this traditional South Tyrolean Schüttelbrot recipe. More crispbread recipes