Ingredients
Dough
- 400 gwholemeal rye flour
- 100 gplain flour
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 350 mlwarm water
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsphoney
- 1 tspcaraway or fennel seed, optional
To finish
- extra rye flour, for rolling
- coarse salt
Directions
- Mix the flours, yeast and salt, add the warm water and honey, and knead for 8 minutes into a firm dough. Rye is sticky and low in gluten, so use a scraper rather than working in a lot of extra flour.
- Cover and prove for about 1 hour.
- Divide into eight and roll each piece out on a heavily rye-floured surface into a round about 25 cm across and 2 mm thick.
- Roll them as thin as you possibly can. Thickness is the entire difference between crispbread and rye bread, and anything much above 3 mm bakes chewy instead of snapping.
- Prick the whole surface all over with a fork or a spiked roller, which stops it puffing up into a pillow in the oven.
- Cut a hole in the centre of each round with a small glass.
- That hole is not decoration. Crispbread was baked twice a year and stored threaded onto poles under the ceiling, and the hole is what it hung by.
- Bake at 250°C (480°F) for 6 to 8 minutes, until dry, blistered and lightly browned.
- Cool completely on a rack, because it crisps as it cools. Judge it by the cooled texture rather than by how it feels hot.
- If any piece stays soft, return it to a low oven at 120°C (250°F) for 10 minutes to dry out completely.
- Store in a tin, where it keeps for months, and butter it at every meal.
Technique
- Thin and pricked. Those two things decide whether you get crispbread or a flatbread.
- It is baked hot and fast rather than slow, which drives the moisture out before it can set into a crumb.
- Rye flour varies a great deal. Add water by feel rather than by the number if your dough looks dry.
Substitutions
- Half wholemeal wheat flour if rye is unavailable, though the flavour changes considerably.
- A pasta machine to roll it thinner and more evenly than a rolling pin will.
Variations
- With caraway or fennel seed through the dough.
- Rolled square rather than round, which is the modern commercial shape.
- With cracked rye or seeds pressed into the surface before baking.
History
Flat rye bread baked twice a year and stored on poles through a hole in the middle, which is why the round loaves are pierced.
Frequently asked questions
What is Crispbread?
Crispbread is a bread & pastry from Sweden: cracker-crisp rye rounds buttered at every meal. Flat rye bread baked twice a year and stored on poles through a hole in the middle, which is why the round loaves are pierced.
How long does Crispbread take to make?
Crispbread takes 25 min plus 1 hr rising of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 rounds. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Crispbread?
Yes, within limits. Half wholemeal wheat flour if rye is unavailable, though the flavour changes considerably. A pasta machine to roll it thinner and more evenly than a rolling pin will.
What is the most important thing to get right in Crispbread?
Mix the flours, yeast and salt, add the warm water and honey, and knead for 8 minutes into a firm dough. Rye is sticky and low in gluten, so use a scraper rather than working in a lot of extra flour.
