NORWEGIAN MOUNTAIN BREAD - PAIN RUSTIQUE NORVÉGIEN

I like to think of myself as an adventurous and daring cook/baker. Of course, there are times when life is chaotic and I just simply don't feel like staying in the kitchen for hours. It is when one feels lazy and tired that certain simple and unpretentious recipes come in handy...

Last Saturday I really had no desire to spend more than 2 hours baking bread. It was a sunny and warm day, and there was no way I was going to stay in the apartment considering the fact that the weather prognoses for Sunday were dreadfully awful.

So, as I am in a very Scandinavian- (music, culture & films) and healthy-oriented period at the moment it is not surprising that my attention was captured by Nigella Lawson's "Norwegian Mountain Bread" recipe while I was surfing on expat Siri's blog ("The Transplanted Baker").

I dare you to find a more uncomplicated and rapid bread recipe! There is absolutely no kneading, rising or shaping involved (the loaf rises in the oven). The only thing you have to do is weigh and mix all the ingredients together, pour the dough into the baking pan, put it in the oven and then keep an eye on the clock and the thermostat knob. Magic, no?

For such an inelaborate and rustic bread the result was remarkable. It was very flavorful, aromatic, pleasantly moist, wonderfully seedy, interestingly dense/compact, slightly sweet and so enjoyable. It somehow reminded me of Valais Rye Bread (Walliser Roggenbrot), German Pumpernickel, Swedish Rägbröd or Danish Ruggbrød, only without the sourness (since it is not made with sourdough).

This excellent "Norwegian Mountain Bread" is perfect when served with cheese, smoked salmon, Gravlax or cured meats such as Pastrami or corned beef. I'm sure you'll be delighted by this bread's unique aroma and texture.

This bread is getting yeastspotted by Susan’s Yeastspotting!

~ Norwegian Mountain Bread ~
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's "How To Be a Domestic Goddess".

Makes one medium-sized loaf.

Ingredients:
1 Cup plus 2 Tbs (250ml) Milk or buttermilk, lukewarm
1 Cup plus 2 Tbs (250ml) Water, lukewarm
2 Cups (255g) Whole-wheat flour
1/2 Cup (64g) Rye flour
2 1/4 Tsp (1/4 oz./7 g) Active dry yeast
1/4 Cup (50g) Rolled oats (not instant)
1 1/2 Tsp Fine sea salt
1 Tbs Light brown sugar
8 Tbs Blend of any of the following (preferably all)
- Wheat germ
- Sunflower seeds
- Flaxseeds (linseeds)
- Pumpkin seeds
- Wheatbran

Method:
1. Mix the milk, water and yeast together in a measuring jug and let rest for about 10 minutes. Combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, stirring all the while to make a sticky mixture. Then beat for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Butter your loaf pan well, pour the dough into the pan, sprinkle a few extra seeds and oats over the surface of the bread, and place in a cold oven (middle).

4. Turn the on oven to 100° C (225° F). After 30 minutes, turn it up to 175° C (325° F) for one hour (see remarks).
5. When the loaf begins to get nice and brown, take it out of the oven, run a butter knife along the sides of your pan and let rest for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the bread from the pan.
6. Allow the bread to cool thoroughly on a rack in order to prevent the insides from getting gummy.

Remarks:
As I had no wheatbran or wheat germ, I used 3 tbs sunflower seeds, 3 tbs flaxseeds and et 2 tbs pumpkin seeds.
Nigella recommends poking the bread with a cake tester or fine skewer to make sure it's done, ie: the skewer will come out clean. You may wish to return the loaf to the oven for an extra 10-15 minutes if you judge that it hasn't baked enough (that's what I did).

Serving suggestions:
Slice thinly and serve with cheese, dry, cured or cold cooked meat, smoked salmon, Gravlax or smoked herring/mackerel.

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~ Pain Rustique Norvégien ~

Recette adaptée de "How To Be a Domestic Goddess" par Nigella Lawson.

Pour un pain moyen.

Ingrédients:
250ml de Lait ou de babeurre, tiède
250ml d'Eau, tiède
255g de Farine complète
64g de Farine de seigle
2 1/4 CC (7g) de Levure sèche
50g de Flocons d'avoine
1 1/2 CC de Sel de mer fin
1 CS de Sucre brun clair
8 CS d'un mélange des ingrédients suivants (tous)
- Germes de blé
- Graines de tournesol
- Graines de lin
- Graines de courge
- Son de blé

Méthode:
1. Dans un récipient, mélanger ensemble le lait, l'eau et la levure et laisser de côté pendant 10 minutes. Dans un grand bol, mélanger ensemble tous les ingrédients restants.
2. Verser le liquide dans les ingrédients secs tout en mélangeant bien afin d'obtenir une pâte collante, puis la battre pendant 2-3 minutes.
3. Beurrer un moule rectangulaire de taille moyenne et verser la pâte dedans. Saupoudrer avec des flocons d'avoine et des graines et placer dans le four froid (milieu).

4. Régler le four à 100° C. Après 30 minutes, augmenter la température à 175° C et continuer à cuire le pain pendant 1 heure (voir remarques).
5. Quand le pain commence à devenir brun et qu'il a une belle croûte, le sortir du four et le dégager des bords du moule avec un couteau. Puis, après 5 minutes le sortir du moule et le poser sur une grille.
6. Faire refroidir le pain complètement avant de le consommer (afin d'éviter que l'intérieur soit "gommeux").

Remarques:
J'ai utilisé 3 CS de graines de tournesol, 3 CS de graines de lin et 2 CS de graines de courge car je n'avait pas de son de blé ou de germes de blé.
Nigella recommande de tester le pain avec la pointe d'un couteau afin d'être bien sûr que le pain soit cuit (dans ce cas la lame en ressort propre). Il vous faudra alors peut-être remettre le pain dans le fourra pendant 10-15 minutes (si vous jugez que le pain est pas assez cuit - ce que j'ai fait).

Idées de présentation:
Couper en tranches très fines et servir avec du fromage, de la viande séchée, de la charcuterie ou du roastbeef froid, du saumon fumé, du Gravlax ou du maquereau/harreng fumé.

HEALTHY BREAD ROLLS - PAINS COMPLETS

The other Friday I could not find one bread recipe I wanted to make. Although there internet, my files and books offer plenty of them, there was not one which inspired me at that very moment (don't get me wrong, those mediums offer great recipes, but on this day I found nothing to my taste). After going through Tastespotting, Yeastspotting, Foodgawker, my books, magazines and files for the 100th time I was starting to feel highly irritable, extremely frustrated and particularly pissed (I hate not getting what I want LOL - some of you might know that feeling)...

So, after losing a lot of precious time looking for the bread Grail, I decided that I was going to create my own recipe in order to satisfy my craving for rustic and healthy bread. I went through my cupboards and started collecting what interested me (different flours, seeds and dandelion petals). Then, while keeping the correct measurements that are required for making bread, I started improvising like a madwomen (Remember, I'm a freejazzer in the kitchen. I love my little jam sessions!). That's how I ended up making lovely "Chestnut And Whole Wheat Flour, Dandelion Flower, Sesame and Flaxseed Bread Rolls" that ended up being perfect and exactly what I was looking for.

Those bread rolls are not only healthy, but they are also packed with taste. With their crunchy crust, soft as well as chewy inside, nutty aroma, smoky notes and round grainy flavor it is impossible not to fall in love with them.

My "Chestnut And Whole Wheat Flour, Dandelion Flower, Sesame and Flaxseed Bread Rolls" pair perfectly well with all kinds of cheeses (Cantal, Brie de Meaux, Cheddar, Gruyère, Cancaillotte, Chavroux, Fourme d'Ambert, Reblochon, Appenzeller, Mutschli, etc...), Bündner dried meat, dried sausages and pate. They also make the most wonderful sandwiches (ham, roastbeef, cheese, pastrami, Chicken, hummus, fish, etc...). Lipsmackingly good!

This post is submitted to Yeastspotting.

~ Chestnut And Whole Wheat Flour, Dandelion Petals, Sesame & Flax Seed Bread Rolls ~
Recipe by Rosa @Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes 8 rolls.

Ingredients:
300ml Warm water (105°-115° F/40.5°-46° C)
2 Tsps (1 envelope/7g) Active dry yeast
1 Tsp Light brown sugar
300g (10.5oz) Unbleached all-purpose flour
100g (3.5oz) Whole wheat flour
100g (4oz) Chestnut flour
6 Tsps Sesame seeds
2 Tbs Flax seeds (linseeds)
1 1/2 Tbs Dandelion petals
2 Tsps Sea salt
1 1/2 Tsps Malt powder
A little milk for brushing the rolls
Kosher salt for sprinkling

Method:
1. Pour warm water into a small bowl.
2. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the surface of the water.
3. Stir to combine and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
4. In a large bowl (or in the work bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook), mix together the flours, seeds, malt, dandelion petals and salt.
5. Add the yeasted water and mix well until a shaggy dough is formed.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead about 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and springy and passes the windowpane test (you can also knead the dough in your stand mixer).
7. Place dough in a greased bowl. Turn dough once to grease the top and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel.
8. Let rise at room temperature until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
9. Gently deflate dough with your fist. Turn dough out on a lightly floured work surface.
10. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
11. Shape into Kaiser rolls (method by the King Arthur Flour)
12. Place the rolls on a baking tray and cover with a humid towel, let rise for about 40 minutes or until double in size.
13. Twenty minutes before baking thge rolls, preheat the oven to 190° C (375° F).
14. Brush top of loaves with milk and sprinkle with salt.
15. Put the baking tray in the center of the oven and bake about 20-25 minutes, or until rolls loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with your finger.
16. Remove the rolls from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Cool completely before eating.

Remarks:
While kneading the bread, don't forget to dust your work surface with flour (only 1 Tbs at a time) if the dough tends to by sticky.
Once you have brushed the loaves with the milk glaze, you can sprinkle them with the gourmet salt of your choice (I used Hawaiian red salt).

Serving suggestions:
This bread is delicious with almost anything (cheese, jam, pate, etc…) and can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

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~ Petits Pains A La Farine Complète, Farine De Châtaignes, Pétales De Pissenlit Et Aux Graines ~
Recette par Rosa @Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Pour 8 petits pains.

Ingrédients:
300ml d'Eau tiède (à pas plus de 46° C)
2 CC (ou un sachet de 7g) de Levure sèche
1 CC de Sucre brun clair
300g de Farine blanche/fleur
100g de Farine complète
100g de Farine de châtaignes
6 CC de Graines de sésame
2 CS de Graines de lin
1 1/2 CS de Pétales de fleurs de pissenlit
2 CC de Sel de mer
1 1/2 CC de Poudre de malt
Du lait pour badigeonner les petits pains
Du sel en gros grains pour saupoudrer

Méthode:
1. Verser l'eau dans un petit bol.
2. Saupoudrer avec la levure et le sucre.
3. Bien mélanger et laisser reposer pendant 10 minutes, jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit mousseux.
4. Dans un grand bol (ou dans le bol d'un robot électrique avec le crochet pétrisseur), mélanger ensemble les farines, les graines, le sel, le pissenlit et le malt.
5. Ajouter le mélange levure/eau/sucre et mélanger jusqu'à ce qu'une boule de pâte se forme.
6. Mettre la pâte sur un plan de travail légèrement fariné et pétrir pendant 10 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit douce et élastique (vous pouvez aussi pétrir la pâte dans un robot).
7. Mettre la pâte dans un grand bol légèrement huilé/beurré et faites tourner la pâte dans le bol afin de bien l'enduire d'huile/de beurre. Couvrir avec du film alimentaire, puis avec un linge.
8. Faire lever, à température ambiante, jusqu'à ce que la pâte ait doublé de volume, pendant 1 1/2 heures.

9. Dégonfler la pâte et la mettre sur un plan de travail fariné.
10. Diviser la pâte en 8 morceaux égaux.
11. Façonner chaque pâton en petits pains de l'empereur (méthode).
12. Placer les petits pains au fur et à mesure sur la plaque de cuisson en les retournant (face nouée dessous) et couvrir avec un linge humide et laisser lever pendant 40 minutes, jusqu'à ce que les petits pains aient doublé de volume.
13. Vingt minutes avant d'enfourner les petits pains dans le four, préchauffer le four à 190° C (375° F).
14. Au dernier moment, badigeonner les petits pains avec du lait et les saupoudrer avec le sel.
15. Cuire les petits pains pendant 20-25 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés et sonnent creux.
16. Sortir les petits pains du four et les faire refroidir sur une grille avant de les déguster.

Remarques:
Lors du pétrissage, si votre pâte colle, saupoudrer la d'un peu de farine (1 CS à la fois) sur votre plan de travail.
Après avoir badigeonné vos pains, vous pouvez aussi les saupoudrer avec du gros sel (j'ai utilisé du sel rouge de Hawaii).

Idées de présentation:
Ce pain est délicieux avec presque n'importe quoi (fromages, pâtés, confitures...) et peut être mangé à toute heure de la journée.