Swedish Limpa Bread

Recipe from Beatrice Ojakangas in Baking with Julia

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 2 round loaves

We thought this bread was just fantastic!  It was fun to make.  It’s slightly sweet with a hint of molasses, orange, and spices.  It has a lovely tight and tender crumb, making it easy to slice for sandwiches.

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon anise seeds

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ cup warm water (about 110F)

¼ cup molasses

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup packed dark brown sugar or Sucanat

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 ½ cups light or medium rye flour

5-6 cups bread flour

Molasses for glazing the loaf after baking

Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat until scalded: that, until a ring of small bubbles is visible at the edge of the pan.  Remove from the heat and let the milk cool.

Using a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder, or a coffee mill, coarsely grind the caraway, fennel, and anise seeds.  Don’t grind them to a powder…you’re aiming to crush them just enough to release their flavor.  Set aside.

Working in a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar into the water, stirring until the yeast is dissolved. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, or until it turns creamy, then stir in the cooled milk, the molasses, butter, brown sugar, salt, crushed seeds and grated orange zest. 

Whisk in the rye flour and stir until smooth.  Add 1 cup of the bread flour and whisk until the mixture is very smooth.  Switch to a wooden spoon and mix in as much additional bread flour, 1 cup at a time, as it takes to make a stiff dough.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.  Dust a work surface with bread flour and turn the dough out onto the floured surface.  Knead the dough of 5-10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.  (I had used 4½ cups of flour initially and then used another 1 cup of flour as I kneaded.) Rinse out the bowl, rub it with a little oil and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 1 hour.

Grease two 8- or 9-inch cake pans.  Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a work surface.  Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a round loaf that will fit into a prepared cake pan.  This is most easily done by working each half of dough into a tight ball between your cupped hands.  Keep turning the ball between your hands and then, when it’s tight, place it in one of the pans, smooth die up, flattening the dough as necessary to fit the pan. 

Cover the dough with the oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until the loaves almost double in volume, about 1 hour.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375F.  Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes or until a wooden skewer instead into the top of the bread comes out clean.  As soon as you remove the loaves from the oven, turn the loaves out of their pans and brush their tops with molasses.  Cool the loaves on a wire rack.

The breads will keep at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for 2 days.  For longer storage, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 1 month.  Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.