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Vörtbröd
Dark Christmas rye bread
Vörtbröd: Swedish dark Christmas rye bread with orange peel and spice
In Sweden the Christmas smörgåsbord (julbord) is never without vörtbröd, a dark, soft, slightly sticky rye loaf flavoured with wort, the sweet malty liquid brewers start beer from, plus dark syrup, orange peel, clove and ginger. It is sliced, buttered and eaten with the Christmas ham or with cheese. Many home bakers use dark beer, which contains alcohol; this recipe uses a non-alcoholic dark malt drink, which gives the same malty depth. It keeps for 4 days, and freezes well. Chef's tip: rye dough is sticky and never feels smooth like wheat; resist adding lots of extra flour or the loaf will be dry.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups non-alcoholic dark malt drinkor dark beer for adults
- 1 ¾ oz butter
- 10 ½ oz rye flour
- 10 ½ oz strong white flourplus a little extra
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 orangezest only
- 1 ¾ oz candied orange peelfinely chopped
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground fennel or aniseed
- 2 ⅝ oz raisins
- 1 tbsp golden syrupmixed with 1 tbsp hot water, to glaze
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Warm 1 ½ cups non-alcoholic dark malt drink with 1 ¾ oz butter and ½ cup dark syrup or black treacle until the butter melts, then cool to lukewarm (about 99°F).
5 minStep 2: Mix 10 ½ oz rye flour, 10 ½ oz strong white flour, ⅓ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp salt, 1 orange, 1 ¾ oz candied orange peel, ½ tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp ground ginger and 1 tsp ground fennel or aniseed in a large bowl.
Step 3: Pour in the warm liquid and knead for 8–10 minutes, then knead in 2 ⅝ oz raisins. The dough will be soft and tacky; dust it with a spoon of flour only if it is unworkable.
10 minStep 4: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until it has grown by half.
Step 5: Divide in two and shape into long loaves about 25 cm long. Set on a lined tray, prick all over with a fork and leave for 40 minutes, until puffy.
Step 6: Bake at 350°F (300°F fan) for 35–40 minutes, until dark and the base sounds hollow when tapped. A common mistake is baking too hot: the sugary crust burns before the dense middle is cooked.
40 minStep 7: Brush the hot loaves with 1 tbsp golden syrup, then cool under a clean tea towel so the crust stays soft.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vörtbröd take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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Perfect for:Christmas