Limpa Swedish Christmas Bread Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, molasses, butter, orange zest, salt, aniseed and boiling water; stir until brown sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Stir in cold water; let stand until mixture cools to 110° to 115°., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in molasses mixture; mix well. Add, all-purpose flour and 1 cup rye flour. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining rye flour to form a stiff dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 2 oval loaves. Grease 2 baking sheets and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Place loaves on prepared pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350° . With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across top of each loaf. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks; brush with butter.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, mix together molasses, water, brown sugar, fennel, and salt. Bring to boiling point, then gently cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add shortening. Let stand until lukewarm.
• Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Add cooled molasses mixture and mix well. Stir in the rye flour. Beat until smooth. Cover and let rise at room temperature overnight, about 9 to 10 hours.
• In the morning add 5 cups white flour, and place remaining 1/2 cup on a pastry cloth or board for kneading. Turn out the dough and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Cut dough in half and shape into 2 loaves (round is more traditional). Place in 2 greased 9 inch pie pans. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise until light, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Remove and brush tops with melted butter.

Steps:

• in a large bowl, combine sugar, molasses, 1/4 cup butter, the salt, anise and orange peel. Add 1 cup boiling water; stir until sugar dissolves and butter melted. Add 1 cup cold water. Cool to lukewarm. Check temperature of warm water with thermometer.
• Sprinkle yeast over water in measuring cup; stir until dissolved. Add to molasses mixture; mix well. Gradually add 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup rye flour; beat vigorously until smooth and dough leaves sides of bowl. Gradually add 3 cups rye flour.
• Mix in last of flour with hand until dough leaves side of bowl. (Dough will be stiff.) Turn out onto lightly floured pastry cloth or board. Knead until smooth and elastic - about 10 minutes. Place in lightly greased large bowl; turn dough to bring up the greased side.
• Cover with towel; let rise in warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, until double in bulk - about 1-1/2 hours. Grease a large cookie sheet, and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Punch down dough and turn out onto lightly floured pastry cloth or board. Cut in half.
• Shape each half into an oval. With palms of hands, on lightly floured surface, roll each half into a loaf, 12 inches long, tapering ends. Place on prepared cookie sheet, 5 inches apart.
• Cover with towel; let rise in warm place, free from drafts, until double in bulk - 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With sharp knife, make four diagonal slashes on top of loaf, 1/4-inch deep. Bake on middle shelf 35 minutes; cover with foil last 10 minutes, if necessary. Brush with butter. Serve warm, or cool on rack.

Steps:

• Combine hot tap water and orange juice. Check temperature of water mixture. Should be lukewarm. Mix the yeast, salt, honey, spices and orange zest with the water in a 5 qt bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food storage container.
• Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor [with dough attachment], Danish dough whisk, or a heavy duty stand mixer [with dough hook]. If you are not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
• Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used after initial rise though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days or divide into 4 1-lb portions and freeze in an airtight container for no more than 2 weeks. Thaw 24 hours before usage.
• On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 lb piece (grapefruit sized). Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Allow to rest and rise on a whole wheat flour covered pizza peel for 40 minutes. Mix together topping ingredients, enough for amount of loaves being made.
• Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler pan on any other shelf that will not interfere with the baking.
• Paint the surface with cornstarch wash and slash a cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top of the bread, using a serrated bread knife. Sprinkle with topping mixture. Cornstarch wash can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Allow to cool before slicing and eating.

Steps:

• Combine caraway seeds, fennel seeds, and anise seeds in a spice grinder; pulse until coarsely ground.
• Heat milk and butter in a deep saucepan, stirring occasionally, until butter melts and milk comes to a bare simmer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until milk registers 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) on an instant-read thermometer.
• Stir molasses and yeast into the milk mixture. Let stand until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, rye flour, sea salt, and orange zest; stir until dough forms a shaggy mass. Knead in the saucepan, adding more flour if needed, until dough is no longer sticky, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Turn dough out on a floured surface. Knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth and springy, about 7 minutes.
• Place dough in a large greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area until somewhat puffy, about 1 hour.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place dough on the baking sheet. Cover lightly with the towel or plastic wrap. Let rise until puffy, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Bread will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.