Archipelago bread (Saaristolaisleipä)

This dark, dense, malty loaf – a traditional bread of the archipelago off the south-west coast of Finland – is a favourite of the pre-Christmas period.

The recipe here is adapted slightly. Instead of just syrup, I have added honey (for flavour), and treacle, muscovado and dutched cocoa powder to emphasise the bread’s dark, almost black, colour, and added malt extract to bring out the maltiness a little more than just malted grains do on their own. For the white flour, I used around two-thirds ordinary strong white and one third Canadian strong white, with a teaspoon of vital wheat gluten as well. The bread improves with being left a couple of days before slicing into it.

Ingredients

120g dark rye flour
320g strong white flour
100g bran (wheat or oat)
120g chopped malted grain (rye)
50g muscovado sugar
2 tsp dutched cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
6g dried yeast
75 ml golden syrup (5 tbsp)
15 ml malt extract (1 tbsp)
15 ml treacle (1 tbsp)
15 ml honey (1 tbsp)
600 ml buttermilk

Method

Malted grain: optionally, soak overnight in half the buttermilk.
Muscovado: optionally, liquidise with half the buttermilk (to avoid the tiny hard lumps).
Mix all the ingredients together vigorously.
Spoon the mixture into two small lined panibois or other containers.
Let rise in proofing oven or warm environment until 1½–2 times larger (≈ 4 hrs).
Preheat oven to 175° (165° fan).
Cook for 1 hr in bread cloche, or in bread tins in lower part of oven.
Remove cloche lid.
Brush tops of loaves with syrup water.
Cook for further ¾ hr (without cloche lid).
The loaf should be fairly soft, almost like a malt loaf (but with harder crust).
Allow to cool in oven for ½ hr.
Remove, and leave to mature for at least two days.

Added by: CliveTolley

Related products

Cut Malted Rye Grains (306)
Once malted, the rye grains are dried at a higher temperature which gives them a strong flavour.

Organic Chopped Rye for Pumpernickel (607)
The whole rye grain crushed into two or three pieces and used traditionally in the preparation of pumpernickel bread.

Organic Dark Rye Flour - Type 1350 (603)
A wholemeal rye flour used to make dark rye breads.

Organic Light Rye Flour - Type 997 (601)
Our founder, John Lister, visited the 18th century mill of Michelbacher Mühle, west of the ancient city of Cologne, in order to learn how to mill this traditional rye flour.

Related articles

Choc Chip cupcakes

Moist and chocolate goodness

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Quick, simple and oh so yummy! This recipe can easily be halved, but it's best to make the whole batch because they store amazingly well in the freezer

Dark Rye Bread with Raisins, Sultanas and Seeds

A delicious, chewy, satisfying nutritious rye bread packed with flavour from the added dried fruit and seeds

North European Loaf

Dark, dense and fragrant sourdough loaf, perfect with butter

Rustic rye and malthouse bread

Sourdough bread with a crunchy crust and delicious malty flavour!