Rúgbrauð Icelandic Rye Bread (No Yeast, Slow Cooked)

Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love. 

This recipe for Rúgbrauð Icelandic Rye Bread came from my friend Gudmunda. While you make this Icelandic staple, make sure to listen to my podcast guest, Chef Stefan, episode, Whale, Puffin, Horse and Icelandic Fish Stew. Chef Stefan is the owner of one of Reykjavik’s most famous restaurants, þrír Frakkar and I'm sure you will learn a lot about the whaling industry, some history of Iceland, tourism, and of course, Icelandic food.

Baking bread is normally a daunting task, but this recipe is nothing to be afraid of. You simply throw all of the ingredients together in a Le Creuset dutch oven and then bake it overnight, and in the morning, you will have bread that has a slightly sweet flavor that is dense, chewy, and delicious.

P.S. This Icelandic bread pairs perfectly with Plokkfiskur, a fish stew, from my podcast guest, Chef Stefan, both of which are essential food staples from Iceland.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Rye flour - Dark rye flour
• Whole wheat flour - Since this recipe uses whole wheat flour, it is not a gluten-free recipe. Substitute any 1-for-1 gluten-free flour or maybe try Sorghum flour or Amaranth flour for more similar flour to a dense whole wheat flour. (Here is a larger list of gluten-free flours from The Kitchn).
• Baking soda
• Dark syrup - Substitution: maple syrup, molasses, or golden syrup. I used half honey and half molasses when I made my bread.
• Buttermilk   

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together 
• Pour dough into a Le Creuset dutch oven with a lid and bake for 10-12 hours or overnight.

Icelandic Traditional Method of Making Dark Rye Bread 

You might have noticed the extremely slow baking time for the bread above in the instructions, and while you might be worried about your electricity bill after making this loaf, the traditional way this slow-baked bread was made was made without electricity at all and was actually kept outside, buried in a hole. Iceland is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is in between two tectonic plates and is a place for Earth's mantle to come to the surface. How is this relevant to rye bread? Well, Iceland is on a hot spot and in the ground, making the ground near geysers or hot springs perfect for low and slow baking using geothermal heat. Simply make the recipe, place it in a sealed container, dig a hole near a natural hot springs, put it in the hot water, cover it with sand, and wait anywhere between 12 and 24 hours, and you'll have a hearty rye bread that used no electricity. 

Now you know where the many names of this bread came to be: thunder bread, volcano bread, hot spring bread, geysir bread, or simply Icelandic Rúgbrauð.

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Dutch oven with lid or loaf pan (Click here to see a zillion options for beautiful Le Creuset Dutch Ovens)
• Aluminum foil (optional if you don't have a lid)

Storage

• Make sure that the bread has cooled down to room temperature, then wrap it in a towel or place it in a paper bag and leave it in a cool, dry place for up to a week.
• If you are freezing your bread, place in freezer bags and it will be good for up to 3 months. 

Listen to Chef Stefan's Episode Now

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