Rieska

My office at work used to be a one-bedroom apartment.  (Yes, the place at which I work is rather unique.)  Some of the apartments have been remodeled  to either connect apartments into larger office areas or to at least remove the kitchen, but my kitchen remains.  While the original range is defunct, I have at my disposal a refrigerator, a sink (with hot water), a microwave oven, and a countertop oven my husband picked up for me at Christmas.  The company is gracious enough to allow us to use these kitchen facilities, within reason.

I figure if the smokers can go outside and spend 10 minutes or something puffing away at tobacco several times a day, I can take a few minutes to do a little baking here and there.  So I have at times mixed up bread dough at home, then brought it down to my office to rise, be quickly shaped into loaves, and bake.  This means my office usually smells absolutely wonderful . . . a fact which has not escaped the notice of the guys who have the office next door.  (One day, after hearing them exclaim over and over about the smell in my office, I shaped cinnamon rolls at home, then brought them to my office for their final rise and baking, specifically so I could share.)

The other morning, I had wanted to make a kind of sweet roll, but as my kids had kept me busy in the morning, I found myself thumbing through my Sunset Cookbook of Breads after they had gone on the bus, looking for a quick bread, instead, sweet or not.  I found one:  Rieska, a barley or rye bread from northern Finland and Lapland.

I was struck by the ease with which I could transport this particular recipe to my office, so I quickly assembled the ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 cups barley flour or rye flour  (I had rye.)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk or light cream
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

At home, I mixed the dry ingredients and put them in a plastic zipper storage bag for transport.  I then grabbed a couple of 5-ounce evaporated milk cans and a stick of butter, put the whole thing in a plastic bag along with my cookbook, and headed down to my office.

After turning my oven on to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, checking my e-mail and doing the little things which needed to be done right away, I pulled my mixing bowl from my cupboard, grabbed a wooden spoon from the drawer where I keep all my kitchen implements, and emptied the plastic bag into the bowl.

As I do drink hot chocolate in my office, various mugs have found their way to my cupboards, so I measured two Tablespoons of butter into one of them, covered it with a paper towel, and melted the butter in the microwave.  With the remaining butter stick, I buttered the baking pan I keep in my office.

I mixed one of the cans of evaporated milk in with the melted butter and poured it into the bowl, then poured about 3/5 of the other can in, as well.  (I guessed.  I figured if the dough was too stiff, I could always add a little more.)  Mixing with a wooden spoon resulted in a reasonably smooth, but not too sticky and not too stiff dough.

I only had normal white flour in my cupboard, so after turning the dough out onto the baking pan, I floured my hands with that and started pressing it down to about 1/2 inch thick.  The recipe said to make it a 14-inch circle, but this pan would not allow that, so I ended up with a rectangle, more or less.

Time to prick it all over with a fork!

Baking time is supposed to be about 10 minutes or until lightly browned, but I goofed and ended up with closer to 12 or 13 minutes.  Sure smelled good!

When I pulled it out of the oven, my first thought was that it was going to be a brick.  It didn't look like it had risen much, if at all, and with the whole grain flour, I wondered what the texture would be.  (Of course, given that the recipe had directed me to prick the dough all over, it really is no wonder the bread didn't rise a lot.  That's usually the effect desired by pricking the dough.)

I was surprised to find that while the texture was not exactly fluffy, it was soft enough, especially when spread with plenty of butter, as the recipe suggested.  The hearty flavor also partnered well with the honey I coaxed out of my underused honey bear.  I justified eating three pieces by the fact that it was whole grain and therefore good for me . . . (right?) . . .

It actually feels fluffier than it looks.

I will probably make this bread again sometime, as it is very fast and easy to do.  This could even be made first thing in the morning, when I am getting the kids ready for the bus, to eat alongside their hot chocolate as we hold our morning scripture study.

But if not, it is a great addition to my "office cooking" list.

Hiivaleipa (Finnish Round Loaf)

Some years ago, I picked up a used book at a library support book sale.  It's old.  You can tell how old it is by looking at the original price on the cover:  $1.95.

Actually, it's not as old as I thought it would be, which just goes to show I have no idea how book prices have changed over the years.  This printing is from 1973, when I was . . . oh, who cares?  I was 4.

It's a Sunset cookbook, entitled Sunset Cookbook of Breads, and it is actually a nice collection of recipes from around the world, starting with the very basics.  (Although, strangely enough, it does not include a Southern-style biscuit recipe . . . No matter.  I have at least two other books with that one.)

At any rate, while looking for potentially appetizing recipes to try, I stumbled on Hiivaleipa, a Finnish bread.  This interested me for a few reasons:  1) it's Scandinavian, and I've been having fun with Scandinavian stuff lately, 2) my sister's husband served a mission for our church in Finland, several years ago, 3) it is round, and 4) it uses rye flour.  (Actually, the recipe can use whole wheat, but I thought it would be more interesting with rye.)

 Time for the ingredients!

1 1/2 cups hot water

2 Tablespoons butter or shortening (I used butter.)

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 package yeast, active dry or compressed (With my yeast, that's a little less than a Tablespoon.)

1/2 cup lukewarm water (for the yeast) 

3 cups whole wheat or rye flour

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or more . . . Naturally, the actual number will vary depending on the humidity of the room and whether you are mixing by hand or with a stand mixer.)

Oil (to grease the bowl in which you will be rising your bread)

Mix the yeast in the the 1/2 cup lukewarm water and allow to stand for about 5 minutes.

If you are using a stand mixer with a bread hook, measure the 1 1/2 cups hot water into the bowl and add the butter, sugar, and salt.  Mix it up a bit, which will both help the butter to get soft (probably won't melt all the way) and help it to cool down a little.  Add about 2 cups of the rye flour and mix.  Add the yeast mixture and mix, then put in the rest of the rye flour.  Add all-purpose flour and mix until the dough starts cleaning up the sides of the mixer as you go.  For more detailed directions on mixing a yeast bread in a stand mixture, see Mixing a Yeast Bread In a Stand Mixer.  When it's finished mixing, add a little oil in the bowl and allow the mixer to turn the dough around the bowl once to grease it, then remove the bread hook.  Twirl the bread dough around to make sure it's nicely oiled, then flip it upside down, with the oily side up.

If you are mixing by hand, roll up your sleeves.  Measure the 1 1/2 cups hot water into a large mixing bowl, then stir in the butter, sugar, and salt, and allow it to cool to lukewarm.  Add the yeast mixture.  Stir in the rye flour with a wooden spoon and beat it for about a minute.  Add 2 cups of the all-purpose flour and blend.  Turn it out on a floured board (the other 1/2 cup flour) and knead it for about 10 minutes, adding more flour if necessary, or until the surface is "satiny" (according to the directions . . . how is a bread dough surface "satiny"?  I'd say until it's smooth and has a dull shine, perhaps, but a better measure of finished kneading is whether or not it the dough holds it shape fairly well and doesn't stick to your fingers overly much.)  The directions in the book say to place the dough in a greased bowl and brush the top with salad oil, but I think that's silly.  It's too easy to miss places on the dough when you're brushing.  I prefer, instead, to put some oil in a bowl, then place the bread dough on it, twirl it around, greasing both the bowl and the dough in the process, then flip the dough upside down, so the oiled side is up.

Before rising.

Cover whichever bowl you are using for your rise with a slightly damp cloth and allow it to rise in a warm place until about doubled.  For this recipe, it can take about an hour.

After rising.

Punch down the dough and knead it lightly on a lightly floured board, then divide the dough in half.  Shape each half into a round loaf and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Press each round down with your hands until the dough is about an inch thick.

After shaping, before second rise.

Cover again with a damp cloth (or damp paper towels) and allow to rise about 45 minutes or until nearly doubled.

After the second rise.

Bake the loaves in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.

Smells so good!!

This loaf can be either sliced or cut into wedges which are then cut in half and buttered.  For this first fresh loaf, I decided to cut wedges for my junior taste-testers.

The verdict?  All four junior taste-testers thoroughly enjoyed their wedges with butter, eating them down to the last crumb.  (Me, too.)  It was nice to have a flavorful bread with a bit of variety in grain, for a change.  The next day, we sliced the remaining loaf and served it as an evening snack, along with meats and cheeses, to the family, including the senior taste-tester, who has declared the bread to be a "keeper".

It occurred to me, which hadn't really occurred to me before, that this bread might benefit by adding some humidity in the baking process.  According to what I have researched, the humidity in Finland is substantially higher than our desert climate.  (No real surprise there.)  Next time, I think I will spritz water into the oven at the start or put a dish of water on the lower rack.  Could end up with something even better.