Knäckebröd
The Recipe
Hatty has been baking Swedish hard tack… I wrote the recipe down as dictated over the phone from my mother, so it is a little confused-looking. The other side of the card says:
7) divide dough in half and form two loaves; or for knäckebröd, divide in half and form each half into 8 – 10 equal balls.
8) let rise about two hours for bread; or roll into circles, and over-roll with knäckebröd rolling pin and place on baking sheets.
9)Bake 35 – 40 minutes at 350 F for bread; or at 475 for 5 minutes one side, turn and bake 3 more minutes on the other side for knäckebröd.
Divide and roll
I like this recipe since it has good memories for me…but basically you can make crackers with any bread recipe.
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Special Rolling Pin
If you don’t have an awesome Swedish or Finnish rolling pin, you can prick the flat rounds with a fork to dimple it. In the old days there would be a circle cut out of the middle of the flat bread, so the breads could be stored in the rafters on poles.
Cookie Sheet
Put them on baking sheets,
baked
take them out!
Hard Tack?
…and impress your friends!
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Yeah, Hatty! Baking and friends and tea?….what a nice combination as I think about it for this rainy, cold day here. Thanks for the warmth.
We had fun baking them, and had a few pieces for lunch…they were very nice and fresh, but there was a kitchen disaster later, while they were drying in the oven😢
Your rolling pin is wonderful! Such lovely patterns!
It is a glorious rolling pin – I bought it in Helsinki!
I have made crackers but never with yeast..will have to try this. I like your rolling pin..and I love the photos.
The light on the breads waiting to go in the oven caught my eye! Hatty had been jumping up and down on the counter, but that was the moment I got out my camera…so there aren’t any pictures of the messy beginnings of bread-making!
Hatty is a delightful teacher of how to bake these little Swedish goodies. I can almost taste them with a little bit of cheese or jelly with my afternoon tea. The hand written recipe by your mother is so poignant. I cherish the ones of have in my own moms handwriting.
We like to eat them with cheese AND jelly – I think it must be the Argentinian in me!
Sorry, I wish I could change the last sentence…I don’t know how. The recipe still has memories of you talking to your mom on the phone and that is the point…special memories and tradition no matter whose handwriting it is in.
Memories are funny things, odd things make them pop up, I know what you meant. My mother’s handwriting and cooking style were haphazard – the only recipes I have of hers are ones I wrote down myself. I did have one of her old cookbooks but had to find a new copy that didn’t have all my favourite recipes inside pages that were glued together with kitchen mess.