Rye bread is the Finns favourite kind of bread. Made with only four ingredients, it is honest bread with a unique taste.
I fell in love with the Finnish rye bread from the start. And I have admit it is one of the first things I look for in the supermarket when back on Finnish soil and I make always sure to bring some home to freeze so I can enjoy them until my next visit. Additionally, I have started to also take back rye flour in order to make my own rye bread and karjalanpiirakka – although recently I have finally found some really good loval substitution, see tips below.
I love to eat ruispalat on its own or with salted butter and topped with sliced Oltermanni cheese and cucumber. However, rye bread also goes really well with soups like lohikeitto (salmon soup) or kurpitsakeitto (pumpkin soup).
Have fun baking and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Ruispalat
yields around 12 pieces
50 g rye sourdough starter, 100% hydration (get the recipe here; use rye flour to feed instead of white flour)
425 ml warm water
500 g rye flour
5 g fine salt
In a medium non-metal bowl mix the flour with the salt.
Mix the rye sourdough starter with the warm water in another bowl until it looks like cloudy water.
Knead until you have a soft dough.
Cover it with a towel and let it rest in a warm place for around four hours.
Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a generously floured surface, roll the dough into a 3cm thick rectangle and also dust the top of the dough with some flour.
Cut the rolled out dough into around 12 smaller rectangular shapes with a dough scraper or knife.
Transfer the pieces onto the baking sheets, poke small wholes into them and let them rise again cover with a cloth for around two hours.
Bake the ruispalat at 250 ° C for about 20-25 minutes.
- I used rye flour from Finland, however, you can substitute it easily by the Pro Montagna Whole Grain Rye Flour available at Coop supermarkets in Switzerland.
