Limpa (Swedish for ''Loaf'') is a sweet Scandinavian

rye bread Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat ...

, associated with Swedish cuisine. It is a yeast-leavened spice loaf, sweetened with

brown sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

and

molasses Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods. ...

which comes in a large variety in regards to whether or not butter-enriched, and which spices are being used. Traditional bread spices are

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and t ...

caraway Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...

, fennel seeds, and

bitter orange Bitter orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the citrus tree ''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is probably a cross bet ...

. Typically baked during the Christmas season, the festive wort breads/loaves ( sv, vörtbröd / vörtlimpa) are flavoured with spices like

, and fennel seeds, and often orange rinds, raisins or sultanas, and dark beer, in addition to the wort. Its distinct taste and look is in large part due to the addition of wort to the dough, making it similar to a malt loaf. It is a typical dish for a traditional Christmas Eve or . Limpa bread pairs well with jams and jellies, or cream cheese.

Preparation

Limpa bread frosted in colors of Swedish flag (cropped)

The first step for making the bread is to bring molasses, brown sugar, caraway seeds, wort, and water to a gentle boil, then to add shortening or butter and citrus rind. Once this mixture has cooled to a lukewarm temperature it is combined with activated yeast and rye flour. The dough rises and more flour is added to knead the dough in preparation for a second rise, then the tops are brushed with melted butter and the loaves are baked. Some recipes add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients after the rye flour has been scalded with hot water.

Ingredients

Historically, this bread was leavened with fermented brewer's wort, hence its Swedish name vörtlimpa or vörtbröd ("wort loaf" or "wort bread"). Modern recipes do sometimes still use

stout beer Stout is a dark, top-fermented beer with a number of variations, including dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout, and imperial stout. The first known use of the word ''stout'' for beer, in a document dated 1677 found in the Egerton Manuscript ...

as an ingredient. The recipes vary, some replacing caraway with cardamom, or leaving out the orange peel; in the United States its most common form is an aromatic orange and spice loaf.

Molasses Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods. ...

adds color to the

brown bread Brown bread is bread made with significant amounts of whole grain flour, usually wheat, and sometimes dark-coloured ingredients such as molasses or coffee. In Canada, Ireland and South Africa, it is whole wheat bread; in the Maritimes a ...

, made with a blend of rye and other flours. Other flours blended in with the rye, depending on the recipe, can include cornmeal, whole wheat flour or all purpose flour. To add the orange flavor orange oil or orange zest can be used. Although not strictly traditional in the origin area of northern Sweden, some variations on the basic recipe may add raisins or prunes. This is however traditional in southern Sweden where wort bread was adopted later.;

References

{{Swedish bread Swedish breads Christmas food Scandinavian cuisine Rye breads Citrus dishes Yeast breads Sweet breads

Preparation

Ingredients

See also

References