Swedish Limpa, the easy way!

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Sourdough Bread

Plan ahead for when you will bake the bread - see chart at bottom of page

1. In a large bowl combine flour and remaining dry ingredients. Add the butter, molasses, water and whey, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Stir in additional flour if dough seems too moist. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. (I put the dough in the bathroom with the door closed and the thermostatically controlled heater going on low, which kept the temperature at 74^oF.)

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Use a rubber spatula to knead the sticky dough in the bowl and leave it in the bowl and let rise for about 2 hours. [The original ordinary sourdough recipe calls for a brief kneading at this point (See Step 3) but this dough is too sticky and I find it unnecessary. So skip to Step 4.]

3. (optional) Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.

4. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

5. About 15 minutes before dough is ready, heat oven to 430 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) greased with coconut oil in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Using a clean rubber spatula, scrape the dough into the hot pan. [If you do step 3, slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up]; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yummy with real butter!

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.

Adapted from a recipe for No-Knead Bread by Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery, seen in The New York Times, November 8, 2006

Adapted from a The New York Times November 8, 2006 Recipe, which was adapted from Jim Lahey, at Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1-1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

3 cups kamut or spelt, freshly ground (or fresh whole wheat flour), more for dusting (about 2 cups grain berries)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1 3/8 cup water
1/4 cup whey or yogurt (1 5/8 cups total liquid)

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups liquid, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Use a rubber spatula to knead the sticky dough in the bowl and leave it in the bowl and let rise for about 2 hours. [The original ordinary sourdough recipe calls for a brief kneading at this point (See Step 3) but I find it unnecessary. So skip to Step 4.]

3. (optional) Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.

4. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

5. About 15 minutes before dough is ready, heat oven to 430 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) greased with coconut oil in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Using a clean rubber spatula, scrape the dough into the hot pan. [If you do step 3, slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up]; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yummy with real butter!

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.

Plan ahead for a convenient time to knead and bake the loaf. Here are some suggested times.