ICELANDIC RYE BREAD

INTRODUCTION:  ALMOST TASTES LIKE IT CAME FRESH FROM THE GROUND

Having traveled to Iceland many times, I can confidently say that one of my favorite experiences is eating fresh sweet rye bread that has been geothermally baked in the earth; while it is still warm, the slices are covered in butter and can be accompanied by smoked salmon.  If you ever find yourself in Iceland, you should visit Laugarvatn Fontana and have some of this delicious bread yourself! 

Traditionally, in areas that have high geothermal activity, one can find boiling water just a few inches beneath the surface of the soil.  At Laugarvatn Fontana, the bread is prepared, put in a metal pot, wrapped generously in plastic wrap and placed in the ground for roughly 24 hours before it is dug up to be enjoyed.  Unfortunately, I don't think I would be able to follow the genuine recipe and bake this bread in the ground, but I did find an excellent recipe that does this amazing sweet bread some justice.  Link Below.             

YIELD
The recipe below will yield one 9" loaf of sweet rye bread that can easily serve a group of 20 or more people.  The bread is very dense and sweet, almost like a cake.  Usually, I will cut a larger slice through the loaf and then cut this into 4 smaller pointed slices.  These smaller servings are perfect and easily shared / enjoyed.    

INGREDIENTS 
DRY INGREDIENTS

• 4 1/2 cups (477g) King Arthur Organic Rye Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Salt
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

WET INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups (454g) Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup (168g) Honey
• 1/2 cup (170g) Molasses
• 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

DIRECTIONS

PREPARE TO BAKE

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). 
2. Lightly grease the bottom an sides of a 9" loaf pan with a stick of butter.  

MAKE THE DOUGH

1. In a larger bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients:  Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, and Baking Soda.
   
2. In a separate bowl, combine and whisk the wet ingredients:  Buttermilk, Honey, Molasses, Maple Syrup
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together and mix until a dark, thick and gooey dough is formed
4. Transfer the dough into the pre-greased loaf pan and gently smooth it with a baking spatula to have it fill the loaf pan  
5. Place the lid or aluminum foil onto the top of the loaf pan (lave some space for the bread to grow) and place into the pre-heated oven
6. Bake the bread for about 2 hours. Turn off the oven and remove the foil from the top of the loaf pan. Leave the loaf in the turned-off oven for another 10 - 15 minutes.
   
7. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool for about 5 minutes more in the pan.  
   
8. Gently turn the pan over so that the bread gently slides out onto a cutting board.
   
9. Slice and enjoy warm with salted butter, smoked salmon, or whatever else you may like. 
   

STORAGE
To store the bread, I gently wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator.  The next time you would like some bread, take the loaf out of the refrigerator, slice it, microwave it to warm it up, and enjoy.  

ENJOY!  

The original recipe I used is shown below:
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/icelandic-rye-bread-rugbraud-recipe