I have a Finnish bread cookbook with many recipes. Unfortunately, my
Finnish friend is gone now & the little Finnish I have doesn't cover
food terms, though I can tell you that leipa & leiva (pronounced
Lye-vah, with an "a" sound that is hard to describe; it has two dots
over it, as in Swedish & Finnish, & sounds a bit like the "baah" of a
sheep. If there are any Finns or Finnish-speaking handy, I'll be glad to
copy these recipes & send them. There are a lot, inc. ones for that
splendid bread, pulla, flavored with cardamom & a holiday treat. Our
family's favorite bread.
Anyway, I do have a wonderful recipe for Finnish bread that I have made
for 30 years & it does taste to me like the breads I've had in Finland.
Here it is:
Finnish Rye Bread
3 c rye flour
2 1/2 c unbleached white flour
1 1/2 c hot water
2 T butter
1 T sugar
2 t salt
2 pkgs yeast
1/2 c warm water
Stir butter, sugar & salt into the hot water & let cool to lukewarm. Add
yeast to the warm water & allow to begin to bubble. Then add to the
first mixture in a large bowl. Mix in the rye flour & beat well. Add 2.
unbleached flour & blend well. Sprinkling the last half-cup of flour
onto a flat surface, knead for about 10 mins., adding more white
flour as needed (here in Louisiana, it is humid so I always need to add
a fair amount more.) Knead until smooth & shiny, roll into a ball &
place in a greased bowl. Rub the melted butter or oil over the surface,
cover bowl lightly & set in a warm place to rise. When an imprint of
your finger stays indented, it is ready. Should take about an hour.
Punch down, knead lightly, and divide into two round loaves. Place on a
nonstick or greased baking sheet & flatten them to about one inch thick.
Cover & let rise until almost double. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 mins
or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool on a
rack.
My children cut their teeth, literally, on this bread, though for them I
used whole wheat in place of the rye.
Jolly Joan bran bread
Does anyone have the recipe that used to be on the Jolly Joan bran
flakes box back in the 70's?? It is a wonderful, wonderful bread, light
rather than heavy, but delicious.