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Fresh bread is one of life’s simple pleasures — and it’s even better when shared. One Hour Swedish Limpa Bread is a fast, flavorful take on classic Swedish rye: slightly sweet and gently scented with orange zest and toasted fennel seed. It’s ideal for toasting and is ready from start to oven in about an hour, so you can pull a warm loaf together for soup, stew, or an impromptu gathering.
The aroma of baking bread is impossible to beat, but knowing that you can have a fresh loaf in one hour makes this recipe especially delightful. Below are a few cook’s notes, followed by the ingredient list and clear instructions for mixing by stand mixer, food processor, or by hand. When the loaves come out of the oven, slice, spread with butter or jam, and enjoy.
Cook’s Notes
- I prefer a stand mixer with a dough hook, but the recipe includes instructions for a food processor and for mixing by hand.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat to prevent the loaf from sticking.
- I like shaping the loaves into ovals for even slices and uniform toasting, but you can shape them as rounds (boules) if you prefer.
- Slashing the top of the loaves gives steam an escape route so the bread keeps a neat shape instead of bursting unpredictably during baking.
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One Hour Swedish Limpa Bread
Ingredients
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (about 1 lb 9.5 oz by weight)
- 1 cup medium rye flour (about 3? ounces by weight)
- 2 Tablespoons instant yeast (also called bread machine yeast)
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt (reduce to 1 ½ tsp if using table salt)
- The zest of one orange
- 1 Tablespoon toasted fennel seed
- 2 cups very warm water (about 120°F)
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons molasses
Instructions
Mixing the dough by Stand Mixer (preferred):
- Combine the flours, yeast, salt, orange zest, and fennel seed in the stand mixer bowl fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low for 30 seconds.
- With the mixer running, slowly add the warm water and molasses, and add the butter. Mix on low until a smooth dough forms, about 4 minutes. Scrape any dough from the hook, shape into a smooth ball, return to the bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Mixing the dough by Food Processor:
- Combine the flours, yeast, salt, orange zest, and fennel seed in the food processor bowl fitted with the blade. Pulse 10 times.
- With the processor running, slowly pour in the warm water and molasses and add the butter through the feed chute. Process until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Let it spin 20 additional revolutions, then stop. Remove and shape into a smooth ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 15 minutes.
Mixing the dough by Hand:
- Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, orange zest, and fennel seed in a large bowl. Slowly add the warm water, molasses, and butter, stirring with a sturdy spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Knead by hand about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- If kneading in the bowl is difficult, turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead, then return it to the bowl. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.
To Shape the Loaves:
- Turn the dough onto a clean surface and divide it in half. Dust your hands with flour and shape each half into an oval or a round, pulling edges under to create surface tension.
- Place loaves 5–6 inches apart on a parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet (or lightly greased). Use a sharp knife to slash the top about 1/4 inch deep to allow steam to escape while baking.
To Bake the Loaves:
- Arrange racks in a cold oven with one rack on the very bottom and one in the center. Place the baking sheet with the loaves on the center rack and a bread or cake pan filled with very hot tap water on the bottom rack. Close the oven and set it to 400°F — start from a cold oven.
- Bake for 40 minutes. The crust should be deep brown and firm when done. Transfer the loaves to a rack to cool if you plan to slice them, or tear into pieces and enjoy warm with butter.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition based on the exact ingredients you use.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and use #foodiewithfamily so I can see your loaf!
This post originally published as a guest post on StephieCooks on October 1, 2014.