Polar bread/Polarbrød

This fall has really had that "back to school"- feeling. I have started a new job at a school, and my husband is taking language classes four days a week. We used to eat lunch at work, but now we have to provide our own, so I have been baking on Sundays to fill our lunch boxes for the rest of the week.

Since Mike isn't too excited about bread, I have made a few batches of Crackerbread/Knekkebrød, but when I found a recipe for Polarbrød I knew I had to try it. He first tried Polarbrød some months back, and it was love at first bite. These are a healthier version of the one you can buy in the stores, not quite as soft and cake-like, but very tasty, and a lot cheaper as well. The recipe was found on Trines Matblogg.

POLARBRØD

Ingredients:

150 g oats, finely ground or oat flour
500 g whole grain flour (spelt, wheat or other)
300 g fine wheat flour
15 g fresh yeast or 6 grams dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4,5 dl milk
2 dl water
1 dl oil, for example sunflower oil

- First, make your own oat flour by grinding small amounts of oats with a hand mixer or food processor. You can buy oat flour as well, but this a quick and easy way to make your own.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the liquid with a temperature of about 25 C.
- If you have a standing mixer, mix everything on slow speed and let the machine knead thoroughly on medium speed for 10 minutes. You can also knead the dough by hand and get a little exercise...
- Let the dough rise to double size, for about 1 hour.

- Cut the dough in 24 pieces. I used a scale the make sure they were even, about 70 grams each.
- Use a rolling pin to make round breads about 1/2 cm thick and 10-11 cm across.

- Poke holes with for example a chop stick to avoid the breads from puffing up during cooking.

- Let the bread rise for another 10 minutes.
- Bake for about 9 minutes on 225 C

These little guys thaw quickly (in about half an hour) so it is best to store them in the freezer and get them out when you need them. If you need them for lunch they will definitely be ready if you get them out in the morning. You can also thaw/reheat them in a bread toaster or in the oven.

Rosemary raisin bread

One of my favorite recipes for bread is one by Jamie Oliver. This unusual bread is perfect with cheese, or even just butter when it´s fresh and hot from the oven.

Rosemary raisin bread

1 kg white flour
30 grams yeast
30 grams salt
30 grams honey/sugar
6 1/4 dl water

a large handful raisins, chopped
a bunch rosemary, chopped

Mix flour and salt.
Dissolve yeast and honey in lukewarm water.
Add water to the flour till mixed. This is where you add raisins and rosemary. You could potentially add anything you want right here: nuts, herbs, spices, seeds...
Then you knead the dough till it is firm and soft. Let it rise and double in size in a warm place.
This makes two large bread. Shape them the way you want, I like to let them live their own life, but you can use bread pans if you want, but then you might have three loafs instead.
Let the bread rise to double size again.
Make deep cuts in the bread with a sharp knife and bake on 180 C for about 25 minutes.

I think this bread is best the day you make it, but if you toast it lightly it will taste just as fine later.