Polar Swedish Bread
If you like flatbread, then you will love today’s recipe! Polar bread is a variety of flatbread that is popular across Sweden.
There are two versions of polar bread you can find: a traditional recipe with barley and milk, and a more modern one with wheat flour, rye, and yeast.
This time I went with the modern variety. I choose this one because it is more versatile in the terms of flavor and can be served just like a tortilla with most dishes.
Is This Bread Different From Other Flatbreads?
Polar bread is a fairly simple flatbread that is made with a few base ingredients and cooked in a skillet.
The dough of this Swedish bread is seasoned with either whole fennel seeds or ground fennel, giving it a spectacular, almost licorice-like flavor.
Polar bread may at first glance looks like any other type of flatbread, but traditional recipes do utilize a special ingredient.
This secret component is the hjorthornssalt, or the deer horn salt. This ingredient doesn’t contain deer horns or anything like that (it did in the past, but not these days), but it’s rather a form of ammonium bicarbonate.
This “salt”, or ammonium bicarbonate, is often used in Swedish recipes, such as this one, as a baking agent for biscuits and flatbreads.
During the cooking process of the dough, this ingredient release gases and carbon dioxide, but not water. The end result is a lighter, airy flatbread.
This particular ingredient can be pretty hard to get a hold of outside of Sweden, so I opted for a dry-active yeast which works as a pretty close approxiamation.
However, if you do have access to this special ingredient, be sure to try it out! It may take your polar bread up that extra notch.
Is This Bread Difficult To Make?
Flatbreads are normally fairly easy to make, and this one is no exception. All you’ll have to do is combine dry ingredients, add liquid, stir it, knead it, and let it rest. Not too complicated!
Once the dough is raised, you’ll have to divide it into balls, roll each one out to a flat, tortilla-like shape and cook it in a skillet for about 1 minute on each side.
Fast, easy, and delicious, and the best thing is that it can be served with either sweet or savory toppings!
How To Serve Swedish Bread
As mentioned earlier, the bread can be served with either sweet or savory toppings. Here are some of my favorite combos:
Savory:
- Cream cheese, smoked salmon, arugula
- Crème fraiche, canned sardines, boiled potatoes
- Horseradish, shrimps, and hardboiled eggs
- Cream cheese, feta cheese, fresh tomatoes
Sweet:
- Apricot jam, cubed Gran Padano
- Blackberry jam, Camembert, and fresh blackberries
- Fruit salsa
- Hazelnut spread, raspberries
Can I Use Something Else Instead Of Fennel Seeds?
Fennel seeds are a special touch to polar bread that give it such a delightful, unique flavor. It’s what sets this flatbread apart from other breads.
However, if you’re not a fan of fennel seeds, don’t have any on hand, or maybe you’re looking to try something else, here is what you can opt for:
- Anise Seeds: Anise and fennel have an almost identical flavor and aroma, with the licorice flavor being more prominent in anise seeds.
- Caraway Seeds: Caraway, also known as meridian fennel, also has a taste and scent very similar to anise. It is often used to flavor bread with rye flour, which this polar bread has in it!
How To Make Polar Swedish Bread
Step 1
In a saucepot combine butter, fennel seeds, honey, and milk.
Once the butter is melted and the milk is warmed, remove it from the heat. Allow it to cool down before you whisk in the yeast.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, rye flour, and salt.
Step 3
Pour in the milk mixture and add crème fraiche.
Stir until the dough comes together.
Transfer the dough onto a kitchen counter and knead for 20 minutes.
Step 4
Shape the dough into a ball and place in an oiled large bowl. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rise for 2 hours. Transfer the dough to a fridge and let it rest overnight.
Remove the dough from the fridge 2 hours before you start working with it.
Divide the dough into nine equal parts. Let the balls stand for 15 minutes.
Step 5
After 15 minutes, roll out the balls to an 8-inch diameter.
Prick the surface of each bread with a fork. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook the bread for 1 minute per side. Place the bread on a clean kitchen cloth and wrap it, while the others are cooking. This will keep the bread warm.
Serve the polar bread as desired.
Polar Swedish Bread
This Swedish flat bread is perfect for all kinds of toppings! Best of all, this recipe is easy and totally delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup rye flour
- 4 oz. crème fraiche
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1 tsp yeast
- 2 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- In a saucepot combine butter, fennel seeds, honey, and milk.
- Once the butter is melted and the milk is warmed, remove it from the heat. Allow it to cool down before you whisk in the yeast.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, rye flour, and salt.
- Pour in the milk mixture and add crème fraiche.
- Stir until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough onto a kitchen counter and knead for 20 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in an oiled large bowl. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rise for 2 hours. Transfer the dough to a fridge and let it rest overnight.
- Remove the dough from the fridge 2 hours before you start working with it.
- Divide the dough into nine equal parts. Let the balls stand for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, roll out the balls to an 8-inch diameter.
- Prick the surface of each bread with a fork. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the bread for 1 minute per side. Place the bread on a clean kitchen cloth and wrap it, while the others are cooking. This will keep the bread warm.
- Serve the polar bread as desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 221Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 172mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 4g
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