Swedish Limpa Bread
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My grandfather has always been two.
That was always his answer when, as a child, I would ask him how old he was. It would send me into fits of giggles every time, playfully punching his stomach as I sat on his lap and asking other silly questions. Every year passed and I got older, graduated high school then college, got married, and had a baby. And truth be told, I don’t know what my grandfather’s actual age is. He’ll always be two.
I knew exactly what I wanted to do for this challenge as soon as I read it. Despite Sweden being the main country of my heritage, I had never made a single thing from its cuisine. Sadly I’ve barely even tasted it.
While chefs like Marcus Samuelsson are taking Swedish foods to modern levels, it seems that to the mainstream, the only Swedish food in existence is meatballs and lingonberries – and that’s because of IKEA. Some know about gravad lax or lefse, and the stories of lutefisk, but Sweden has more to offer.
Of course, the harsh winter climate lends itself to a certain type of eating – preserving has been a large part in Swedish culinary tradition, and oftentimes the meal had to be reduced to simple meals that gave you fuel, but not much to look at.
That isn’t to say Swedish food is devoid of flavor. Spices and herbs like fennel, anise, caraway, juniper and dill all lend a hand. Creamy sauces assist wild game and smoked fishes. Less becomes more as you learn to really taste what’s in the food.
While Swedish food did not appear often at my grandfather’s table, I have to wonder if he longed for it. He was a mechanic in the Navy but picked up some cooking along the way and continued to use his skills at home, although cooking for the younger versions of my brother, my cousins, and me probably did not lend to much experimentation when we were around. I do, however, remember there always being fresh loaves of vört limpa on the table. He would bake the limpa into small loaves so it would be the perfect size for a quick bite. As a child I hated it (I was quite the food brat as a child) but I knew instantly I would make it for this challenge. But what to pair with it?
Fish has a long tradition in Sweden, especially smoked or pickled fish, so that was where I headed. Salmon? Too pedestrian. Herring? I just can’t get behind something that is labeled as a “kipper snack”. Lutefisk? Yeah, we’re not going to go there.
Finally I settled on a dish called Janssons Frestele, or Jansson’s Temptation. The dish is said to be named after Swedish opera singer Pelle Janzon, and after it was published in 1940 it began appearing on smörgÃ¥sbord tables everywhere, especially the julbord (Christmas feast). (As a side note, the smörgÃ¥sbord is probably why Minnesotans are often known for serving “a little lunch”.)
This dish uses sprat, a small fish similar to sardines. The recipes I found for Jansson’s Temptation usually listed anchovy, although they said sprat is more authentic. Which meant, of course, that I had to find this Baltic fish in the middle of Texas. Thankfully, after coming up empty-handed at a few stores, I was able to snag a can and we were on our way.
What does sprat look like, you ask?
I freaked out a little but I was ready to tackle the task at hand.
Jansson’s Temptation
serves 6-8
5 to 6 potatoes, cut into large matchsticks
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
1 tin smoked sprat
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 400. Grease a large baking dish. Saute the onions in 2 tablespoon butter until just softened and translucent. If the sprat is not already filleted, halve them and remove the spine, if you’re weirded out by bones like me. Layer 1/3 of potatoes in the dish, and top with 1/2 of the onions and 1/2 of the sprat.
Repeat layer, and cover with remaining potatoes.
Pour cream over top and dot with remaining butter. Sprinkle on breadcrumbs.
Cover with foil and bake for approximately 1 hour.
Swedish Limpa Bread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups orange juice
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups rye flour
- 2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°F, turning off immediately once heated.
In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, butter, molasses, brown sugar, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds. Heat just until butter is melted, sugar is dissolved, and liquid feels about the same temperature as your inner wrist.
Pour into a mixing bowl and whisk in yeast and salt. Stir in rye flour, then add in AP flour gradually until dough is soft and pliable. It should still be somewhat sticky. Let rest for 20 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for approximately 5 minutes. Set in a large greased bowl, cover with a towel, and put into warmed oven. Let rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.
Punch down dough, divide in half, and shape into loaves. Place loaves on lightly floured baking pan or a greased bread pan. Cover and let rise on the counter until doubled, about 1 hour.
While dough is rising, preheat oven to 375°F. Once ready, slash tops with a floured serrated knife and place bread in oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until loaves are dark and crusty.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 238Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 340mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 6g
I served these dishes with a Swedish-style sausage purchased from my favorite sausage people, Kocurek Family Charcuterie. In Swedish sausage the meat is spiced and combined with potato before being cased. It was the perfect way to round out these two classic dishes. I hope my grandfather is proud of the way I chose to honor our heritage through food, and I can’t wait until the day I can visit Sweden and experience it all for myself.
That looks GREAT!
I have the exact same cannister for my flour, labeled EXACTLY the same way (same label font, label tape, etc.)
Is yours also getting a little too small? I swear I have to fill that thing every week!
@Dorothy at Shockinglydelicious, I P-Touch label my stuff too! I love my label maker!
beautiful post!
I just read a quote that said something like every great dish is formed in memory first. That’s where this post is from. Wonderful memories of times spent with a loved grandfather.
Now I have to go find some Sprat. It looks and sounds delicious. And the bread? I love the color of the sliced loaf. I can see me just piling the Janssons Temptation on the bread and eating it open faced. Mmm.
Thanks Robyn! I’m really grateful for your help in figuring out my bread problem. It really is the most beautiful bread I’ve ever made!
You sure did your grandfather proud Megan. This is so well written adn evocative, and the dishes so intriguing. Well done. You certainly hit this one out of the park. Good luck although I am sure we will see you in Round 3!
Thanks a ton Mardi 🙂
I really want to make Limpa! It looks super easy to make. COngrats on such a great post. Good luck onto next round!
@Noelle, I did have trouble with it but thankfully I had time to make it a second time. It was worth it! Thanks much!
What a cute story about your grandfather! I’m sure he’d be proud that you soldiered on through the sprat (I would have freaked too), and that you baked a lovely loaf of bread.
Seriously… tiny whole fish freak me out. Thank goodness they didn’t have heads!
I love swedish food actually, it is the polar opposite of indian food and I relish it for that. one of my very best friends growing up was swedish (her mom immigrated), and there were midsommers with the pole, cardamom infused pastries, st lucia and lots of fish. this looks delicious and I think you did a wonderful job.
Thanks! I thought of making St Lucia buns but it’s not the right time for it. So wonderful that you have so many memories of Swedish food!
Lovely story and recipes, as well. What a breath of fresh air to see something so different as Swedish food- great job with this challenge!
@Winne, Thanks!
I absolutely love the story behind this post and I feel like I actually learned something new from your post. Thank you for teaching me about Swedish food!!!
@Carol, Thank you so much! I had a great time writing the post.
simply fantastic. thanks for letting us learn about Swedish dishes. nice choice for challenge 2 🙂 hope we all make it to the third. good luck!
lovely story about your grandfather and a wonderful homage to your heritage. thank you for a great post!
I absolutely love both Jansson’s frestelse and limpa! Good luck with the competition!
I loved this, truly. The bit about your grandfather, the recipes. Really wonderful good luck!
Fantastic!! I would have freaked out opening that can LOL. I went with Jewish bagels for my challenge! It was so much fun!
@Steph – Thanks! I don’t know why little fish freak me out, but they do!
So it’s like a potato gratin with smoked fish inside? That sounds really good. I’m going to the 99 Cents Only store right away to look for some exotic sort of tinned smoked fish (they must have it, right?).
@Erika – Ha! I didn’t think to look at the 99 cent store but it seems like a perfect place to find it! Yep, it’s a gratin but without cheese. I thought I would miss the cheese but it’s good without!
Hi – I am born and raised in Sweden. Nice work on your Jansons frästelse and swedish sweet bread. You have my vote. Vote for me here: http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/974
Beautiful bread! You get my vote!
Nice entry. Good luck!
I did Swedish cuisine too! Potato dumplings and a princess cake. I really want to try Janssons Frestele! Excellent post. I might give it a try!
I love this! I made the same decision to try a classic dish from my own heritage and I’m glad others had the same idea. Exploring your own culture is so rewarding. Good luck and I voted for you! 🙂
Good for you for taking inspiration from your heritage! That bread looks delicious and together the lunch looks like something I could eat right this second. You gladly have my vote 🙂
it looks really good. and the bread looks amazing
sending a vote your way
I have to say that Jansson’s Temptation has always given me pause, despite my well-documented love of anchovies, but you actually managed to make it look appealing. The bread looks amazing, too.
I love anything with potatoes and smoked fish (yes, I even eat the bones) but it’s that bread that’s calling my name! I am intrigued by the mix of juice, molasses, rye flour and flavouring in it! Voted 🙂
Well, I did the meatball thing but this is truly outstanding! The bread is making my jowls water and the simple sprat dish is a perfect pairing. Your Grandfather would most definitely be proud. You got my vote!
The finished meal looked so good! That bread was gorgeous and I loved your story. Happy to find your blog through the contest. You got my vote….great job & good luck!
I really enjoyed your post. I traveled to Sweden last year and I LOVED the food, every bit of it. I had something similar to this in a small cafe, and I miss it so.
I so voted for you 🙂
You can see my entry at http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/973
Hope you vote for me!
Your childhood story and the stories behind Swedish dishes are priceless. You can always learn something new when it comes to food. But the bread, so beautiful, got my vote! Thank you~!!!
Lick My Spoon
I love your story about your grandfather and how you decided to choose Swedish food for this challenge. That limpa looks awesome! I can almost hear the crust crackling. Another vote heading your way!
Despite having been to Sweden a number of times, I have to admit that I remember little about the food, apart from the concept of smorgasbord and the regional affinity for rye breads. Having said that, I did go and make lefse for my PFB challenge, so between that experience and this post, I’ve just learned a lot more about Scandanavian food!
I loved reading the story about you and your grandfather. It was really nice to also learn about Swedish food from you! Everything you made looks wonderful, especially the bread. YUM!!! Great job with the 2nd challenge, I’m definitely voting for you!
Amazing post! That bread looks incredible, so tasty. I love how you showed everything.. every step of the way. I must say.. I am scared of the sprat, but the finished plate looks amazing!
I love that you chose to make Swedish food! I’ve got a little bit of Swedish heritage myself, and I’ve always been curious about the cuisine. From what I’ve seen here, there is lots of yummyness to be found! 😀
Very nice post. Good luck in PFB. You have my vote!
Great post! That loaf of bread is so perfect. I voted for you!
Good luck! =)
You can check out my PFB post at :http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/864
this looks delicious 🙂 Good luck with project food and you got my vote for this one! Feel free to drop by 🙂 Good luck and best wishes for making to the top !! WOOHOO
jen @ http://www.passion4food.ca
Sprat is a fun word to say anyways. 🙂 Can you buy them fresh like sardines? Maybe hat’s a silly question though…That bread is perfect! Just the thing to snack on all day.
Canned fish is pretty far out of my comfort zone, so I’m impressed. And the bread looks beautiful! You’ve got my vote 🙂
voted.
Oh, your bread looks so beautiful!
The only time I eat Swedish is when I am at Ikea, but I do love that lingonberry sauce. I am slightly obsessed with all things Swedish. You have an enthusiastic heart from me! Best of luck in round 2!!
Gorgeous photos and I love your writing! Thought definitely something I’d never tackle… Just voted for you. 🙂
You get huge points for writing the best first line ever: My grandfather has always been two. Love, love, love your post! Best of luck in moving to Round 3; you certainly have one of my votes!
this is fantastic and original. great post. i love the bread… chomp!
you’ve got my vote 🙂
What a beautiful way to tackle this challenge! I love that you explored your roots. I think that our own personal heritage is so important to who we are, and that includes our food heritage!
Thanks for stopping by my blog to check out my tamales! 🙂
I love your personal story w/ these dishes! I voted! Good luck 🙂
Great choice and the bread is beautiful! I did the untouchable, nostril offending lutefisk!
Your bread was just too gorgeous… I clicked the heart button before I even read the post – well done- Megan
What a great post! You’ve got my vote 🙂 I think your grandpa would be more than proud. He’d still be two, with a happy tear in his eyes.
XOXO best of luck!
p.s. I love your userpicture–it reminds me of my favorite movie of all time: Amelie.
simplicity is the hardest thing to accomplish!
I voted you. (You can see my post here: http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/869)
I really enjoyed reading this – the combination of your words and the lovely photos meant I could practically smell and taste these recipes. The Jansson’s Temptation really caught my eye. I have a Swedish friend here in Shanghai, so I’ll ask her if you can get tinned sprat anywhere.
Sent you a vote!
To me, both dishes look wonderful but I’m so impressed by your limpa. It’s beautiful. I tackled bread making for the challenge but mine didn’t come out like yours. I just voted for you.
Your grandpa sounds like he was a wonderful man and you did him proud with this lovely post. I surely would love to be served this plate! Voting now, and Here’s to both of us hopefully advancing to the next round.
I voted, beautiful bread!
Truly lovely post that garners a vote from me! I love IKEA, but I love your exploration into Swedish food even more 🙂
My own entry, Indian dessert Gulab Jamun, is soaked in rosewater, cardamom, and saffron syrup as well as lots of sweet memories.
Beautiful post and omg the bread looks divine. You have one of my votes. Best of luck to you!
I enjoyed reading your post and admiring your photos. A very nice answer to the challenge. I voted for you.
A terrific meal.
If you wanted to substitute something for sprats due to availability, would you recommend anchovies, herring, sardines, or something else? What do the sprats taste like right out of the can?
looks great I bet your grandfather would be proud if he saw it…looks authentic to me and im a native Swede. You got the bread nice and rustic…perfect meal for the winter season that is around the corner….most swedes actually only eats Janzons temptation around x-mas but some use it as comfort food…
If you ask me simple things are by far the best…
If you’re ever in Chicago in the winter, you need to head to Tre Kronor restaurant for some of the best Swedish food in the U.S. It’s on the north side of the city (across the street from North Park University, founded by Swedes in 1892). They have amazing Swedish food year ’round, but in December they host a julbord, complete with gravlax, lutefisk, numerous kinds of herring, potatiskorv, Janssons frestelse, limpa, hardtack, and so much more. It’s $50/person, but you can stay for two or three hours and go back as many times as your stomach will let you! This regular customer — of 100% Swedish heritage herself — promises you will not be disappointed.
Your bread is beautiful! I love rye bread but have never made or tasted limpa. I’m really intrigued by the addition of orange juice. It certainly gives the crumb a nice color. 🙂
Love these recipes! I’m a Swede in San Antonio, TX and I would love to know where you found the Sprats?
Hi there! I honestly can’t remember if I got them at Central Market or Whole Foods, but it was one of the two!
Well I’m born and bread swedish and this has me scratching my head.
The bread u posted looks great but does not look like traditional limpa.
Jansons Frestelse is ALWAYS made with anchovies and nothing else. This is not authentic nor correct.
I do understand that recipes change when people come to a new country, I’m sure that’s what happened here.