Emergency Bread

Makes one small loaf.

• Prep time: 10min + rising time
• Cook time: 30min
• Total time: 40min
• Difficulty: Basic

This Finnish bread is incredibly easy to make. In Finland it is also known as Hätäleipä (Hätä means emergency and leipä means bread). The process is as simple as mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. The dough requires no kneading in the traditional sense of the word, and is finished in a matter of minutes, if you don’t count the rising time.  That’s why they call it the emergency bread. Traditionally, you would use rye or spelt flour in this recipe, but I used buckwheat flour instead. The recipe was adapted from A Matter of Taste.

Ingredients:

• 7g dry yeast
• 240ml lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 50g buckwheat flour
• 190g bread flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and honey in lukewarm water. Let stand for 3-5 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in olive oil, salt and buckwheat flour. Stir in bread flour and then beat 50 times with a wooden spoon.
Turn the dough onto the sheet covered with baking paper, spreading it into a round shape. The dough is very loose and sticky, so don’t worry if it isn’t the perfect round shape. Sprinkle with some bread flour and let it rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake the bread for 30 minutes, or until golden.

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Commentary.

Category: Yeasted breads
Cuisine: Finnish

Emergency bread is what you need, my friend. You just mix a handful of ingredients in a bowl and beat them with a wooden spoon a few times. And there you have it – a perfectly good bread dough without even getting your hands dirty. The rising time gives you enough time to enjoy your cup of coffee, while the baking time allows you to set the table and get everything ready for a nice family breakfast. Pretty awesome, eh?

Thank you!