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THE LOCAL RECIPES

BREAD

How to make traditional Swedish spelt bread

Swedes love making bread, so join the nationwide cult and start kneading. Here's one of The Local's favourite recipes by food writer John Duxbury.

How to make traditional Swedish spelt bread
Swedish spelt bread. Photo: John Duxbury/Swedish Food

READ ALSO: Inside Sweden's secret hotel for sourdough fans

Spelt has a lovely, nutty flavour and it naturally proves and rises more quickly than wheat flour, so it is quicker to make a loaf of bread using spelt flour. This recipe gives consistent results, and yet it is very easy.

Summary

Makes: 1 large loaf

Preparation: 50 minutes + 90 minutes rising time

Ingredients

300 g spelt flour

200 g strong white flour

7 g dry yeast, usually 1 packet

325 g lukewarm water

10 g sea salt (2 tsp)

1 tbsp honey

Flour for dusting

Method

1. Fit a dough hook to a stand mixer, such as a kMix or KitchenAid.

2. Combine the flours and yeast in the mixer's bowl, stirring to ensure that they are evenly mixed.

3. Add 325 g of lukewarm water, 10 g (2 tsp) of sea salt and 1 tbsp of honey to a jug. Stir until the honey and salt are both dissolved.

4. With the motor running on minimum, slowly add the liquid mixture to the flours.

5. When all the liquid has been added, increase the speed to 2 (kMix) or 3 (KitchenAid), for five minutes. You should end up with a ball of dough that is still slightly sticky.

6. Tip the dough on to a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball.

7. Clear out the bowl and then lightly flour it. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a shower cap, cling film or a cloth and leave to rise in a warm, draught-free place for about one hour, until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

8. Tip the dough on to the floured surface again and push down on it a couple of times to knock the air out of it.

9. Either shape it into a log and plop it into a floured 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin, or shape it into an oval as shown above and then place the loaf on a floured baking sheet.

10. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm, draught-free place to prove until it has doubled in size again, which normally takes about 30 minutes.

11. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C.

12. Place a tray of boiling water at the bottom of the oven (this helps to keep the bread moist, but take care when opening the oven).

13. When the dough has doubled in size, dust the bread lightly with flour and then make a cut along the length of the bread using a sharp knife, adding some diagonal cuts it desired. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until it has turned golden or the inner temperature has reached 95C.

14. Leave the bread to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Tips

– For variations, incorporate 115 g mixed seeds, such as linseed, sesame, pumpkin or sunflower into the dough after step 8 or replace the honey with black treacle.

– It is important that the water is tepid because if it is too hot it will kill the yeast: the water should be between 35-45C.

– If you are making the bread by hand, increase the kneading time to 10 minutes.

– The recipe also works well with wholemeal spelt flour.

– If you don't use a loaf tin in step 9 the dough can sometimes spread out too much. If so, either lightly reshape with your scraper before flouring, scoring and baking, or transfer the dough to a floured 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin, recover and leave to prove for another 10 minutes before flouring, scoring and baking.

This recipe is published courtesy of John Duxbury, founder and editor of Swedish Food.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Five budget-friendly bars for a night out in Malmö

For Eurovision visitors, students or anyone else looking to have a good evening without breaking the bank, Malmö has plenty of pubs – which is good news for beer drinkers, as alcohol is famously expensive in Sweden.

Five budget-friendly bars for a night out in Malmö

Most of these are around the Möllan neighbourhood, which is more or less the centre of the city’s nightlife.

A general tip if you’re buying a beer anywhere in Sweden and aren’t too bothered about the exact one you get is to order a stor stark, literally a “big strong one”. These are usually half a litre of beer at around 5.5 percent ABV, so bear that in mind if that’s more than what you’re used to.

Nobes

Technically known as Gamle Nobes Bodega, everyone in Malmö calls it Nobes. Originally opened in 1937, Nobes is the closest you’re going to get to a British-style pub or German Bierhalle, with its tiled floor and rustic dark wooden décor.

As far as food is concerned, Nobes has some of the best traditional Swedish food in Malmö, with its kålpudding cabbage casserole, served with gravy, potatoes, pickled cucumber and lingonberry jam a must (it’s better than it sounds, we promise).

They have a dart board and sometimes have live music, and you can choose from a range of draft or bottled beers, ciders and wines.

Expect to pay a minimum of 60 kronor for a beer and around 160 kronor for food.

Address: Kristianstadsgatan 36

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 2pm-midnight, Fri 2pm-1am, Sat noon-1am and Sun noon-midnight

Ölkaféet

This is one of the most popular pubs in the Möllan neighbourhood, and that’s not just because it’s the unofficial supporters bar of the local football team, Malmö FF.

They’re cheap and cheerful, with reasonably priced pub grub, a heated outdoor seating area with views over the Möllan square and football matches on the TV, if that’s your kind of thing.

They even have a small library, a gallery wall with works by local artists, and board games like backgammon, checkers and chess, which you can borrow.

If there are no seats (it can get busy on the weekend), Vegan Bar next door is a good alternative, even for non-vegans.

A standard 50cl beer (veckans öl or “beer of the week”, despite the fact it hasn’t changed in years) costs around 65 kronor, with a burger costing around 140 kronor.

Address: Södra Skolgatan 43 – or just walk to the Möllevångstorget square and look for the bright blue awnings.

Opening hours: All days 10am-1am

Rex Pizzeria

Rex, on Nobelvägen, is probably the best example of a classic Swedish pizzeria that you can find in Malmö.

A warning: leave any expectation of Italian-style pizzas at the door, as Rex is firmly in the Swedish-style fulpizza category.

Their pizzas, such as the Tropicana, with cheese, tomato, ham, banana and curry powder, almost make a Hawaiian pizza look tame – although you can get more normal pizza toppings too if banana and curry is a bit too wild for you. They also have vegetarian and vegan options, for groups with allergies or other dietary restrictions.

Pizzas aside, Rex is also a popular pub with cheap drinks, shuffleboard and pool tables, and a nice outdoor serving area in summer. They often host quizzes, standup or other entertainment in their event room in the basement.

Beers cost around 60 kronor and pizzas range from 70 to 140 kronor.

Address: Nobelvägen 107

Opening hours: Tues-Sat 11am-1am, Sun-Mon 11am-11pm

Azalee

If you’re looking for a cheap bar which also provides the evening’s entertainment, Azalee’s your best bet.

This bar is a bizarre mix of casino, karaoke bar and pub, and an evening of karaoke here is equally as entertaining whether you’re getting up on stage yourself or just listening to the other guests get progressively worse at singing as the night goes on.

They offer classic pub fare at around 150-200 kronor and reasonably priced drinks.

Address: Claesgatan 8

Opening hours: Weds-Tors 4pm-1am, Fre-Sat 4pm-3am

Karaoke: Weds and Thurs, 8pm-1am, Friday and Saturday 8pm-3am

Blackjack Weds-Sat 6pm-close

Entry fee: 50kr after 11pm on weekends

Lion Bar

The picturesque Lilla Torg area of Malmö is not known for being cheap, but Lion Bar (a national chain) is an exception, offering a 40cl beer for under 40kr.

Food wise, they offer standard pub grub – nachos, buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, burgers and so on – with deals on some food items.

Unsurprisingly, the prices rise if you stray from the special offers, particularly if ordering cocktails or wine.

Address: Landbygatan 4

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 3pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 3pm-1am

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