Swedish Syrup Loaf (Sirapslimpa)

This type of bread loaf reminds me of my childhood. It's called "Sirapslimpa" in Swedish and my mom used to make it a lot. Direct translation into English is Syrup Loaf. 

Swedes of my generation, as well as my parents', all have wonderful, nostalgic memories of eating this type of bread after coming home from school. You would come home and enjoy a slice of this buttered bread, perhaps even with a slice of cheese, or Kalles Kaviar (Swedish cod roe sold in a toothpaste looking tube), or salami, or pâté with sliced pickles on top (we Swedes are very creative with our spreads). And of course always served with a glass of fresh, cold milk. 😋

It's really a cosy kind of bread, sort of sweet, and perfect for those dark, cold winter afternoons when all you want to do is stay inside a warm house and "fika". But of course it's a hit all year round as my boys are happy whenever I make it. 😊

Swedes use rye flour in bread a lot because, in the days before good transport links existed, it was essential to use flours that could be produced locally. In most parts of Sweden that meant using rye flour as wheat was too difficult to grow. Although that is no longer so important, Swedes still love rye because it has a distinctive, deep flavour and it retains more nutrients, including higher amounts of fiber, than wheat.

It used to be difficult to make this bread here in Portugal, because it wasn't easy to find Kefir, dark syrup and the bread spices mix. However, in recent years many new dairy products have become popular here and now I can even get a hold of Kefir at my local supermarkets. I also found out (from lots of Internet research) that you can substitute the Swedish dark syrup by mixing an equal amount of Lyle's Golden Syrup with Lyle's Black Treacle. And regarding the Bread Spices mix (which is sold in a pre-mixed bag in Sweden), I just checked the Swedish bag I used and it said that it was a 16 grams of mixed, ground fennel, anise and cumin. These types of spices are easily found in Indian food stores for example.

Enjoy!

💗Helena

Ingredients:

• 1 liter Kefir ("filmjölk" in Swedish)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 400 grams rye flour
• 600 grams plain wheat flour
• 2-3 dl (200-300 ml) dark syrup (you can substitute by mixing an equal of amount of Lyle's Golden Syrup and Lyle's Black Treacle)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 16 grams Bread Spices mix (a mix of ground fennel, anise and cumin, called "Brödkryddor" in Swedish)
  
  
  
  
  

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 100°C on the convection setting.
2. Mix all the ingredients together, except the rye and the wheat flours. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Slowly add the flours to the mix until you get a smooth, heavy batter. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Pour the batter into a baking pan. Either grease the pan with butter or use a non-stick pan or cover the pan with parchment paper. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Bake the bread at 100°C for 1 hour. Then increase the temperature to 150°C and bake for another 30 minutes.
6. To see if the bread is ready, take a toothpick and stick it into the middle of the bread. If it comes out clean, the bread is ready. 
   
   
   
   
   
7. Let the bread cool in the pan under a towel for 30 minutes or so. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. This bread is so tasty you can eat it plain, or with just salted butter. But it also works well with various spreads.