Why is bread in Iceland so good?

Rú*gbrauð, also referred to as Icelandic volcano bread, is distinctive for being baked using the natural geothermal heat of the earth . This dense and sweet rye bread has a unique flavor, often enhanced by the addition of ingredients like golden syrup.

What is the famous bread in Iceland?

Locals call it rugbraud , but it's also referred to as 'thunder bread' or 'hot spring bread'.

Where in Iceland do they bake bread in the ground?

A lot of people still bake this way in Laugavautn . It's a tradition that we put a stone on top to let the other locals know that we are baking here. This is a daily practice for Hilmarsson. Once the pot is buried, he waits about 24 hours before returning to dig it out.

What is the number one food in Iceland?

This boom in fisheries led to fish becoming a staple of the Icelandic diet. Today, you'll see a mix of both preserved and fresh foods in Icelandic homes. Horse meat is no longer banned and salted meat is rare. Fish remains the main food source in Iceland.

What is the most eaten food in Iceland?

Cod, salmon, and haddock are the most common, along with langoustines, a favorite for most local gourmands. “Lobster is also one of the best things Icelanders eat. The small Icelandic langoustine is incredibly tender and delicious and an expensive favorite for many, myself included,” Halldorsson laughed.

Icelandic Brown Bread Recipe - from Bake.Eat.Repeat. (2024)

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Easy to make, slightly sweet, soft and perfect for your morning toast – this Icelandic brown bread is amazing. You need to try it!

So, anyone out there ever had Icelandic brown bread? Yeah….didn’t think so.

This maybe isn’t a recipe that the masses are clamouring for. But you know what? They should be. It’s a fantastic, easy to make, brown bread that is a bit sweet, super soft, and just perfect for your morning toast.

So why Icelandic brown bread? Well, because I’m part Icelandic and so I had it fairly often growing up. My grandma’s family is from Iceland, although I’ll be honest, I haven’t really had a ton of Icelandic food. There were the few things that we would have at my Grandma’s house whenever we were visiting, but that’s about it. And occasionally my dad would bring home some dried fish and he and I would happily inhale it (being the only two in the house that actually liked it! As a side note, I haven’t had that in years – I wonder where I can find it?).

I have a couple of Icelandic recipes from my Grandma, although I haven’t yet attempted to make my favourite of all, a cake that she made every Christmas. It’s so good though, andI might need to try making it this year, just so that I can share it with you!

The one I make on a regular basis is this one – Icelandic brown bread. This recipe was from my great Aunt, and was originally meant to be made in a bread machine. But I never did really care for the strange square shaped loaves that you get out of a bread machine and so I haven’t used one in years. If you prefer to use one though, this recipe works well on the whole grain setting – it will make one large, 2 pound loaf.

I like it as two smaller 8×4 inch loaves, made in bread pans. Either way, it’s the perfect bread for toast. We love it toasted for breakfast with peanut butter or jam.

Icelandic Brown Bread

Easy to make, slightly sweet, soft and perfect for your morning toast - this Icelandic brown bread is amazing. You need to try it!

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup (315mL) warm water
1/4 cup (57g) butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons (6g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (105g) brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup (90g) molasses
2 teaspoons (12g) salt
2 cups (10oz, 280g) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups (12.5oz, 350g) whole wheat flour (plus up to 1/2 cup (2.5oz, 70g) extra, if needed)
1 tablespoon (11g) instant yeast

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or dough whisk, combine the water, butter, sugar, brown sugar and molasses.
Add the salt, all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 cups (350g) whole wheat flour and the yeast.
Mix with the dough hook until everything is combined.
After mixing for a minute or so, the dough should come together and clear the sides and bottom of the bowl.
If it is too wet and sticky to clear the bottom of the bowl, sprinkle in a little more whole wheat flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the bottom of the bowl. It should be soft and slightly tacky to the touch, but not overly sticky.
Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes (12-14 by hand) until it is smooth and elastic.
Remove the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning it to coat, and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Allow it to rise until almost doubled, about 2 hours.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly oiled surface.
Divide it into two pieces and shape each into a loaf by pressing it into a thick rectangle and then roll it up from the long edge, pressing the seam as you do so.
Place each loaf seam side down into an oiled 8x4 inch bread pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
Allow the loaves to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they have almost doubled.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake the loaves for 50-60 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Icelandic Brown Bread Recipe - from Bake.Eat.Repeat. (2024)

Icelandic Brown Bread

Ingredients

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Why is bread in Iceland so good? ›