Finnish Malt Bread/Mallas Leipää

Rye %:51%

Stages:Scald, Final dough

Leaven:Instant yeast

Start to Finish:4-4½ hours

Hands-on Time:30 minutes

Yield:Three 1¾ lb/800 g loaves

One of the breads I discovered on Baltic Rye Tour 2018 was this simple and lovely Finnish malt bread. I first tasted it at the Wi-Box Bakery in Raseborg, on Finland’s southwestern coast, where Swedish influence is very strong. It was an immediate hit, not just with me, but with all 18 members of our jolly band of bread nerds.

Like many other Swedish (and western Finnish) breads, this is a yeast-leavened mixed wheat-rye loaf. The dough is acidified with buttermilk — piima in Finnish. The bread wasn’t nearly as sweet as I expected, given the rye malt and syrup that figure so prominently in the formula. Instead, it offered a tender, open crumb and a mildly sweet flavor profile that doesn’t overwhelm the rye, but complements the edgy nuttiness of the grain.

This is a versatile loaf that goes equally well with both sweet and savory toppings – or with just a light coating of butter to accompany soups and stews. I also used it, dried and crumbed, as the base for the sweetened rye-whipped cream-lingonberry preserve parfait that is a mainstay dessert throughout northern Europe.

Scald:

IngredientGramsOuncesBaker’s

Percentage

Red rye malt, ground and sifted2007.05100%

Boiling water60021.15300%

Combine the malt and water in a bowl and stir until evenly blended. Cover and let stand 1 hour. The malt will have completely absorbed the water.

Final Dough:

IngredientGramsOunces

Scald80028.20

Whole wheat flour60021.15

Wholegrain rye flour43015.15

Buttermilk50017.65

Salt180.65

Instant yeast110.40

Dark corn syrup2207.75

Unsalted butter, melted752.65

In the mixer bowl, combine the final dough ingredients and use the dough hook at low (KA2) speed to mix, scraping down as needed, until the dough develops into a dense mass that cleans the bowl and climbs the dough hook, 7-8 minutes.

Cover and ferment at room temperature (70°F/21°C) until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface and divide into three pieces, each weighing about 875 grams. Shape each into a boule and place on a floured peel or proofing board. Cover the loaves and proof at room temperature until expanded to 1½ times their original volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 395°F/200°C with the baking surface in the upper third. If desired, slash the loaves to a depth of at least ½”/1.5 cm and brush or spray with water. Bake until the loaves thump when tapped with a finger and the internal temperature is at least 203°F/95°C, 60-70 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool thoroughly before slicing.

Baker’s Percentages:

Ingredientg%

TOTAL FLOUR1,230100.00%

Whole wheat flour60048.78%

Whole rye flour43034.96%

Red rye malt20016.26%

Water60048.78%

Buttermilk50040.65%

Salt181.46%

Instant yeast110.89%

Syrup22017.89%

Butter756.10%

TOTAL FORMULA2,654215.77%