I was in Denmark on vacation this summer and was reminded about just how good freshly baked Danish rye bread (rugbrød) can taste - nutty, satisfyingly chewy, with a distinctively sour finish that lingers in your mouth. Great as the foundation of a myriad of open-sandwiches (smørrebrød), but also lovely for breakfast with just with a bit of butter and strawberry jam. 

In Copenhagen, I was especially impressed by the wonderful offerings from Meyers Bageri - not only for their fine breads and pastries, but more so for the philosophical approach to bread, and the break-making ingredients they sold on-premises: malt syrup, fresh-milled wheat and rye flours, live sour dough - pure and simple ingredients of high quality that anybody could buy for making their own fantastic breads at home.  

Meyers bageri in Copenhagen, items for purchase, "fresh flour" brochure

This got me inspired to revisit my own approach to rye bread making - could I make it easier and well adapted to ingredients available in North America? I wanted to find out. So, I spent a couple of months after my vacation back in Canada working things out - testing variations - and I am very happy to say that I have a new and improved technique for making Danish rye bread - one that I find is really easy to make and tastes super good - just like rugbrød in Denmark. 

So what is the secret? A healthy and active rye sourdough leaven that you use to make a sourdough starter. This is what imparts the sour character that is so typical of Danish rye bread. Although not hard to make, it takes some time to get going. But once its ready, you have the vital main ingredient to wonderfully complex breads. If you have access to fresh rye sourdough leaven, great! If not, you can find an excellent recipe with very detailed steps and photos here (from the Tartine Bread Experiment blog). 

My personal rye bread sourdough leaven

Once you have the leaven, you need to make your sourdough starter. Here's what you do the night before you plan on baking your bread:

• In a medium sized bowl, add 1 tablespoon of fresh leaven to 100ml lukewarm water, then stir in 100g rye flour. 
• Mix thoroughly, scrape the sides of the bowl clean, and cover.
• Let rise undisturbed overnight.
• The next morning, you have a bowl of sour dough starter and you are ready to go...

Danish rye bread ingredients, including sourdough starter (front)

 The rest is a snap. In terms of the qualities of ingredients, check this out...

And here are the steps for making your own Danish rye bread:

- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a big bowl

- Add the starter to the warm water and stir it up a bit 

- Pour the water over the dry ingredients and mix it all together thoroughly with a spatula or wooden spoon

- Transfer to a greased 9" x 5" loaf pan like this one (which I bought at Canadian Tire for ten  bucks)

- Sprinkle a tablespoon or so of sesame seeds over top of the loaf 

(See image below)

 

Danish rye bread steps continued:

- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 3-4 hours in a warm place (until the dough rises a bit above the top of the bread pan)

- Put pan in oven, turn heat to 350F and let bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, spritzing water into the oven periodically. 

Note: After about 1 hour, I cover the loaf with aluminum foil to keep the top from burning 

- Turn off heat, remove loaf from the pan and let cool in the warm oven for about an hour

- Remove from over, let cool completely, slice thinly with a good bread knife and enjoy!

Before and after baking - yummy golden delicious!

Regarding the ingredients: You can pretty much find all the ingredients in local grocery or specialty food stores, the one exception being the cracked rye (which can be trickier to find). If you can't find it, you can either buy whole rye and crack it yourself with a grain mill (which is what I do), or order it online, for instance from the Bob's Red Mill site here. 

For the mixed seeds, I use 30-30-10-10 % mix of sunflower, pumpkin, flax and sesame. But try different things as you please. 

Good luck with your bread! If you make it, I really look forward to hearing about how it goes. Here's how my most recent batch turned out...so delicious!

A slice of delicious Danish rye bread

Believe it or not, this was inspired by the mail!

One day not too long ago, I returned home from work and discovered that I had received a postcard from Denmark. The postcard depicted a stylized, graphic-designy piece of delicious-looking smørrebrød. It got me thinking how amazing it would be to actually be able to order and receive real smørrebrød in the mail - how, if it were true, I'd never have to cook again. 

My smørrebrød postcard in the mail!

Anyway, the postcard made me hungry, so I decided that I'd rip off the idea and copy, to the best of my ability, the shrimp and egg smørrebrød that was depicted on the postcard. So I went ahead and assembled the necessary ingredients (see below) and began building the Danish sandwich.

The ingredients for shrimp and egg smørrebrød

It was at this point, as I laid the ingredients out in a regimented fashion, that I was struck by the similarity between building a sandwich and building another one of my favourite Danish things  - Lego! And then it hit me, smørrebrød instructions should look like Lego instructions. 

So, without further ado, here are the instructions for making my "mail-order" smørrebrød.

Anyway, I hope you will be able to build your very own shrimp and egg Danish open faced sandwich using the above depicted steps. In case you were wondering, the version that I was eating a mere 30 minutes before writing up this blog post looked exactly like this:

I hope you enjoy this delectable Danish classic. And remember, always enjoy smørrebrød with knife and fork...and wash it down with a cold lager! Skål!

I don't normally do restaurant reviews, but I have to tell you about my recent visit to Aamanns Copenhagen - a wonderfully authentic Danish Smørrebrød restaurant in New York City. Located in Tribeca, this is THE place to go if you want to experience Danish sandwiches that will rival the taste and quality of those found anywhere in Denmark. I'll get to what I ate in a minute, but it looked like this - very lækker!  (Yummy in Danish)

Fried fish, beef tartare and pickled herring with
fantastic Dansk rugbrød 

For me, it was a truly wonderful experience because a) the smørrebrød was delicious and I love smørrebrød, and b) I didn't have to cook it myself for a change. What a treat!!! The restaurant itself is on Laight street (number 13) in Tribeca, just next to the intersection of Canal Street and 6th Avenue. If you want directions to the restaurant, click here.  

Image from Google Maps

I was deliberately seeking out Aamanns Copenhagen, and had a good idea what to expect from the images that I'd seen on their Facebook page, but even then, I still got a real kick out of the design of the restaurant facade when I finally saw it in person - the stark contrast of the black fonts on white background spelling our mysterious Danish words - the red and white Dannebrog flag waving languidly in the thick humid New York air - it all had a wonderfully familiar appeal - for me, I felt like I was walking into a nice restaurant somewhere in Christanhavn.  

It was a hot and humid day, and as you can see below, I scarfed down my beer so quickly, I didn't even have time to get a properly staged photo. Anyway, they boast an interesting selection of locally brewed beers - the perfect complement to a smørrebrød meal. Mine was pilsner from Brooklyn I think. I drank it too quickly to remember.

Cool Danish-looking menu

The menu offered a very nice variety of smørrebrød - something for everybody - from the most hardcore cod roe eating Dane, to the pickiest finicky lightweight girlyman eater. I have to admit, I had a hard time selecting what to eat, as I wanted to gorge myself on absolutely everything, but after a lengthy consultation with GM Morten, I decided on their fantastic fish filet, luscious beef tartare, and a selection of exquisite pickled herrings (I now dream of this pickled herring at night). I was in heaven with each and every bite. 

Aamanns Copenhagen menu

Like I said, I don't do restaurant reviews, so I am not going to dissect my eating experience. Frankly, I couldn't be objective here if I wanted to, because for me, going to Aamanns Copenhagen is akin to going to ComiCon for a 15-year old Green Arrow fan (I should have dressed up like Søren Kierkegaard), but nevertheless, in my humble opinion, the smørrebrød was absolutely delicious. 

Aerial view of beef tartare smørrebrød

Although, I was impressed by so many things about Aamanns Copenhagen, one thing that really stood out for me was the selection of house-infused Akvavits with inspired flavours I have never come across in my preferred hard booze of choice: from traditional dill to dark purple beet to toasty rye bread! They were all so good, and they paired nicely with the different smørrebrød. Plus, after 3 shots, I was feelin' fine! 

At some point, I plan on experimenting with these akvavits at home. If I have any success, I'll write it up on the blog. 

Selection of house akvavit

Another thing that really stood out for me was the fact that they are making virtually everything from scratch on site at the restaurant - this is how they ensure the quality and authenticity of the smørrebrød - and they do it all from locally sourced ingredients - exactly in the spirit of New Nordic cuisine.

If you live in, or are going to New York (lucky you!), and you want to experience smørrebrød like you find it in Denmark, you have got to go to Aamanns Copenhagen. And if you do, please send regards from DanishSandwich! 

Very hyggelig! 

And another thing...don't forget to enjoy your smørrebrød with knife and fork. Skål!

Frikadeller, red cabbage and cucumber salad

Sometimes, you just want to eat something that gives you that hyggelig feeling of coziness and happiness. For me, when I'm in that kind of mood, a simple smørrebrød of frikadeller and red cabbage is perfect - like Danish comfort food - and it brings back fond memories of childhood Christmas vacations in Denmark.

This particular smørrebrød is one of my own personal favourite ad-libs - the Danish equivalent for rummaging through the fridge late at night when you want to scrounge together something to eat. And it's definitely a classic winter sandwich, perfect after a long day of cross-country skiing. 

Winter comfort food: Rushing home for après ski smørrebrød

The flavours and smells of this smørrebrød are very reminiscent of Danish Christmas cooking - ahhhh, just thinking about it is making me happy! I thought it was pretty funny when one of my friends commented that this sandwich "tastes like something somebody else's mother would have made". (I think she meant it as a compliment) Somehow I knew exactly what she meant - because it tastes nothing like Canadian home cooking - so you only got to eat these kinds of things when invited over to a friend's house for lunch. 

Today's Danish Diet Compass

When coupled with a crisp Danish lager, I tell myself that this frikadeller smørrebrød is part of a healthy diet - it contains all the essential nutrients as defined in my imagined version of the 1950s Five Basic Danish Food Groups as issued by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries (Ministeriet for Fødevarer, Landbrug og Fiskeri). These recommendations would almost certainly have included:

1) Dark Danish Rye Bread
2) Butter (or other savoury spread)
3) Meat or Fish
4) Vegetable Condiment (usually pickled, but fresh onions or sprouts are OK, too)
5) Beer (or akvavit)

If you are interested in today's honest-and-for-real Danish nutrition recommendations, as opposed to my made up ones, check out this link. 

In terms of recipes, there is nothing new in this particular frikadeller smørrebrød that you can't already find among the pages of my blog, but for the record here are the components you need and links to their respective recipes:

• Buttered rugbrød (Dark Danish rye bread)
• 1-2 frikadeller, sliced
• 1 heaping tablespoon of rødkål (stewed red cabbage)
• Garnish of crunchy agurkesalat (cucumbers in vinegar)

As always, enjoy with a fork and knife and wash it down with beer. Skål!

Cress sprouts top ham with italian salad

I live in Canada, and, like in the Scandinavian countries, locally grown fresh produce can be pretty hard to come by in the cold, dark winter months. Of course, thanks to the modern miracle of supermarkets, life in Canada isn't all scythes and root cellars; You can always buy butter, rye for rugbrød, pork for ham and rullepølse, and even assorted pickled vegetables like beets - indeed, you’ve got the four Danish food groups totally covered. But if you’re left feeling greenery-deficient from your all-smorrebrød diet in the winter months just do what I do – grow your own sprouts! In fact, sprouts are an essential component to great smorrebrød all year around for their spicy taste, texture and colour.

Sunflower sprouts will do in a pinch.
Here they are looking fine on the
veternarian's night snack!

Yeah, yeah, I know – growing sprouts is so granola - but if you want to have authentic Danish smorrebrød you'll have to work on your green thumb, because sprouts are a must, and the most common Danish sprout variety is not generally sold in stores. In typical Quebec grocery stores you can often find alfalfa, mustard, pea and sunflour sprouts. These are fine in a pinch, but none of these provide quiet the same characteristic taste you find with the most common Danish sprout variety: Cress (which is sometimes known as Pepper Grass in North America).

Growing sprouts is dead easy. All it takes are a few ingredients you can often find at your local organic health food store:

• Seeds for sprouting
• Nutrient rich soil
• Food-grade hydrogen peroxide (if you’re a germ-o-phobe)
• A container with an opaque cover 

Proof that Danes eat sprouts!
Image courtesy of:
"If Music Be The Food of Love, Play On"
Check out the blog here. 

As I mentioned above, cress is very Danish (called karse in Denmark), but if you want to mix it up from time to time, Arugula, Mustard, and other sprouts are all just as easy to grow, tasty, and almost as much fun as this.

Note on sprouting and safety: I've never had problems myself, but I've heard of food-borne illnesses related to eating raw sprouts. Misting the seeds a couple of times a day with diluted hydrogen peroxide should help, but if you want to learn more about the risks, check out this information from Health Canada.

Here’s what you do to grow your own batch of cress sprouts:

1. Fill the bottom of your container with about 2 centimeters or loosely packed soil, then lightly tamp is down to even it out. (The container I use is about 15 x 30 centimeters and about 10 centimetres high).

2. Drizzle enough water around on the soil to moisten it, but be careful not to add too much water. You don’t want the seeds sitting in mud!

3. Evenly sprinkle the seeds in a single layer across the soil.

1) Assemble your sprout-growing needs
2) sprinkle seeds on moistened soil
3) Leave seeds to sprout, covered
4) Uncover and let the magic of sunlight turn the sprouts green 

4. Give the seeds a good spray misting of water, or optionally, diluted food-grade hydrogen peroxide. This helps disinfect the seeds and reduces the chance of mold growing.

5. Cover the container and store out of the sunlight for about 3-4 days – misting the seeds lightly a couple of times a day.

6. Once the sprouts have begun to grow, you can remove the cover and place them in the sun. With exposure to the sun, the sprouts will turn nice and green.

7. Water as needed to ensure that the soil stays barely moist. Careful not to over water.

8. About 5 days after removing the cover, the sprouts will be ready to harvest. Simply grab a pair of scissors and cut about halfway down the sprout – then sprinkle liberally atop your favorite smorrebrød.

9. As always, enjoy smorrebrød with fork and knife

I am not a gardener, nor a sprout growing expert. If you want more detailed info about sprouts there are great references on the internet. Here's one sprout site that has a lot of useful information.

Sprængt oksebryst is corned beef Danish Style, and is so easy to make that I am ashamed at myself for taking so long to get around to this blog post.

It's usually made by taking the same cut of meat as beef brisket, salt curing overnight and then cooking until tender in a spiced broth. Traditionally, it is served as smørrebrød with grated horseradish and Danish "pickles" - or what we would generally call Piccalilli. And yes, it is very tasty!

I will be updating the blog post with the recipes for corned beef and Danish pickles in the very near future, so come back soon!

My rugbrøod  video has been on Youtube for almost a year now, but I thought it might be useful to make it available on my blog as well. I hope you enjoy!