Viking Bread Recipe- Nordic Flatbread
This easy Viking bread recipe requires just three ingredients, rye flour or whole wheat flour, water, and salt. This is a recipe for flatbreads, so no leavening agent is needed, and they cook really quickly! It’s the perfect recipe for making with kids, on camping trips, or when cooking over an open fire, but equally delicious made at home on the stove. Our children made this bread at school, and it’s become a family favorite because it’s so easy to make and so versatile!
Flatbreads were particularly common in Sweden and Denmark during the Viking age. They could be cooked quickly over an open fire, required minimal ingredients, and were easy to transport – crucial for the Viking lifestyle. These breads served as both food and plate, topped with fish, meats, and vegetables. Though we enjoy them with a variety of toppings from fresh salsa to fried eggs or simply slathered in Bonemarrow Butter With Lemon, Rosemary And Garlic. They’re delicious for dipping into a hot bowl of Swedish Pea Soup or served with butter and Swedish Lingonberry Jam for a sweet treat.
Viking Bread Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15-20 minutes Total Time: 30-35 minutes
Yield: 8 flatbreads Serves: 4 people (2 flatbreads per person)
Equipment
Large bowl
Wooden spoon
Wooden rolling pin
Cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan if cooking on stovetop
Campfire iron or skillet
A spatula or a grill tong for flipping the bread, we often use our hands carefully.
Ingredients
Wholegrain rye flour – Rye was the most commonly used grain in Scandinavia from the Iron Age through to the 20th century, so using it connects you directly to that historical tradition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_bread_culture“>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_bread_culture
Whole wheat flour or graham flour (grahams mjöl as it’s called in Sweden, a coarsely ground whole wheat flour), works really well if rye isn’t available or if you want a milder flavor.
Water or Milk – Water is easier to access if you’re out camping, and milk makes a slightly softer, richer flatbread. If you prefer a soft flatbread but plan to use water, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to the water before mixing in the dry ingredients.
Salt helps to bring out the flavors of the grain and prevents the bread from tasting flat.
Top Tip
For rolling out the flatbreads, you can use wholegrain rye flour, wheat flour, or all purpose flour.
Step-by-step instructions
You can make this dough ahead of time and store it, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
Step 1:
Mix the flour and salt, add the liquid, and work everything into a smooth dough. You can add a little more liquid to the dough if you find it’s too dry to come together. Add one extra tablespoon at a time. The dough should feel pliable and easy to handle.
Step 2:
Divide the dough into 8 evenly sized pieces using a knife or a dough scraper. Using your hands, roll each piece into a ball shape.
Step 3:
On a well-floured surface, roll each ball out to about 1/4 inch/ 1/2cm thick using a wooden rolling pin. They can be thicker than a tortilla, but if they are too thick, they risk burning on the outside before they are cooked all the way through.
My Top Tips For Rolling Out The Dough
-Roll the bread from the center outward using firm, even pressure, and rotate your dough 90 degrees every few rolls. This helps you maintain a round shape and even thickness. BUT these breads don’t need to be perfectly round!
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-Sprinkle some extra flour underneath the dough if you find it starts to stick when you’re rolling.
-If you find that your dough is too sticky to roll, let it rest for another 10 minutes. You can be quite generous with flour both on top and underneath the bread when rolling them out!
-When we cook these on the stovetop, we roll out one bread at a time, and the next bread is rolled out while the previous one is cooking. You can also prepare the breads ahead of time and place parchment paper between each bread to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Step 4:
Heat a cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan over a medium-high heat and place the rolled-out dough onto the hot, dry pan.
You might see the bread puff up a little after a minute or two, and can use a spatula to check the underside of the bread.
It’s ready to flip when it turns a golden brown.
Cook on the second side for about the same amount of time and serve hot.
If you’re making a stack of these, you can keep them warm under a clean tea towel until you’re ready to serve.
For campfire cooking:
Place a suitable skillet, fire iron, or even a flat clean stone over the coals, let it preheat thoroughly and then cook your flatbreads the same way as on the stove. It can be harder to control the temperature when cooking on an open fire so keep a close eye on the underside of the bread to be sure it doesn’t burn.
Serving Suggestions
We eat these simple breads with everything! Below are some of our favourite toppings.
Salads like tuna fish salad and egg salad.
Filling soups like Swedish Pea Soup, Creamy Spinach and Wild Garlic Soup- Nässelsoppa and simple tomato soup made using canned tomatoes when out camping.
A simple fried egg or scrambled eggs taste great served with these breads, and you can use the bread as a plate if you’re out camping.
These breads also taste great slathered in compound butters like Marrow Butter, or Wild Garlic Butter ( Ramsons Butter)
It’s also delicious topped with butter and jam like this fruity Queens Jam and Swedish classics like Lingonberry Jam and Cloudberry Jam.
Storage
Store cooled flatbreads in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
They are still edible if they become a bit dry, but because they don’t contain any preservatives or sourdough starter, they will begin to mould after about 3 days.
Viking Bread Recipe- Nordic Flatbread
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Wooden rolling pin
- Cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan if cooking on stovetop
- Campfire iron or skillet
- A spatula or a tong for flipping the bread.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Wholegrain rye flour OR whole wheat flour 500ml / 5 dl / 240-260g
- ¾ Cup Milk or water 200ml / 2 dl
- 1 teaspoon Salt 5g
Instructions
Step 1
- Mix the flour and salt, add the liquid, and work everything into a smooth dough. You can add a little more liquid to the dough if you find it too dry to come together. Add one tablespoon at a time. The dough should feel pliable and easy to handle.Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes under a clean tea towel.
Step 2
- Divide the dough into 8 evenly sized pieces using a knife or a dough scraper. Using your hands, roll each piece into a ball shape.
Step 3
- On a well-floured surface, roll each ball out to about 1/4 inch/ 1/2cm thick using a wooden rolling pin. They can be thicker than a tortilla, but if they are too thick, they risk burning on the outside before they are cooked all the way through.-Roll the bread from the center outward using firm, even pressure, and rotate your dough 90 degrees every few rolls. This helps you maintain a round shape and even thickness. BUT these breads don’t need to be perfectly round!-Sprinkle some extra flour underneath the dough if you find it starts to stick when you’re rolling.
Step 4
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan over a medium-high heat and place the rolled-out dough onto the hot, dry pan. You might see the bread puff up a little after a minute or two, and can use a spatula to check the underside of the bread. It’s ready to flip when it turns a golden brown. Cook on the second side for about the same amount of time and serve hot. If you’re making a stack of these, you can keep them warm under a clean tea towel until you’re ready to serve.
For campfire cooking
- Place a suitable skillet, fire iron, or even a flat clean stone over the coals, let it preheat thoroughly and then cook your flatbreads the same way as on the stove. It can be harder to control the temperature when cooking on an open fire so keep a close eye on the underside of the bread to be sure it doesn’t burn.
Notes
Serving Suggestions
We eat these simple breads with everything! Below are some of our favourite toppings. -Filling soups like Swedish Pea Soup and simple tomato soup made using canned tomatoes when out camping.-A simple fried egg or scrambled eggs taste great served with these breads, and you can use the bread as a plate if you’re out camping.
-They also taste great slathered in compound butters like Marrow Butter, or Wild Garlic Butter(Ramsons Butter) -It’s also delicious topped with butter and jam like this fruity Queens Jam and Swedish classics like Lingonberry Jam and Cloudberry Jam. -We enjoy these flatbreads cold served with salads like tuna fish salad and egg salad, and even a simple salsa.
Storage
Store cooled flatbreads in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They are still edible if they become a bit dry, but because they don’t contain any preservatives or sourdough starter, they will begin to mould after about 3 days.Nutrition
Please note:
This nutritional information is an estimate and values may vary. It is for guidance only and should not be considered dietary advice.
I would love to hear from you if you’ve tried this recipe! Did you make them on the stove or bring some on a camping trip? I’d love to hear about what toppings you used!