Tra­di­tio­nal Da­nish Bre­ad and pa­stri­es

DANISH BREAD AND PASTRY: 10 TRADITIONAL TYPES

Bread making in Denmark is a time-honored craft and it’s an important part of the daily life of every dane. For centuries rye bread / rugbrød has been an important part of Danish food culture, and still is today. Rye is the most commonly used grain in Danish bread baking and is eaten throughout the day, from morning to evening. It’s a filling and healthy way to get vitamins, minerals and fibres, which makes eating bread a better and healthier experience than just white bread such as toast.

We therefore have collected a top 10 list of traditional types of danish breads and pastries for you to explore - if you are curious about the delicious world of Danish bread and pastries.

WHAT IS DANISH BREAD AND PASTRY?

Danish bread and pastry is actually pretty simple, it’s made with quality ingredients like rye, wheat flour, sourdough, puff pastry and is baked with love. It takes time to make fresh bread and therefore the Danish bakers are up early to warm up the ovens and knead the dough every morning, this ensures that the dough has time to rest before it's baked and served. There is nothing better than freshly baked bread og pastries, therefore this is a very important aspect of making good danish bread.

THE HISTORY OF DANISH BAKERY TRADITIONS

When we are talking about Danish bakery tradition, we surely need to talk about Danish pastries called wienerbrød, and open sandwiches called “smørrebrød” which is a big part of the Danish bakery history and traditions.

The origin of pastry in Denmark started within a strike among Danish bakers in Denmark in the 1850s. The strike forced the owners of the bakeries to hire labor from other countries, including bakers more specifically from Austria, who brought their own baking tradition and pastry recipes that had yet been unknown in Denmark. The Austrian pastry Plundergebäck quickly became popular in Denmark, and after the work stoppage, the Danish bakers adopted the Austrian recipes, but adjusted them according to their own taste and tradition and named it wienerbrød.

As mentioned above another Danish baking tradition is the “Smørrebrød '' which is known as the open sandwich. The open sandwich contains a piece of high quality rye bread / rugbrød smeared with butter and filled with toppings like meat, fish, or vegetables like avocado - it’s actually only your imagination that sets the limits for Danish smørrebrød.

10 TYPES OF DANISH BREAD AND PASTRY

1. Carrot rye bread baked with rye flour, wheat flour, rye kernels, carrot, seeds, and sourdough.
2. Soft grain rye bread baked with rye flour, wheat flour, sourdough, soft rye kernels
3. Seeded rye bread baked with rye, wheat flour, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, rye kernels, cornflakes, and sourdough.
4. Skagen loaf a whole grain wheat bread baked with rye flour, sunflower, durum and chia seeds, and sourdough.
5. Spelt loaf bread baked with spelt flour, wholegrain spelt, rye, chia, sesame, sunflower seed.
6. Ølander loaf a whole grain protein rich bread baked with ølander flour, biga sourdough
7. Sourdough loaf baked with whole grain, biga sourdough also called franskbrød in danish.
8. Copenhagener also called wienerbrød in Danish, which is a puff pastry, marzipan filling, and poppyseeds.
9. Cinnamon Social™ a danish soft dough pastry, vanilla custard, cinnamon filling, white icing.
10. Raspberry spandauer is a danish baked with puff pastry, raspberry marmalade, white icing, and almonds.

HOW TO MAKE CLASSIC DANISH RYE BREAD

INGREDIENTS
200g whole rye kernels
330g water (boiling)
80g grated leftover rye bread (optional)
25g dark liquid malt or 15 g dark malt flour
130g sunflower seeds
70g flaxseed
15g salt
30g of sourdough

This is a recipe for danish bread. Start by mixing boiling water and rye kernels together. Let it cool down to room temperature and add the remaining ingredients, mix it all well by hand and cover the bowl with clear film. Leave the bowl on the kitchen table for a minimum of 12 hours or until the next day before continuing.

Fresh up your sourdough - if you don't have your own sourdough, you can read how our baker Karina makes and grows a sourdough, below.

WHERE TO BUY DANISH BREAD AND PASTRY?

A great place to start your danish bread and pastry journey would be to visit Ole & Steen. Our bakeries serve traditional Danish breads and pastries and are located in Midtown Manhattan NYC. Our danish bread, cake and danish pastries are always freshly made throughout the day, to ensure the best possible experience. We use high quality ingredients in all our baked goods and our bakers are skillfully trained in the traditional way of baking in Denmark. Click the button below to find the nearest Ole & Steen bakery near you.

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