Swedish Limpa Bread
Dark, dense and flavorful, Swedish Limpa Bread is the perfect addition to the winter holiday table—or any time! 
I only wish I could share the smell.
I decided to make Swedish Limpa Bread for my husband. He is a serious fan–and happily for him we are living in an area with a lot of Scandinavian ancestry. This mean you can almost count on being offered a side of Limpa toast with your breakfast eggs!
And it was about time I tried it myself. 
The other push was my Sunday blogging group, which was doing bread recipes. I found this one in Beard on Bread, which was my early bread primer many years ago, though I did modify it substantially.
Now in the spirit of full disclosure, I was never a big Swedish Limpa Bread fan myself. Part of my problem is the dose of anise flavoring that is traditional–but apparently not required, per James Beard. As a non-licorice lover, I was happy to see the option of using caraway instead. 
The bread is dark and dense, with a rustic look you could picture at a Swedish farm table. And the beer and spices deliver a warming richness that’s perfect as the weather grows cooler. 
Swedish Limpa Bread Tips
This bread isn’t difficult, but does benefit from a few tips.
As is typical of rye breads, Swedish Limpa Bread is a reluctant riser, even using an oven proof setting. So this isn’t something I’d want to make on a timetable, like if I needed bread for dinner (I’d recommend this Honey Whole Wheat in that case). While I’d have gone with a couple hour first rise if needed, I decided that overnight was the easiest option in our (cool) late fall kitchen. 
I am recommending making a couple slashes in the top of the raw bread to allow for expansion and avoid some potentially ugly cracking. I have had it bake perfectly without doing this, but not consistently. After some research, this should be done after forming the loaf but before beginning the second rise. Rye bread is notoriously sensitive and if you slash it after the second rise I hear it will sometimes deflate.
The spices, etc add a beautiful rich flavor to this bread. If you enjoy the anise, add that since it is most traditional. If not go with the caraway and maybe some fennel. It will still be aromatic and delicious!
In the end I was seriously happy that I decided to expand my bread horizons and am now a full Limpa Lover! Not to mention, this flavorful loaf will be the perfect addition to our winter table.
Swedish Limpa Bread
the winter table—or any time!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces beer
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom optional
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds or anise
- 1 t fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated orange peel or finely chopped candied orange peel
- 2-2 1/2 cups rye flour
- 2 ½ - 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon butter to brush final loaf
Instructions
- Heat beer, honey and melted butter until slightly warm, about 110F. Dissolve the yeast in the mixture. Let sit until starting to bubble, about 5 minutes.
- Combine 2 cups of rye flour, 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, the orange peel, salt and spices. Mix until well blended then add in beer mixture. Mix, adding more flour as needed, then knead until dough is very resistant (it should be hard to knead when done).
- Shape into a ball, place in bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise until doubled in bulk—this may take a couple hours (I let it go overnight in my cool winter kitchen). Punch down, shape into a flattened ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Make a few shallow cuts in the top surface of the dough to facilitate expansion.
- Brush with butter, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise until almost doubled,
- 1-2 hours. Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F until the bread sounds hollow when tapped, about 45-60 minutes. Cool on rack before slicing.
Nutrition
Homemade Bread Day
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I have been looking for an authentic limpa bread recipe since I spent sometime in Minnesota and had my first taste. Any chance you can indicate the flour measurements in grams? Thank you!
I look at a couple of sources online and was surprised to find some variability in this. 2 cups of rye flour ranged from 200-250 grams, so I would start at 200 g and add more as needed. Two cups is the lower range (from 2- 2 1/2 cups) so definitely be prepared to add more.
All purpose flour was generally listed as about 315 grams for 2 1/2 cups. So that’s a good starting point but again, the recipe calls for up to 3 cups so have more ready. Next time I make this, I will try to remember to weigh it.
For future reference, King Arthur has a conversion table for a variety of flours here: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
I hope this bread is what you remembered!
This bread brought back childhood memories. My parents are Swedish. Limpa bread was a regular in our house
Isn’t food nostalgia great!
The only thing I am missing is the beer! I will pick one up and give this a try! I love rye bread and with the spices, I think I will love this a lot!
There is so much deliciousness in this recipe: beer and yeast for a nice rise, the rye flour, all of those aromatic spices. Yup, I need to get more rye flour ASAP.
This bread looks amazing and sounds delicious. All of the flavors just go together!
Love the look of this bread and there’s so many extra goodies in it!