Soft Bread Baked with Soft Whey Butter

"Fjällbrynt Messmör" ("mountain browned soft whey butter") is a typical Swedish product made from cow's milk whey. There’s more than one variety to choose from: Original, Classic, Old-fashioned, or Light.

Depending on the boiling time, colors may vary from light yellow brown to dark toffee brown. Consistency-wise, it is almost as thick as peanut butter but not that well known outside Sweden. People, who come from foreign countries, usually find "messmör" too weird to eat.

It is sweet but approximately 90% of the carbohydrates come from milk sugar, which is naturally present in whey. Lactose (milk sugar) is much less sweet than plant sugar, and the carbohydrates in milk sugar are absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly than sugar carbohydrates.

"Messmör" is not fat (between 2 and 6 g/100 g depending on the variety). It is free from artificial colors, stabilisers, and preservatives. But there are plenty of vitamins, calcium and iron. Cheap as well as healthy. Its primary use is as a sandwich spread but I use "messmör" in bread baking.

This is a bread for feast, soups or salads. It can make the simplest meal into a fancy meal. Simply the best bread I have ever made at home.










INGREDIENTS:
* 100 ml barley grains or crushed barley
* 400 ml milk
* 50 grams fresh yeast
* 1 ½ teaspoon salt
* 100 ml "messmör" (soft whey butter)
* 1 egg
* approx. 7 dl high-protein wheat flour

METHOD:
- Bring milk and barley to the boil, stirring constantly.

- Remove from heat, cover the saucepan, allow the mixture to cool to 37°.

- Crumble the yeast into a bowl and add the barley mixture.

- Stir until the yeast has dissolved.

- Add salt, "messmör", egg, and stir well.

- Then begin adding flour slowly, mixing and kneading until you have a slightly sticky dough. You can do it by hand for 10 minutes, or use a food processor for 5 minutes.

- Cover the dough and let it rise for 30 minutes.

- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead it well.

- Divide dough into 28 equal portions.

- Roll each of the portions into small oblong shaped buns.

- Place them on greased baking sheets.

- Make three deep slits with a pair of scissors on top of each bun.

- Let them rise for 25 minutes.

- Bake in preheated oven, 250°C for ab. 8 minutes (convection oven, 225°C ab. 9 minutes.

- Brush the buns with cold water. Cool on rack.

A classic Swedish three course dinner usually includes bread, served on small bread-and butter-plates on the left up side of the service plate. When the first course is finished, it is removed.



Now, I'm going to turn off my computer. There are other things going on in my life right now. See you on Monday the 20th of April.