Swedish Limpa Bread Recipe

A loaf of sliced and buttered Swedish limpa bread on a wooden cutting board.

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Swedish Limpa Bread Recipe

Swedish Limpa Bread is a soft rye bread with molasses, orange zest, and fennel, slightly sweet and perfect toasted or served with soup.

Prep Time25

Cook Time45

Rise Time1 45

Total Time2 55

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Swedish

Servings: loaves

Author: Kristyn Merkley

Ingredients

For the Dough

1½ cups warm water, 105–115°F
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup dark molasses
2 tablespoons corn oil, or vegetable oil
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon anise seed, optional, but traditional
2 packets active dry yeast
2 ½ cups rye flour, sifted
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

Optional Add-In

½ cup raisins, stirred in at the beginning

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, salt, molasses, oil, orange zest, fennel seed, and anise seed.
Stir well, then sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let sit for 5–10 minutes, until slightly foamy.
Stir in the rye flour and all-purpose flour. Mix until a stiff dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes. (Add a little more flour if dough feels too sticky.)
Shape dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1–1½ hours.
Punch down dough and divide into two equal portions. Shape into loaves and place into greased loaf pans. Cover and let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from pans and cool on wire racks before slicing.

Notes

Recipe Tips.

Add flour slowly, rye dough can feel sticky, but you still want it soft.
If you don’t love anise, you can leave it out, fennel and orange still shine.
Use a fine grater for orange zest, it blends into the dough better.
Let loaves cool before slicing so the crumb sets and doesn’t get gummy.
For even slices, use a serrated bread knife.

Store. Keep cooled bread in a bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Freeze. Keep cooled bread in a bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Thaw at room temperature, toast slices for the best texture.

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