Category:

Baking

Name: Recipe: Lussekatter – Swedish Saffron Buns
Ingredients: 3.5 oz (100g) butter; 1¼ cup (3dl) milk; 5.3 oz (150g) quark. Can be substituted with fromage blanc.; 1 oz (25g) fresh yeast; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup (1dl) granulated sugar; 2 eggs (one for the dough and one or brushing); 5 ½ cups (13dl) flour; Raisins for decoration

Baking

Recipe: Lussekatter – Swedish Saffron Buns

by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne November 12, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne

Sanne: Lussekatter are Swedish saffron buns, which you eat throughout December in Sweden. These golden-yellow buns are a staple during the Christmas season, particularly on Saint Lucia’s Day, which is celebrated on December 13th. Saint Lucia was a young Christian girl who was martyred in 304 CE. According to legend, Lucia wore a crown of candles to light her way as she secretly brought food to persecuted Christians hiding in Roman catacombs. The lussekatter are a highlight of the Lucia celebrations, where girls and boys dressed in white gowns sing songs and serve these delicious buns, symbolizing the light with their bright color in the dark Scandinavian winter.

I used to live in Sweden for 6 years, and when I am baking lussekatter, it brings back lots of nice memories from student life and Sweden-style Christmas fun, including lussekatter and Blossa Glögg (Swedish mulled wine). Even if you do not have any Swedish Christmas memories to dwell on, you should still consider adding Swedish lussekatter to your holiday baking schedule. They are not savory, but they are also far from as sweet as other Christmas cookies can be, and they taste really good, served hot, straight from the oven, with mulled wine or hot chocolate.

Some people cheat, and replace saffron with turmeric, though while turmeric also gives the buns a nice yellow color, you will be missing out on the delicious saffron flavor, which is what makes the lussekatter so delicious.

Like most people in Sweden I have always made my lussekatter with Kesella (quark/fromage blanc from the Swedish dairy brand Arla), as it has been common sense among Swedes for years, that adding Kesella makes the lussekatter more moist. Though recently, there has been a fierce debate in Sweden about whether it is actually the case or if it’s merely a myth, resulting from a well-executed PR trick from Arla. Judging from various expert opinions, it seems that the latter is the case, but as I have always made my Lussekatter with Kesella, it takes more to shake my faith in Kesella, kind of like telling a kid that Santa doesn’t exist:)

The photos in this post are from two different batches. The dough is rolled into medium-thin ropes, but the first batch, was made from thicker dough-ropes and thus resulted in bigger buns:)

Recipe: Lussekatter – Swedish Saffron Buns

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds – Sanne Course: Baking, HolidaysCuisine: Sweden, Nordic

Servings

pcs

Ingredients

3.5 oz 3.5 (100g) butter
1¼ cup 1¼ (3dl) milk
5.3 oz 5.3 (150g) quark. Can be substituted with fromage blanc.
1 oz 1 (25g) fresh yeast
½ teaspoon ½ salt
½ cup ½ (1dl) granulated sugar
2 2 eggs (one for the dough and one or brushing)
5 ½ cups 5 ½ (13dl) flour
Raisins for decoration

Directions

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the milk and heat the mixture. Test the temperature with your finger. It should be slightly warm, but not too hot. Add the yeast, remove the pan from the heat and stir until the yeast is dissolved.
If you are using saffron strands (recommended) remember to grind them before use. This can be done with a mortar and pestle or you can use the backside of a spoon on a cutting board, but make sure that the strands are properly ground, so the color and flavor come out.
Add salt, sugar and saffron to the mixture.
Pour the mixture into a big bowl and add the quark. Beat the egg lightly before adding it to the mixture.
Add the flour little by little. The dough should be tender, and you probably do not need to use all the flour.
Knead the dough 15 minutes or until it feels is smooth and supple. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Knead the dough thoroughly again.
Take a piece of dough, the size of a scone, and roll it into a 6″ (20cm) long rope. Shape the rope into an “S”, and curl the ends a little extra (see pictures below). Flatten the Lussekatt a little with your fingers. Place the Lussekatt on baking paper on a baking tray.
Repeat this procedure until the dough has been used. It will get you around 15-25 lussekatter.
Let the buns rise again on the baking tray for 20 minutes.
Brush the buns with egg and decorate with raisins.
Bake the buns in the oven for approx. 8 minutes at 395°F (200°C) in a convection oven (435°F (225°C) in a conventional oven). Keep an eye on the Lussekatter in the oven. The baking time depends on the size. If your Lussekatter are on the taller side (larger than an ordinary scone), increase the baking time.

November 12, 2023 0 comment

Holidays

Recipe: Æbleskiver (Danish Christmas Donuts) – My Grandma’s Recipe

by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne October 6, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne

Sanne: Æbleskiver is a traditional Danish Christmas treat, enjoyed throughout December. In Denmark, you can buy frozen ones in the grocery store, but the homemade æbleskiver are about a million times better, served straight from the pan, with powdered sugar and homemade strawberry jam, and a glass of gløgg (Danish mulled wine) with raisins and almonds.

During the Christmas month, you would typically invite friends and family over for æbleskiver and gløgg on weekend afternoons. I have seen æbleskiver described as a Danish dessert, but you would rarely see æbleskiver as part of a meal, and even more rarely, you would see æbleskiver served without gløgg.

My late grandma’s recipe is made with yeast and buttermilk, and it has less sugar than many of the other recipes out there, and thus a slightly more grown-up flavor. This recipe yields 28 æbleskiver, which should be enough for 4 persons, unless they are like me, and eat 10+ æbleskiver each:)

Recipe notes

You fry the æbleskiver in lard or oil, never in butter. The reason why you cannot use butter is that æbleskiver are fried at rather high temperature, which will burn the butter.

You need a special æbleskive pan to make æbleskiver. It is typically made from cast iron and has 7 round wells, or cavities, which you fill with batter.

If you don’t have fresh yeast, you can use active dry yeast. Follow the directions on the package if substituting.

In Denmark we use a knitting pin to turn the æbleskiver and to check when they are ready. I guess you could also use a fork, but knitting pins are particularly good for the purpose. When the æbleskive is crispy on the outside, and no batter sticks to the knitting pin when probing, the æbleskive is ready.

In the video below, you can see how my mom, aka Mummi P, makes æbleskiver:)

Recipe: Æbleskiver (Danish Christmas Donuts) – My Grandma’s Recipe

Recipe by Mummi P (Sanne’s mom) Course: Holiday, dessert, bakingCuisine: Denmark

Servings

æbleskiver

Ingredients

1⅔ cup 1⅔ buttermilk
0.9 oz 0.9 fresh yeast
2 teaspoons 2 sugar
1 teaspoon 1 Danish vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ½ salt
4 4 eggs
2 cups 2 flour
Lard or oil for frying

Directions

Heat the buttermilk until lukewarm. Be careful not to overheat as the buttermilk will curdle at higher temperatures.
Crumble the yeast and add sugar, salt, and vanilla sugar.
Mix with the lukewarm buttermilk until the yeast is dissolved.
Separate the egg yolks and the egg whites (do not throw away). Add the egg yolks to the batter. Add flour.
Whip the egg whites until foamy and fluffy. Gently fold in the egg whites in the batter.
Let the batter rise for one hour at room temperature or slightly warmer.
Transfer the batter to a pitcher. No need to stir the batter.
Turn on the heat and wait for the æbleskiver pan to heat up properly. Add lard to each of the wells in the æbleskiver pan. You fry the æbleskiver at medium high heat.
Pour batter to the edge of each well.
Turn the æbleskiver when they are golden brown and crispy on the outside. It is important that you continuously add lard to the wells while frying.
Add more lard to the wells. Fry until golden brown on this half of the sphere too.
Serve with powdered sugar, jam and gløgg (Danish mulled wine):)

Recipe Video

October 6, 2023 0 comment

Recipes

Recipe: Danish Drømmekage (dream cake)

by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne October 5, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne

Drømmekage (dream cake) is a popular cake in Denmark, and when you’ve had your first bite of this delicious golden cake topped with caramelized coconut, I’m sure you will agree that this cake certainly lives up to its name.

Sanne: During my childhood, we had a weekly thing at school known as “klassens time (the hour of the class).” This special hour was dedicated to “hygge,” a Danish concept of coziness and togetherness, and the children would take turns in bringing cake for their classmates. Drømmekage was always among the most popular cakes to bring and it was usually prepared in big oven trays to ensure that there would be a large slice for everyone.

Recipe: Danish Drømmekage (dream cake)

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds – Sanne och Tina Course: CakeCuisine: Denmark

Servings

slices

Drømmekage, which translates to “Dream Cake,” is a popular cake in Denmark, and when you’ve had your first bite of this delicious golden cake topped with caramelized coconut, I’m sure you will agree that this cake certainly lives up to its name.

Ingredients

Cake
10 oz 10 sugar
4 4 eggs
3½ tablespoons 3½ (1.7oz) butter
1 cup 1 milk
1¾ cup 1¾ All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon 1 vanilla extract
2½ teaspoons 2½ baking powder
Topping
1 stick 1 (4oz) butter
1¾ cup 1¾ (5.3oz) shredded coconut
8 oz 8 brown sugar
3 ½ tablespoons 3 ½ milk

Directions

Cake
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Prepare 9×13-inch baking tray or pan. Grease and flour the tray or use parchment to line the tray so the cake doesn’t stick to the tray.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
Melt the butter over low heat, Once melted, stir in milk and vanilla extract. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking powder.
Gradually add the flour and baking powder to the egg and sugar mixture, alternating with the milk-butter mixture. Start and end with the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, you want a smooth batter.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tray and spread it out evenly.
Place the baking tray in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and almost ready.
Topping
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, shredded coconut, and milk, and bring to a boil. Cook and stir this mixture for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly and set aside for when the cake is ready.
When the cake is ready, carefully spread the coconut topping evenly over the cake. Bake the cake for another 5-10 minutes.
Allow the Drømmekage to cool in the pan for a while before cutting it into squares or rectangles. Enjoy your homemade Danish Drømmekage!

Recipe Video

October 5, 2023 0 comment

Recipes

Recipe: Mini Tarts with puff pastry, fresh tomatoes and arugula pesto

by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina October 1, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina

Tina: Puff pastry is such an amazing thing! Honestly, I’d never try making it myself because it takes a lot of time. It’s basically made of loads of dough and butter, and you have to do it at just the right temperature. But luckily, you don’t have to go through all that trouble – you can grab some puff pastry from the freezer section (look for the ones with natural ingredients if you can), and it’s pretty easy to work with.

These mini tarts with fresh tomatoes and arugula pesto make a super tasty and light appetizer, whether you’re serving guests or just treating yourself. It’s a win-win, really.

Oh, and here’s a handy tip: Use scissors instead of a knife when chopping chives. It makes the job way easier!

Recipe: Fresh Tomato Tarts

Recipe by Tina – Hungry Bird Eats Course: Appetizers, Baking

Yields

tarts

These fresh tomato salad and arugula pesto tarts make a super tasty and light appetizer, whether you’re serving guests or just treating yourself. It’s a win-win, really.

Ingredients

Arugula pesto
2 ½ cups 2 ½ packed arugula
1 cup 1 extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup 1 shredded Parmesan
⅓ cup ⅓ raw almonds
1 tablespoon 1 lemon zest
1 clove 1 garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Tomato salad
1 package 1 cherry tomatoes, or 2-3 big ones cut into smaller bites
1½ tablespoons 1½ olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Tart
1 package 1 puff pastry
1 1 egg, beaten
¼ cup ¼ milk
Garnish
Chives, chopped

Directions

Arugula pesto
Toss all the arugula pesto ingredients in a food chopper and blend until finely chopped.
Tomato salad
Toss the tomato salad ingredients together in a small bowl
Tart
Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and transfer to your refrigerator to defrost at least 45 min before you are going to use it, or better yet the day before.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Unfold the dough on a lightly floured surface and use a dough roller that is also lightly floured to carefully roll out the dough until flattened. If the dough starts cracking, it might still be too cold, so allow it to reach room temperature before rolling it out of the package. Usually the puff pastry comes in a square, but mine came as a circle (I bought this brand because it is made with only natural ingredients).
You can cut the dough as you like. I prefer the small squares , which are easier to serve, but rectangular or round tarts are absolutely beautiful. To create a border around the dough, poke with a fork in the middle and along the edge of where you want your border. See the pictured instructions. (The edges actually didn’t work for me this time, but I admit I forgot to brush the pastry edges; if it doesn’t work, it is no big deal – they are still going to be tasty).
Mix the egg and milk together and brush the puff pastry edges with the egg mixture. Place the pastry on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until the puff pastry turns golden brown.
Remove from the oven and spread pesto on top, followed by the tomato salad. Sprinkle some chives on top for garnish.
Enjoy immediately.

October 1, 2023 0 comment

Recipes

Recipe: Crispy sunflower rolls

by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina September 15, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina

Tina: The traditional Danish weekend breakfast always consists of fresh baked morning rolls from the bakery. The Danes traditionally eat the rolls with butter, cheese, and/or jam. We call them “rundstykker”, meaning round pieces. Since I don’t have rundstykker available where I live, I have to make my own. I don’t mind making them – there is nothing better than the smell of fresh baked bread in the morning. Although this recipe makes sunflower rolls that are different than the Danish rundstykker (which are white flour rolls), I like these better because they are a bit more rustic and have more of a bite to them.

This recipe is ridiculously easy to make and takes no time to throw together. You don’t have to stick your hands in the sticky dough and knead, or even shape the dough into rolls. It’s that simple. The dough is made the day before and left overnight to rise in the fridge until next day. The dough gets bubbly, sticky and gooey, and when baked the rolls will have a beautiful crispy crust and a soft inside. Of course you don’t have to just eat these in the morning – they are also really good for lunch to make sandwiches. The crispy crust will disappear after a day, but toast them or heat them in the oven and the beautiful crust comes right back again.

Recipe: Crispy sunflower rolls

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds – Tina Course: BakingCuisine: Denmark

Servings

rolls

The dough gets bubbly, sticky and gooey, and when baked the rolls will have a beautiful crispy crust and a soft inside. Of course you don’t have to just eat these in the morning – they are also really good for lunch to make sandwiches. The crispy crust will disappear after a day, but toast them or heat them in the oven and the beautiful crust comes right back again.

Ingredients

17.6 oz 17.6 (500g) cold water
0.28 oz 0.28 (8g) dry yeast or 20 grams of fresh yeast
5.8 oz 5.8 (165g) white whole wheat flour (or normal whole wheat flour)
8.8 oz 8.8 (250g) all-purpose flour
2.1 oz 2.1 (60g) sunflower seeds
1.5 teaspoons 1.5 (8g) salt
Decoration
Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

Directions

Make the dough in the evening the day before you want to bake the rolls.
With a wooden spoon, mix water and yeast together in a bowl until the yeast has dissolved. Add the flours, sunflower seeds and salt and stir together. The dough should be sticky and not too firm or fluid. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the bowl and dough sit in the refrigerator over night.
In the morning preheat the oven on convection bake at 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and use two spoons to scoop the dough up into balls of about 1/2- 3/4 cup in size. Each baking sheet should hold about 6 rolls. Brush with water and sprinkle with seeds on top of each for decoration.
Insert one baking pan at a time in the oven on the middle rack and bake for about 8 min. Then turn down the heat to 400°F bake for another 7 min or until the rolls turns golden and crisp.
Take them out of the oven and let the rolls cool for about 5 min on a rack before serving.
Repeat step 3 with the other baking sheets of rolls. Now you’ve got fresh baked bread straight from the oven and a really nice smell in the house!

September 15, 2023 0 comment

Recipes

Recipe: Coconut and Marzipan Macaroons

by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina September 14, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina

I recently had one of those days where I craved for something sweet and was in the mood to bake. I remembered that I loved eating coconut macaroons (‘kokos toppe’ in Danish) when I was growing up in Denmark – they were one of my favorite baked sweets. It struck me that I hadn’t eaten these for years. I had a giant roll of marzipan (almond paste) in my cabinet, and mixing in some marzipan with coconut sounding intriguingly good.

I baked four dozen, which were quickly long gone, and I am already thinking about making my next batch. For my gluten-free friends, you will love this recipe.

Recipe: Coconut and Marzipan Macaroons

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds – Tina Course: BakingCuisine: Denmark, Nordic

macaroons

Ingredients

3 3 medium eggs
8 oz 8 (225g) sugar
10½ oz 10½ (300g) unsweetened shredded coconut
3½ oz 3½ (100 grams) shredded marzipan (almond paste)
5 oz 5 (150 grams) dark chocolate

Directions

Beat eggs and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until the eggs and sugar turn white, about 2-3 minutes. Add shredded coconut and marzipan together until the dough is evenly mixed.
Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest in the refrigerator for one hour. This will help the dough stick together easily.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175°C).
In the meantime use your fingers to shape the dough for each macaroon into small cones (I like them bite-sized, but you can shape them any size you prefer). Make sure to press the coconut as tightly together as possible, as any coconut that is sticking out will burn easily.
Bake the coconut macaroons about 15-20 minutes or until they are lightly golden and crisp.
Take them out of the oven and let them cool off.
Melt the chocolate and dip/brush the bottom of the coconut kisses with chocolate. Let them rest while the chocolate hardens (you can also put the tray in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to speed up the chocolate hardening process). Devour these with some coffee or tea:)

September 14, 2023 0 comment

Recipes

Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Cocoa Nibs

by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne August 19, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne

I got this recipe from Becca and Ben, founders of Lumineux Chocolate in Greeenville, SC, and I’m telling you, this recipe is the only cookie recipe you will ever need. The cookies are crispy on the outside, and soft and slightly chewy on the inside, just like you want your cookies to be, and the cocoa nibs adds a little bit of crunch.

Notes

Use a nice, dark chocolate that isn’t too sweet.

The cookies do not spread much, so you might want to flatten them a bit before baking, to make sure they get the desired thickness.

About Lumineux Chocolate

Lumineux is a small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate brand based in Greenville SC. The founders, Ben and Becca Snyder, both have extensive experience from the restaurant industry. Ben is a pastry chef and a baker, and Becca is a cake decorator and a baker, and the common love for chocolate led to the launch of Lumineux.

Lumineux was started to showcase cocoa beans not widely used in the United States. High quality cocoa beans are imperative for making good chocolate, and we carefully select the best, most flavorful, but often underestimated, cocoa beans from all over Asia and Africa. Lumineux only works with farms and cooperatives with fair, sustainable practices in place, contributing to the economic development of the local communities.

Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Cocoa Nibs

Recipe by Becca and Ben – Lumineux Chocolate Course: BakingCuisine: American

Servings

16-18

This recipe is the only cookie recipe you will ever need. The cookies are crispy on the outside, and soft and slightly chewy on the inside, just like you want your cookies to be, and the cocoa nibs adds a little bit of crunch.

Ingredients

⅔ cup ⅔ butter
¼ cup ¼ shortening
¼ cup ¼ white sugar
⅔ cup ⅔ brown sugar
1 1 egg
1 1 egg yolk
½ tablespoon ½ vanilla extract
2 cups 2 all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon 1 salt
½ teaspoon ½ baking powder
½ teaspoon ½ baking soda
2 tablets 2 3.6oz/100g dark chocolate
⅓ cup ⅓ cocoa nibs

Directions

Pull out butter and eggs and allow to reach room temperature.
Cream the butter, shortening, and both sugars with a mixer at a low to medium
speed until lighter in color and creamy.
Add egg, then the egg yolk, one at a time to the mixer, scraping the bowl after
each addition. Add the vanilla extract, then mix until combined.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl and
whisk together until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix slowly, stopping and scraping the bowl
every 15 seconds, until the dry ingredients are almost completely mixed in but not
fully combined. Be careful to not overmix the dough.
Add in the chocolate chunks and the cocoa nibs and mix by hand until combined.
Wrap up the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 6 hours,
though overnight is best.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Grease a sheet pan with pan spray, or place a sheet of parchment paper on it.
Scoop your cookies onto the sheet pan, leaving room around each one for them to
spread. Bake for 10 minutes or so, until the middle of the cookies are set.

Recipe Video

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65% Ghana Methodical Coffee Collaboration

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50% Ghana Cafe au Lait Milk Chocolate

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70% Uganda Orange & Cardamom Dark Chocolate

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35% White Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs

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August 19, 2023 0 comment

Recipes

Recipe: Burmese Banana Wraps

by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne August 16, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Sanne

These little coconut and banana treats are easy to make and super tasty. The banana leaf functions as natural packaging, which makes the wraps perfect to bring along as a snack for farmers working in the field, or for your lunch box, though I prefer enjoying the wraps, while they are still hot, straight from the steamer. Serve them as a sweet snack after a meal, along with a cup of tea.

Before the banana leaves are ready to use, you need to wash them and remove any larger stems. If you are using banana leaves straight from the palm tree, you will also need to soften the leaves. This is done by passing the leaves over a gas burner or a gas range, so be careful not to burn your fingers. Another option is to heat the banana leaves in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 200°F. The heat softens the leaves and give them a bright green color, and now they are ready for use.

About Borderline Collective in Mae Sot, Thailand

Borderline Collective is located in Mae Sot, which is about the closest you get to Myanmar, while still being on the Thai side of the border. The shop/restaurant/art gallery/creative space was started with the purpose of supporting migrant and refugee women from Myanmar, by helping the women sell their handmade products. The women are organized in smaller, autonomous, collectives based in the small villages along the border, and Borderline Collective provides a space for the women to showcase their products, and thus reach a larger customer base.

Recipe: Burmese Banana Wraps

Recipe by Chef Nge-Nge Course: Baking, DessertCuisine: Myanmar

Servings

pieces

Ingredients

1½ 1½ banana
1 cup 1 (2.5dL) rice flour
6 6 banana leaves
2 tablespoons 2 sugar
1 1 coconut
A pinch of salt
A pinch of baking soda

Directions

Grate the coconut and set it aside
Mix banana, rice flour, sugar and salt with your hands until it turns into a uniform liquid mass.
Wrap the mixture in the banana leaf and fold it.
Steam the banana wraps in a steamer for 15 minutes.
To see if the wraps are cooked, gently stick a knife through the banana leaf. If the mixture does not leak out, the wraps are ready. It is better to over-steam a bit rather than not steaming enough.
Eat the wraps with fresh, sliced coconut.

Recipe Video

Recipe: Burmese Banana Wraps - Tea Garden in Mae Sot

August 16, 2023 0 comment

Recipes

Recipe: Homemade Arepas

by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina August 3, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina

I have heard a lot about arepas from my Venezuelan friend Indira – she has promised for years to make them for me. She finally made them recently and they have fascinated me ever since.

Arepas originated in Venezuela, and are used prominently in modern day cuisine of Venezuela, Colombia, and in other Latin American countries. They look somewhat like pita bread, but are typically made of precooked corn flour and fried on a skillet instead of baked in the oven. They are served very hot and you can fill them with a little butter and grated cheese, which is the simple and traditional way of serving them. Arepas are also great if you are on a gluten free/heart healthy diet. If you are on a low sodium diet then don’t add the salt to the dough and of course adjust your stuffing to your diet.

Arepas should be easy to make, as they consist only of 4 simple ingredients. However, the truth is that to make truly great arepas, you need to know a few tricks that you probably won’t pick up from a YouTube video. I was able to finally learn how to make them when Indira’s mother recently visited from Venezuela and I invited myself over.

Arepas are actually incredibly easy to make, once you understand how to deal with the dough. Please note that the corn flour dough does not respond in the same way as regular white flour dough. The best corn flours to make arepas are labeled P.A.N., and are available in most supermarkets in New York and elsewhere. It is important that the dough is not too dry or it will crack around the edges when you shape the arepas. It is also important to know that corn meal absorbs water slower than regular wheat flour.

Arepas are pretty filling depending on your stuffing, so 2 arepas per person should be enough.

Recipe: Homemade Arepas

Recipe by Indira – Tina’s friend Course: BakingCuisine: Venezuela

Servings

arepas

Ingredients

250g 250g (just over 1 cup) of warm water
1 teaspoon 1 salt
1 teaspoon 1 sunflower oil for the dough
1 teaspoon 1 sunflower oil for the skillet
Approximately 135 grams (0.3 lbs/ a little under a cup) Harina P.A.N. pre-cooked corn flour (save a little of the flour after for later)

Directions

Fill a bowl with hot water, salt and oil.
Add the corn flour to the water little by little. Make sure to save a little of the flour for later. Gather and mix the dough with your fingers. The dough should be soft and on the moist side.
Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes to give it time to absorb the water. If the dough is too wet and difficult to shape, add a little more flour to the dough.
Heat the skillet on a medium-high heat. Meanwhile, divide the dough into 4 portions and shape one portion of the dough at a time. Roll the dough in your palms so it almost shapes into a ball. Press the dough slightly flat between your two palms and then use both your palms to rotate, and shape the dough into a pita bread shape. Pat the sides while shaping a bit and continue until the dough is about ½ inch thick.
Add a little oil to your skillet and spread it evenly across the skillet using a piece of paper towel. Place the shaped dough portions on the hot skillet and allow them to cook until they become golden, about 10 minutes – then flip your arepas and cook the other side. Once both sides are cooked, they are ready to serve.
Arepas should be served hot (you can fold them into a clean dishcloth to keep the heat) and can be sliced like pita bread or burger buns. Fill your arepas with a little butter and grated cheese or the ingredients of your choosing. The possibilities are endless. I personally like a little avocado/guacamole and chicken in my arepas or for a breakfast version serve them with scramble eggs.

August 3, 2023 0 comment

Baking Recipes

Recipe: Danish Rugbrød (rye bread)

by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina July 15, 2023

written by 2 Hungry Birds - Tina

When I first moved to New York, I realized how much I missed Danish bread. It was kind of frightening to me that store bought bread would not get moldy for more than a month, whereas bread in Denmark would typically only last 4 to 5 days. This is the trade off in convenience with processed foods, but it is also the reason why I started baking my own breads.

Danish rugbrød (rye bread) is a dark rectangular loaf of bread, and is denser than the normal rye bread you will find in most stores. Filled with grains and dietary fiber, it is low in fat and contains no oil or refined sugar, which makes this bread very healthy and filling. Because of the density of the bread, the Danes don’t eat the rugbrød in a traditional American sandwich format, but rather as an open-faced sandwich.

You might have seen me post some of the recipes that go very well with rugbrød. We also call it smørrebrød.

The recipe is based on sourdough, which has a distinguished flavor and also helps to keep the rugbrød naturally fresh for a longer period. Although it is easy to make, be aware that the sourdough takes 4 days before it can be used for baking.

My friend Anne H. passed me the best recipe that I have ever tried, so you have her to thank for sharing. The following recipe is reduced to one loaf instead of two, since I prefer to eat my bread as fresh as possible, and I altered it slightly by adding pepitas (pumpkin seeds).

The bread needs to be completely cool before you can slice it.

*To keep your bread fresh wrap the bread tightly in a clean dish towel and leave it in a dry place at room temperature. The kitchen counter is perfect. Wrapping the bread can keep your bread fresh for a week.

Recipe: Danish Rugbrød (rye bread)

Recipe by 2 Hungry Birds – Tina Course: BakingCuisine: Denmark

Servings

loaf

Ingredients

Day 1
105 g 105 rye flour
1½ dL 1½ water
8 g 8 dry yeast
Day 2
Day 4
3¼ dL 3¼ water or (93 grams malt beer and 233 grams water-this will give the rye bread a nice brown color)
150 g 150 all-purpose flour
137 g 137 rye flour
10 g 10 salt
35 g 35 flax seeds
45 g 45 sunflower seeds
45 g 45 pumpkin seeds (pepitas) + a little extra for the bottom of the loaf
125 g 125 cracked rye
1 tablespoon 1 honey
Sourdough

Directions

To prepare the sourdough, mix the Day 1 ingredients in a bowl and cover with a plate. Let the mixture sit at room temperature on your kitchen counter.
On day 2, add the Day 2 ingredients and stir. Let the mixture sit for two more days, stirring each day.
On day 4, mix all the Day 4 ingredients (including the sour dough) in a large bowl.
Grease a bread pan with oil and toss some pepitas in the bottom of the pan (this optional step allows the bread to come out with a beautiful bottom covered with pepitas). Pour the dough in the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise on your kitchen counter for about 6 hours or until the dough reaches the edge of the pan.
Brush the rye bread with a mix of oil and water and bake for 1 hour and 5 min at 200°C / 390°F in the middle rack of your oven.
Brush the rye bread with a mix of oil and water and bake for 1 hour and 5 min at 200°C / 390°F in the middle rack of your oven.

July 15, 2023 0 comment