📝 About This Recipe
This dish captures the soul of New Nordic cuisine, celebrating the primal relationship between wild fermentation, smoke, and pasture-raised dairy. The bread features a deeply caramelized, 'bold-baked' crust and a moist, lactic crumb, while the butter is cultured for 48 hours before being cold-smoked over meadow hay. It is a minimalist masterpiece that highlights the complexity of time and high-quality raw ingredients.
🥗 Ingredients
The Sourdough Starter (Levain)
- 50 grams Mature Sourdough Starter (active and bubbly)
- 50 grams Stone-ground Bread Flour (organic)
- 50 grams Filtered Water (warmed to 26°C/78°F)
The Bread Dough
- 400 grams Strong Bread Flour (minimum 13% protein)
- 100 grams Whole Grain Rye Flour (for earthy depth)
- 375 grams Filtered Water (divided into 350g and 25g portions)
- 11 grams Fine Sea Salt (high quality)
The Cultured Smoked Butter
- 500 ml Heavy Cream (high fat, non-ultrapasteurized)
- 50 grams Crème Fraîche or Buttermilk (active live cultures)
- 1 handful Dried Meadow Hay (food grade, for smoking)
- 1 teaspoon Flaky Sea Salt (Maldon or similar)
👨🍳 Instructions
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1
Begin the butter culture: Mix the heavy cream and crème fraîche in a clean glass jar. Cover loosely with cheesecloth and leave at room temperature (20°C/68°F) for 24 to 48 hours until thickened and slightly tangy.
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2
Prepare the levain: Mix the starter, 50g flour, and 50g water. Let it sit for 4-6 hours until tripled in size and pass the 'float test' in water.
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3
Autolyse: In a large bowl, mix the bread flour, rye flour, and 350g of water until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 1 hour to develop gluten naturally.
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4
Mix the dough: Add 100g of the active levain to the autolyse mixture. Use your hands to dimple it in. Add the sea salt and the remaining 25g of water. Squeeze the dough through your fingers until fully incorporated.
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5
Bulk Fermentation: Perform 4 sets of 'stretch and folds' every 30 minutes. The dough should become smooth and elastic. Let it rest undisturbed for another 2-3 hours until it has increased in volume by 50% and shows small bubbles.
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6
Shaping: Gently turn the dough onto a floured surface. Fold the edges toward the center to create tension, then flip it over. Use a bench scraper to tension the surface into a tight boule. Place upside down into a floured proofing basket (banneton).
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7
Cold Ferment: Cover the basket with a reusable bag and place in the refrigerator for 12-16 hours. This develops the signature Nordic lactic acidity.
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8
Churn the butter: Chill the cultured cream to 10°C (50°F). Whisk in a stand mixer on medium-high until the butter solids separate from the buttermilk. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the buttermilk for other uses.
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9
Wash the butter: Knead the butter solids in a bowl of ice water, squeezing out any remaining buttermilk until the water runs clear. This prevents the butter from going rancid.
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10
Smoke the butter: Spread the butter thinly in a shallow dish. Place the dish inside a cold charcoal grill or a smoking box. Light the meadow hay until smoldering, trap the smoke with a lid, and let the butter absorb the aroma for 10-15 minutes. Fold in flaky salt afterward.
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11
Bake the bread: Preheat a Dutch oven in the oven at 250°C (480°F) for 1 hour. Carefully score the cold dough with a razor blade, place it in the pot, and bake covered for 20 minutes.
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12
The Bold Bake: Remove the lid, reduce the temperature to 220°C (430°F), and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the crust is a deep mahogany brown.
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13
Cooling: Let the bread cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. Do not cut early, as the internal structure is still setting!
💡 Chef's Tips
Always use filtered water, as chlorine can inhibit the wild yeast in your sourdough starter. For the deepest smoke flavor, ensure the butter is cold when smoking; fat molecules absorb smoke better at lower temperatures. If you don't have meadow hay, dried culinary herbs like rosemary and thyme can be used for a different aromatic profile. Achieving a 'bold bake' (nearly burnt edges) is essential for the New Nordic profile, providing a bitter contrast to the sweet cream butter. When washing butter, use the back of a large spoon to press out every drop of buttermilk to ensure a shelf-stable, clean-tasting product.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve thick slices of the bread warm, accompanied by a generous quenelle of the smoked butter on a chilled stone slab. Pair with a glass of dry, sparkling hard cider or a crisp Aquavit. Top with a few sprigs of fresh wood sorrel or micro-radish greens for a pop of acidity and color. Serve as the opening course of a multi-course tasting menu to set a rustic yet refined tone.