Ingredients (40 pieces)

• 50 g stone-ground whole-wheat flour
• 60 g dark rye flour
• 150 g King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour (this is the flour I use to make bread)
• 1 teaspoon / 3.2 g instant yeast
• 150 ml milk + 40 ml water at 80 F / 27 C (I use non-fat milk)
• 20 g fluid honey
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

How to prepare the dough

Measure all the ingredients and place them in a bowl. Mix with a a wooden spoon or a dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then mix some more, until a firm dough forms.

Oil well a glass bowl or similar container where the dough will rise.

Lightly oil your working surface and transfer the dough onto it. Knead lightly for 10 seconds. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. With wet hands, letter-fold the dough and then flip it to oil the surface. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume (two hours or so, depending on the temperature).

How to shape round rusks

Line a baking sheet (half sheet size) with a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper.

Lightly flour a portion of your working surface and let the dough fall on it. With the help of a scale, divide the dough into 20 small pieces of 22-24 g each (depending on how many pieces you cut of the smaller size, you may get enough dough for 21 pieces).

Lightly flatten each piece of dough, letter-fold it, flip it and then roll it into a tight ball. Roll while tucking the dough under it, until the surface acquires a good tension without tearing. The working surface should be clear of flour, otherwise the roll slides on it, while you need some friction to create the tension on the dough’s surface. [This short video shows my hands rolling a larger piece of dough, but should still give an idea.]

Place on the silicone backing mat or parchment paper in four rows of five, evenly spaced (adjust some to make space for the 21st, if you have it). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until a dimple made on the dough with your fingertip persist (an hour or so, depending on the temperature).

How to bake and crisp rusks

30-45 minutes after the beginning of the second rise (depending on how quick your oven heats up), preheat the oven to 425 F / 218 C.

When the dough is ready, put the baking sheet in the oven and bake skorpor until light brown (8-10 minutes). Take the baking sheet out of the oven and transfer the skorpor on a cooling rack. Let cool completely, then break each skorpor in half with a fork.

With a salad fork, I make a row of holes all around, then pry the skorpor open delicately.

Distribute the 40-42 pieces on the baking sheet and place in a 200 F / 93 C oven for 1-2 hours until they are crisp. Check them after 1 hour; in my oven, it takes 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar. Let the skorpor dry for up to another hour. Again, check them half-way through to prevent them from getting too dry.

Enjoy them freshly made. Store survivors in an airtight container.

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Go to the full post on skorpor (Swedish rusks)