Limpa

Title: LIMPA

Categories: Breads, Swedish

Yield: 2 loaves

1 pk Yeast, dry

1 ts Sugar, granulated

1/2 c ;Water, warm (100 F.)

2 c Beer; heated to lukewarm

1/2 c Honey; to

1/2 cup

2 tb Butter; melted

2 ts Salt

1 ts Cardamom, ground (opt)

1 tb Caraway seeds; crushed, or 3/4 ts Aniseed; crushed

2 tb Orange peel, fresh or -candied; chopped

2 1/2 c Flour, rye

3 c Flour, unbleached

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water in a large

bowl and proof for five minutes. Combine the beer,

the honey (adjust for how sweet you like your bread)

butter, and salt, and stir well. Add to the yeast

mixture. Add the spices and orange peel. Mix the

flours, then add three cups of this mixture to the

liquid and beat briskly. Cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm, dark place for about an hour.

Stir down and add enough of the remaining flour to

make a pretty stiff but still sticky dough. Turn out

on a very well-floured board, and work the dough until

it is smooth and elastic. Add more flour to the board

as needed. While the dough will not lose its tackiness

completely it will smooth out a lot. Shape it into a

ball, oil the surface, and place in an oiled bowl.

Cover with the tea towel again and let rise a second

time, about one hour. Punch down, shape into two

balls, and put on a greased baking sheet sprinkled

with cornmeal. Brush with melted butter, cover loosely

with waxed paper, and refrigerate for three hours.

Remove from the fridge and let sit on the counter,

uncovered, for ten to fifteen minutes. Bake in a 375

F. oven until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on

40 to 45 minutes. Cool before

slicing. adapted from *Beard on

Bread* --