Norwegian Christmas Bread Recipe - Julebrød Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is Norwegian bread so good? ›

This juicy bread is filled with wholesome, nutritious, and flavorful ingredients like rye, whole wheat flour, oats, wheat bran, and various seeds like sunflower, sesame, and flax seeds. If you want to eat bread that is as flavorful as it is healthy, this is the recipe for you!

Lefse is a traditional Norwegian flatbread, visually looking like a huge, round tortilla. It comes in many varieties such as plain, sweet, thin, or thick. There is also a popular version of lefse with potatoes incorporated in the dough, and it is a favorite of the Telemark region.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the evaporated milk, sugar, shortening, salt, eggs and 2 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Stir in mixed candied fruit and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (do not knead). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.

Iceland. Iceland is considered one of the countries with the best bread in the world, much of which can be attributed to the unique methods it employs for its bread-making. The Icelandic rye bread is high in sugar and is baked underground using bubbling lava sand as the heat source.

Norway. 80% of Norwegians eat breakfast (frokost) daily, mostly at home. The most common breakfast is open sandwiches (smørbrød), often whole wheat bread, with cheese, often Jarlsberg, Norvegia or brunost, cold cuts, leverpostei, jam, mackerel in tomato sauce, etc.

Dinner (middag)

Norwegians usually eat dinner starting around 4–7 PM. This is the most important meal of the day and typically includes carbohydrate-rich foods such as potatoes and protein-rich foods such as meat or fish.

Panettone [Italian Christmas Bread] A recipe for Panettone, Italian Christmas bread, with a brioche-like dough infused with a vanilla bean and studded with rum-soaked raisins and candied orange peel.

A close relative to its Christmas cousin, colomba is enjoyed for Easter. It's shaped like a dove bird, hence the name colomba, which translated to "dove" in Italian. Similar to panettone, the dough is comprised of flour, fresh eggs, butter, and natural yeast.

Freeze your bread

"Freezing bread is the best way to preserve that crusty loaf for the longest time possible. Wrap tightly in a freezer bag, either whole or sliced. I like to put wax paper between slices when I freeze, as this makes it easier to take out just what I need.

Why do Norwegians eat so much bread? ›

Nordjore emphasises that whatever variety you prefer, bread is very easy to make at home. This is one of the reasons why Norwegians love it. “In addition, wholegrain bread fills you up. Two slices of bread will keep your belly full until your next meal,” she says.

The biggest difference between American breads versus European breads is the quality of the ingredients used in each bread. Standard, store-bought American bread contains many preservatives and fillers that are banned in European countries.

The two key elements here are low and slow. The bread develops considerable sweetness by allowing the loaf to cook over a much longer period than if you were to place it in a regular oven. The dough contains no yeast; instead, a sourdough starter kicks off proceedings.