Christmas is Over…What’s Next?
Now that we’re almost into mid-January, Christmas and New Year’s are way behind us. And as people who are always looking forward to the next holiday and celebration and excuse to bake some themed baked goods, we’re asking – what’s next? 2 things: Shrove Tuesday and Valentine’s Day! Shrove Tuesday is definitely the more Scandinavian of the two, and we still have a few recipes up our sleeve this month and next for Fastelavn. But we got the idea for today’s recipe in our heads, and we just couldn’t get it out again. So, if you’re looking for a cute Valentine’s Day celebratory bread to make, today’s recipe is for you!
Today’s Recipe
When we developed our potato bread recipe back in the summer, it was one of our favorite bread recipes we had created. The final product was just so soft and it was perfect for sweet or savory toppings, as a sandwich, and even as French toast. I (Emma) then wanted to make it again a week or two later, but only had sweet potatoes. So I made the substitution, and it turned out amazing! That inspired me to come up with new twists on the recipe and this recipe was born. It’s a beautiful and fluffy loaf of bread that doesn’t actually taste like beets, but has a beautiful natural pink color and a soft texture because of the addition of beets.
Scandis Love a Good Beet
What makes this recipe Scandinavian? Well, Scandinavians love beets. That’s because root vegetables like beets (and potatoes) have always grown very easily in the cold Nordic climate, so they have become a staple of the diet. And of course, pickled beets are a favorite version for many Danes – we have a recipe here. The only thing about beets, and this is what you’ll know if you’ve ever cooked with them, is that they dye your fingers, dishtowels, and anything in the vicinity when you’re peeling or chopping them. So, I thought they would be the perfect way to make a beautiful loaf of bread in a color that you don’t usually get. Enjoy this recipe, and read on to learn what ingredients you’ll need and how to make it.
Ingredients: Substitutions and Suggestions
What you’ll need for this recipe is pretty simple: beets (around 2 big ones or 3 medium/small ones), milk, yeast, sugar, flour (all-purpose or bread flour works), salt, and a bit of extra milk to brush on top. You can definitely replace the sugar in this recipe with honey or syrup, or a different type of sugar. I wouldn’t replace the beets, but if you don’t like them, you can try out our potato bread recipe instead, or use sweet potatoes. Other root vegetables might work but they all have different water content, so just adjust the flour accordingly. You can substitute plant milk for the regular milk.
Instructions: How to Make Beet Bread
The process is pretty much the same as making any other loaf of bread! First, peel and boil the beets (or just buy boiled beets), then mash them. Add yeast and sugar to slightly warm milk, then add the rest of the ingredients, including the beets. Knead thing for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Let this rise in a covered bowl for about 1 hour until doubled. Shape into a loaf for a loaf tin following the steps in the recipe below, cover, and let rise again. Finally, brush with milk and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown (as golden as you can see it with the pink color!) and hollow-sounding when you tap the bottom. Let cool, slice, and enjoy!
Rødbedebrød (Beet Bread)
Ingredients
- 150 ml milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.5 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 350 grams bread flour or all purpose flour
- 150 grams of beets , boiled and mashed ( from about 2 or 3 medium sized beets) *weight is calculated after ricing/mashing the boiled beets!
- 1.5 tsp salt
- Milk for milk wash
Instructions
- Wash 2-3 medium sized beets (we usually use 3 just to make sure we have enough!) and cut off the top and the bottom. If you want, you can peel the beets now and cut them into smaller pieces, but you can also boil them whole so they are easier to peel after!
- Place the beets in a pot with cold water; bring to a boil on the stove and boil the beets until tender, about 20 minutes (perhaps less time if you cut the beets into pieces!)
- Place the beets in a separate bowl after boiling to cool down slightly. When they are cool enough to handle, rub a paper towel along the peel until it comes off.
- Mash the beets with a fork or pass through a potato ricer (might be a little difficult with beets to get them to pass through easily!) to get a smooth consistency with few lumps. You can also run the beets through a food processor if you want to be totally lump free. Let cool slightly before using.
- Heat up the milk, either in the microwave or in a saucepan, until it is "fingervarm" (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. You don’t want to kill the yeast! Add the fresh yeast or active dry yeast and sugar and stir to dissolve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes until it begins to froth and bubble a little bit. (If your yeast doesn’t do anything, it may be expired. Check the expiration date on the package and start over with new yeast!) If you're using instant yeast, you can add it directly to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients instead of following this step.
- Add the flour, salt, beets, sugar/milk/yeast mixture (or the sugar, milk, and instant yeast separately) to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.
- Knead in the stand mixer using the dough hook for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If kneading by hand, combine roughly in the bowl and turn out onto a clean work surface to continue kneading. Note: you may have to add a little more water or a little more flour if your dough is either too dry or too sticky. Adjust until the dough releases from the edges of the bowl, doesn't stick to your hands, and there are no dry bits at the bottom of the bowl!
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm spot or until doubled in size/passes the poke test (when you poke the dough, it creates an indentation without springing back immediately).
- Prepare a loaf tin by oiling the bottom and/or adding a sheet of parchment paper across the long edge of the tin, so that the paper hangs over the edge for easy removal!
- Once it has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl onto a clean work surface. Press the dough into a rough rectangle, no wider than the length of your loaf pan.
- Roll up the dough tightly (along the short edge of the rectangle) until you have a log.
- Pinch together the seam at the bottom of the dough log. Now place the seam on your work surface and gently roll the dough log in circles to create tension and help close the seam.
- Place the dough log into the prepared loaf tin, with the seam side down.
- Cover the dough and allow to rise for another 45 minutes in a warm place until doubled in size. If using plastic wrap to cover it, we would recommend oiling the plastic where it will touch the dough so that it doesn't stick! In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C).
- Preheat oven 350F.
- Once the loaf has risen, remove the cover and brush the top with milk.
- Bake for around 30 minutes or until evenly golden brown; you can also tap the loaf and if it sounds hollow, it should be baked all the way through!
- Remove from the loaf pan and place on a cooling rack. Let the loaf cool for at least 30 minutes to an hour before slicing. Enjoy!
This Beet bread is awesome!!!! I forgot to weigh the beets after I used a food processor and had to add extra bread flour. I game my friends a loaf being I made 2 and they loved it. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Wonderful, so happy to hear it! And great that you were able to adjust the amount of flour, that’s why bread recipes are the best because they’re a bit more flexible than other types of baked goods 🙂 Anyway, thanks for your lovely comment and for using our recipe – we really appreciate it!
This is fantastic bread. I love the flavor and my friends loved it too. Will be making it again.