Gramma Lund's Limpa Bread Recipe by Amos (2024)

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Ingredients

• 2 pkgs yeast
• 1-1/2 C warm water (100-110^F)
• 1/4 C dark molasses (TIP: I prefer Baking Molasses, but use what you can get as long as it isn't too 'bitter')
• 1/3 C granulated sugar
• 1 T fine sea salt
• 2 T lard (lard is best, but you can substitute sweet butter)
• 1 T whole anise seeds
• 1 T fresh grated orange zest
• 2-1/2 C medium (Bohemian) rye flour (avoid light rye and dark rye flours)
• 2-1/2 C white flour + 1/2 white flour (for the board & kneading - just add a little at a time to keep the dough from sticking)

Directions

1. Warm a mixing bowl, add the warm water and dissolve the yeast with the molasses, sugar, salt, orange zest, anise seeds and shortening mixed in.
2. [TIP: at this time I'll interject that I like to sift the medium rye & white flours together, first into one bowl, then back to the original bowl
3. Add the rye flour, mix until smooth.
4. Add the white flour a little at a time until the dough is well kneaded and a bit sticky to the touch. Hand kneading will take about 5-8 minutes. [TIP: on your Kitchen-Aide, use the lowest speed for about 5 minutes, adding small amounts of the extra flour until the dough is nicely balled up, then kick the speed up a notch for about 3 minutes]
5. Grease a large, warmed bowl.
6. Place the dough into the bowl, then turn the greased side up.
7. Cover with a towel and place the bowl in a warm place out of any draft. Let the covered dough rest and rise for about 60 minutes.
8. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, round it, cover it and let it rise 40 minutes more.
9. Punch the dough down again and divide the dough into 2 pieces.
10. Shape each piece into a round, slightly flat loaf.
11. Place the two loaves on opposite ends of a greased baking sheet.
12. Cover the baking seet with the towel and let the loaves rise a third time, this time for 60 minutes.
13. Bake 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees in a preheated oven.

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Reviews

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  A.L. Wiebe

  I wanted to make this RIGHT NOW. I have all of the ingredients except for the rye flour. Dang it all! I have never tried Swedish Limpa bread, so this will be my first. Tomorrow or bust!

  1 reply

  1

• Cindy McNamara

  Okay, Only thing I noticed was that you've got a tiny typo by the water amount on the ingredients. I used1 1/2 c water...maybe a tad more to get the consistency I wanted. The recipe worked up easily using my stand mixer and I think hand mixing would have been a head ache due to the sticky nature of the dough.
  The texture is spot on, the flavor is spot on. I gave my loaf a egg white/molasses wash to give it the shiny crust I remember from ancient history in Skara Sweden.
  Well DONE!!

  1 reply

  1

• Salad Foodie

  MAGNIFICENT! I've tried many rye bread recipes over time but mostly they fell short of my expectations. Amos, this one delivered! Beautiful grain, crust and moisture, and I loved the subtle flavors of orange and anise. With all due respect to both Gramma Lund and you, I took the lazy way out and used my bread machine to knead and proof the dough. I made one loaf for the test run (a half recipe) and used the 1 pound, whole wheat setting; removed the dough just before the machine baking cycle kicked in, with the third and final rise on baking sheet as per your recipe instructions. My only regret is making just the half recipe. Next time, I'll make the full recipe and use the 2 pound loaf setting on my machine. With this experiment so successful and satisfying, I can only imagine how much better yours is done the right way - the Gramma Lund way! Thanks truly for sharing this recipe.

  1

• Amos Miller

  Salad Foodie - Thanks for the hearty endorsem*nt! I am thrilled to know that this will be successful in a bread machine (we're kinda ol' fashioned in my kitchen - but I will admit that I have had success on the super KitchenAide, dough hook, lowest power, 6 minutes). I am now baking this bread in round 9" cake pans, rather than on sheets, both to contain this very active recipe and toimprove the uniformity of the potions (slices). I'm getting a sort of 'toque'-shaped result. I'll post a photo later. Also, a light milk wash on the top crust as sone as the loaves leave the oven produces a nice baker's glow. I hope you made a couple of pieces of toast with this - softened butter and orange marmalade are deadly delicious on toast... Thanks, again, for a job well done! Gramma would be proud.

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• J. Gino Genovesi

  I enjoy looking at all your recipes. Really professional. I will be trying some of the. J. Gino Genovesi

  1

• Laura Hern

  My Swedish grandparents both immigrated to America near 2018. Her limpa was very similar to yours, except she used potato water. I guess for a bit more substance. It is my favorite recipe of all times. Grandma J made about 40-60 loaves each Christmas to give to friends and family. She lived to be 102! She is deeply missed and I will continue to make her bread and pass on the recipe to my children. Fabulous story. Thanks so much for telling it and giving this recipe.

Comments

• Cindy McNamara

  Hello from lower Alabama! Relocation over with and boxes all gone finally....Just made two loaves again today. One free form the other I threw in a loaf pan so we could use it for sandwiches. SO GOOD and SO worth the time and effort. Love love love this recipe.
  Have a great summer Amos!
  

  1 reply

• Foodessa

  Interesting combo of ingredients...and an equally lovely background story.
  Amos, this bread is calling my tummy ;o)

  Thanks for sharing your Swedish specialty.

  Ciao for now,
  Claudia

• Amos Miller

  While digging through other family recipes, I discovered a Swedish Rye Bread recipe that is not like my Swedish Limpa. This second recipe was also brought from Sweden and was used extensively in the house of my Great Aunt Violet. I'll be posting that recipe soon.

  3 replies

• Amos Miller

  Elaine - I am baking this weekend, as well, and will freeze a couple of loaves for fortunate future guests. Please let me know what you think, Chef!

• Amos Miller

  Oh, Cindy! I have EVERY confidence that my recipe will match or beat anything you ate in Sweden, unless you had it at some wonderful farmhouse in Skane province. The Lund family recipe is treasured, and true treasures are meant to be shared. So, while I will not share the actual pounds my Limpa may add to your all-too-skinny frame - I will share in your joy at eating the first loaf. Try to save the second loaf for the family. Can't wait to hear your comments and your review. I am also baking this weekend, so I'll put up my photos.
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• Cindy McNamara

  At LAST! Just reading through the ingredients I think....there is a chance....that this recipe just MIGHT....give me the long sought after taste of true "Sweet Limpa" that I gained 20 lbs eating everyday in Sweden as a 17 yr old exchange student. The crust was soft and shiny, the crumb was cake-like and had a distinct orange-anise flavor. My Swedish mom shared a couple of bread recipes before she passed but she didn't make Limpa because she loved the local bakery version so much.
  I'm going to be making this TODAY...NOW...I'll give you the taste test results afterwards!!!

  1 reply

• Elaine

  Sounds like a fantastic recipe, Amos! Thank you so much for sharing it. I will definitely be baking this next week on my days off. Obviously, great cooking and baking runs in your family! :)
  Elaine

  1 reply

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