Bornholmske Rugkiks

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rolling pin
• •Sharp knife or pastry wheel
• •Two baking sheets
• •Parchment paper
• •Fork for docking

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the rye dough

   Combine the dark rye flour, plain flour, salt, and caraway seeds in a large bowl. Dissolve the malt syrup in the cold water and pour it into the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a firm, cohesive dough. It won't feel like bread dough. Rye has almost no gluten, so the mixture stays dense and slightly rough under your hands. That's correct. The wheat flour gives it just enough structure to hold the lamination together without changing its character. Shape the dough into a flat rectangle about 2 centimetres thick, wrap tightly, and chill for thirty minutes.

   If you can't find dark malt syrup, a teaspoon of dark honey works. The malt adds a subtle bitter depth and helps the crackers take on their deep colour in the oven.
2. 2

   Shape the butter block

   While the dough chills, place the cold butter between two sheets of parchment paper and beat it with a rolling pin until you have a flat, even slab about 12 centimetres square. The butter should be cold but flexible: firm enough to hold its shape, soft enough that it won't crack and shatter when you fold it into the dough. If it feels rigid, give it a few more strikes with the pin. If it feels greasy or warm, chill it for ten minutes. The butter needs to match the dough in firmness so they move together as one piece.

3. 3

   Begin the lamination

   Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle roughly 25 centimetres by 15. Place the butter square in the centre. Fold the two short ends of the dough over the butter like a letter, pressing the edges to seal so no butter escapes. Turn the package ninety degrees so the seam faces you. Now roll it out gently into a long rectangle, about 40 centimetres by 15, keeping even pressure so the butterspreads in an unbroken sheet inside the dough. Fold it in thirds: bottom third up, top third down. This is your first fold. Three layers. Wrap and chill for twenty minutes.

   Always roll in one direction, away from you. Rolling back and forth tears the layers. One direction, steady pressure, and let the pin do the work.
4. 4

   Complete the layers

   Take the dough from the fridge and place it on a floured surface with the seam facing you. Roll it out again to 40 centimetres by 15. Fold in thirds. Nine layers. Wrap and chill for twenty minutes. Repeat once more: roll, fold, chill. Twenty-seven layers. This final fold is the one that matters most. If the butter starts to break through the surface or the dough resists the pin, stop immediately and return it to the fridge. Patience here is the whole recipe. Forcing it tears the layers and you lose the architecture that makes these crackers what they are. After the third fold, chill for at least thirty minutes before rolling out.

   Count your folds. Three folds of three gives you twenty-seven layers exactly. That is the number, and it has been since 1924.
5. 5

   Roll and cut

   Roll the laminated dough out on a lightly floured surface as thin as you can manage, about 2 millimetres. It should feel almost fragile under the pin, the rye darkening and stretching until the dough is barely there. Work in two batches if your counter is small. Cut into neat rectangles, roughly 6 centimetres by 4, using a sharp knife or pastry wheel. A clean edge matters: dragging the knife tears the layers at the border. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment, leaving a small gap between each cracker.

6. 6

   Dock and season

   Prick each cracker all over with a fork, pressing firmly enough to go through. This is not decorative. The holes let steam escape evenly during baking, which prevents the crackers from bubbling and warping into uneven puffs instead of flat, crisp sheets. Brush each cracker lightly with water and scatter with a few extra caraway seeds and a pinch of flaky sea salt. The water helps the seeds and salt grip the surface through the heat of the oven.

7. 7

   Bake until crisp

   Heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Bake for fifteen to eighteen minutes, rotating the trays once at the halfway mark so they colour evenly. The crackers are ready when they have deepened a shade and feel firm and completely dry to the touch. They will crisp further as they cool, so don't chase crunchiness in the oven or they'll taste bitter and burnt. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. You'll know when they're right: they snap cleanly when you break one, and you can see the twenty-seven paper-thin layers at the edge, each one distinct.

Chef Tips

• •Use dark stone-ground rye flour, the coarse kind with visible flecks of bran. Fine rye flour makes a tighter cracker without the same earthy depth. If your flour feels like powder, it's too refined for this recipe.
• •If the butter breaks through the dough during lamination, dust the tear with flour and chill immediately. Rye dough is more forgiving than wheat in this regard. It patches easily and holds no grudge.
• •These keep for three to four weeks in an airtight tin, and they improve after a day or two as the caraway flavour deepens. Don't store them in a plastic bag, which traps moisture and robs them of their snap.
• •Set them out with a wedge of aged Danish cheese, a dish of good salted butter, and a glass of cold dark beer. That is the Bornholm way, and it needs nothing else.

Advance Preparation

• •The laminated dough can be wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to two days before rolling and cutting. An overnight rest makes the layers even more distinct.
• •Baked crackers keep for three to four weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature. Do not refrigerate them. If they soften, five minutes in a hot oven brings the snap back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 13g)