Making Knackebrod

Anybody besides me remember Ry-Krisp? It was a staple of my diet for many years, topped with various things or eaten plain. They stopped making it in 2015, and I was at something of a loss until I discovered Wasa. Now Wasa is being hard to find (at least at any of the stores where I shop), so I did what any sensible person would do. I started cruising authentic recipes on YouTube. Today, I made my first attempt at crispbread, having adapted a recipe to my personal tastes with the addition of poppy seed and sesame seed to go with the caraway typical in Swedish crispbreads. I did not salt the tops, nor did I add additional seeds or oats, and although the edges got a little brown (I should have flipped the breads halfway through the baking time), it's every bit as good as Wasa. That's not butter on top. That's a pat of cream cheese, my favourite topping when eating this crispbread for lunch.

One thing did puzzle me, and that was how to properly dock the bread because I didn't want to buy a knobbed rolling pin until I knew I'd be successful at making knackebrod. I thought about scoring it with an afro comb. I considered flattening it out in my waffle iron. Pricking it with a fork seemed too mundane. And then I went to put a spatula away, and there was my meat tenderizing hammer! Bonking the bread went faster than expected, so now I won't even bother with a specialized rolling pin.

So, for the record, and for those of you who may be crispbread fans, here's my version of a traditional recipe.

1 cup dark rye flour
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. each: caraway seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds (adapt to your own preferences)
1/2 cup warm water (1/4 cup to soften yeast, 1/4 cup to add to flour mixture)
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Proof the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water to which the sugar has been added. Whisk together the flours, salt and seeds. Add the softened yeast to the flour mixture along with the remaining 1/4 cup of water and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Work until a smooth dough forms. Give it a couple of good kneads and then let it rest (covered) for 45-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Divide the dough into two portions. Roll each half out very thin between two sheets of parchment paper, lightly dusting them with rye flour to prevent sticking. Remove the top layer of parchment, and bonk 'em all over with the meat hammer, or use a knobbed rolling pin to dock a texture onto the surface. Score lines with a knife to make it easier to crack into crackers. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet, still on one sheet of parchment. Bake 12-25 minutes until light brown and firm. Cool completely before breaking apart.