For the 17th Anniversary of the Bread Baking Babes, I decided to try a light and soft version of the Finnish Flatbread, rieska, with just a bit of chewiness. There are plenty of versions out there, many using barley or combinations of barley and rye. This KA version is a very accessible flatbread for anyone not used to barley flavor.
I did try a very traditional, 100% barley recipe as well. It had a porridge like crumb,
and was chewy and good with butter, but I did like the (probably
non-traditional) KA version best! It smelled lovely, almost like a corn
bread, had a wonderful flavor and tender texture. It would be great as breakfast, as a side with
meals, as a snack with butter, just a very enjoyable flatbread and
quickbread. Definitely a batter bread.
Rieska is traditionally served buttered and with milk.
(If you care to try the very traditional version, I followed this recipe and recommend sticking with the baking soda option: https://myvintagecooking.com/rieska-barley-flatbread-from-lapland/)
We would love to have you try out this easy flat bread with us this
month and share how it turned out and whether you decided to try the very traditional version or the King Arthur version! Check out our Facebook group to see
the participants’ baking results. If you would like to
post your results with a Buddy badge on a blog, let us know in the
comments or on the Facebook page.
(This recipe will halve and fit in an 8×8″ pan)
Rieska (Finnish Flatbread)
recipe from King Arthur
makes 12-15 squares
½ cup (45g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (113g) whole rye flour (pumpernickel flour)
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
4 tbsp (57g) butter, softened
1½ cups (340g) buttermilk
Preheat oven to 500°F, or as hot as it can get. This is a wet dough, almost a batter, and the high temperature is appropriate. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan or line with parchment paper.
In a bowl or mixer, whisk together the oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Work the butter into the dry ingredients either with the paddle or fingers, until thoroughly distributed and mealy in texture. Stir in the buttermilk with a dough whisk or briefly with the paddle of the mixer. The mixture will be very sticky.
Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and spread it out so it covers the bottom.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until the top is light golden brown and springs back when lightly touched.
Remove to cool on a rack before slicing.
The rest of the Bread Baking Babes
