Norwegians love to bake, and it’s a craft they have mastered to perfection.
From cakes to cookies, pastries to breads, and everything in between, there is something extraordinarily special about baked goods from my home country.
Most creations fit in the “rustic” category, and this brytebrød is typical of what you’ll find on modern Norwegian tables today.
What exactly is brytebrød and how is it enjoyed in Norway?
As with so many dishes, a trend seems to spread quickly across the country (taco Friday, anyone?), and brytebrød is no exception!
In the past couple of years, I’ve seen brytebrød in almost every Norwegian household!
Shaped as buns and baked close together so they attach allowing the buns to retain more moisture than when baked separately like regular buns.
I’m convinced that this bread must have been created in honor of the old, Norwegian saying: “Den som gir stakkaren tørt brød, skal sjølv få lide svolt og nød,“ which translates to “He who gives the poor man dry bread, shall himself suffer hunger and despair.”
These kinds of Norwegian breads are served in several traditional ways:
A classic breakfast or lunch approach is to serve them slightly warm, often with brunost (Norwegian brown cheese). The caramelized, sweet-savory notes of the cheese work wonderfully with the nutty bread.
Now there is even vegan brunost to be purchased in Norway!
But if you’re not so lucky to have access to that, other cheeses are great too. I love using a plant-based mature cheddar and top with various sliced vegetables like cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes.
Brytebrød rolls are commonly enjoyed as part of a matpakke (packed lunch), where the buns are split and filled with simple toppings like sliced boiled eggs, cold cuts, or Norwegian salmon. For vegan sandwich toppings try my vegan lox and check out this blog post for more classic Scandinavian sandwich toppings.
For breakfast, these vegan rolls are often served with butter and honey or jam (homemade preferably!). Some people like to toast them lightly first to enhance the nutty flavors of the seeds.
At coffee time (what Norwegians call kaffekos), they’re served plain alongside coffee where the hearty, nutty flavor of the whole grains and seeds complements the coffee’s bitter notes. They’re a beautiful pairing when served as part of the Norwegian cultural tradition of taking time to enjoy a coffee break with a small bite to eat.
During bigger family breakfasts and brunches, you might find them served as part of a larger spread with various toppings (pålegg) like paté (leverpostei), mackerel in tomato sauce (makrell i tomat), or various types of cheese.
The bread’s sturdy texture also makes it perfect for smørbrød (open-faced sandwiches), though this is a bit less common with pull-apart varieties compared to sliced bread.
The brytebrød featured in today’s recipe are made with a variety of seeds improving their nutritional value and, making for a more exciting addition to your meal.
Thank you to my sister, Agnes, for inspiring today’s recipe!
This vegan bun recipe is great for beginner bread makers to try. They are simple to make and come together pretty quickly.
If you’re an advanced bread maker try playing around with the recipe. Reduce the all-purpose flour and replace it with spelt, additional whole wheat, or add oats for extra texture and flavor.
You can include chopped, fresh herbs, like rosemary, tarragon, thyme, or oregano. Or fill it with roasted garlic or even nut-based cheese.
You can even shape it into a loaf and slice it like a regular loaf of bread if you don’t want buns!
Brytebrød is super moist, light, and fluffy—and an absolute delight to snack on! Won’t you try them out?
Whole Grain Pull-Apart Rolls (Halvgrovt Brytebrød)
Makes about 18 rolls
Ingredients
Step 1
½ cup (50g) old-fashioned oats
¼ cup (50g) sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons (25g) golden flaxseeds
3 tablespoons (25g) chia seeds
3 tablespoons (25g) sesame seeds
1 cup (2.5 dl) warm water
Step 2
2½ cups (400g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (150g) whole wheat flour
1 cup (150g) dark rye flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) dry active yeast
2 cups (5 dl) cold water
6 tablespoons (75g) chilled vegan butter (like Earth Balance), diced
Non-dairy milk (or melted vegan butter) for brushing the tops
Additional seeds for topping (optional)
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in Step 1 in the bowl of a stand mixer, let sit for 30 minutes allowing the seeds to absorb the water. This helps expand the seeds and turns them chewy so they are more easily incorporated into the dough.
Once the seeds have soaked for 30 minutes, add all the ingredients in Step 2 to the bowl except the butter and non-dairy milk. Fit the bowl with a dough hook and knead on low-moderate speed for about 10 minutes. If the dough seems a bit dry, add a little more water or a tad more flour if the dough seems too wet.
Add the butter and knead for another 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and shiny.
Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm palace for about 1½ hours.
Lightly grease a 12-inch (30-cm) round cast iron pan or similar (you can also use a rectangular baking pan).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, divide into 18 equal pieces, and shape them into buns.
Place the buns in a circular pattern starting from the center of the pan, leaving a little space between each to allow them to rise.
Alternatively, if you want to make traditional rolls place them on regular (greased or lined) baking sheets.
Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500°F (250°C).
Brush the tops of the rolls with a little plant-based milk and sprinkle with additional seeds.
Place the buns on the middle rack and immediately turn the oven down to 420°F (210°C) and bake for 25 minutes or until golden on top.
Remove from the oven and let cool before diving in!
Notes
For best results when freezing, separate, package and freeze them as soon as they have cooled.
More Recipes To Try…
Whole Grain Breakfast Rolls With Carrots
Whole Grain Pull-Apart Rolls (Halvgrovt Brytebrød)
Ingredients
Step 1
- ½ cup (50g) old-fashioned oats
- ¼ cup (50g) sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoons (25g) golden flaxseeds
- 3 tablespoons (25g) chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons (25g) sesame seeds
- 1 cup (2.5 dl) warm water
Step 2
- 2½ cups (400g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (150g) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (150g) dark rye flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) dry active yeast
- 2 cups (5 dl) cold water
- 6 tablespoons (75g) chilled vegan butter (like Earth Balance), diced
- Non-dairy milk (or melted vegan butter) for brushing the tops
- Additional seeds for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in Step 1 in the bowl of a stand mixer, let sit for 30 minutes allowing the seeds to absorb the water. This helps expand the seeds and turns them chewy so they are more easily incorporated into the dough.
- Once the seeds have soaked for 30 minutes, add all the ingredients in Step 2 to the bowl except the butter and non-dairy milk. Fit the bowl with a dough hook and knead on low-moderate speed for about 10 minutes. If the dough seems a bit dry, add a little more water or a tad more flour if the dough seems too wet.
- Add the butter and knead for another 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and shiny.
- Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm palace for about 1½ hours.
- Lightly grease a 12-inch (30-cm) round cast iron pan or similar (you can also use a rectangular baking pan).
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, divide into 18 equal pieces, and shape them into buns.
- Place the buns in a circular pattern starting from the center of the pan, leaving a little space between each to allow them to rise.
- Alternatively, if you want to make traditional rolls place them on regular (greased or lined) baking sheets.
- Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 500°F (250°C).
- Brush the tops of the rolls with a little plant-based milk and sprinkle with additional seeds.
- Place the buns on the middle rack and immediately turn the oven down to 420°F (210°C) and bake for 25 minutes or until golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool before diving in!
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Lovely post, thanks for the recipe. Brytebrød is great for parties.
Greetings from the North (of Norfolk)
Dina