To FIKA, or not to FIKA , that is the question!

“FIKA, probably the most popular four-letter word in Swedish after IKEA and ABBA , is both a verb and a noun.” (Thank you Matthias Kamann!) Swedes love to fika —twice a day if possible, once around 10:00 am and again in the afternoon at 2:00 pm. So, what is fika? FIKA is a coffee break that’s more about socializing than the actual cup of coffee. And there are always sweets involved, preferably tasty cardamom or cinnamon buns fresh out of the oven.

I’ve long wanted to introduce FIKA to the fine folks of Santa Fe, New Mexico and when my dear friend/editor Hollis Walker suggested a FIKA workshop (baking and writing), I was all in!

Hollis and I decided to do a full-day FIKA workshop and welcomed one and all. Cardamom Buns, Swedish Sourdough Crisp Bread (knäckebröd), No-Knead Bread, and a tasty Kafé Zolo Tomato Soup were on the menu. (a bit more than the usual FIKA) The thematically appropriate, and very inspiring, writing assignments included the ingredients of our lives: the catalysts, expectations, and results.

The response to our call for “FIKA - A Baking/Writing Workshop” was overwhelmingly positive; everyone invited wanted to come; but, alas, many had busy lives and asked for a rain check. The ones who could (a small and most lovely group of bakers/writers) showed up at 11:00 am on a beautiful Sunday morning in Santa Fe. Our full-day adventure was on! And what an adventure it was!

Donning our aprons, we began our workshop with a Swedish staple: Crisp Bread (knäckebröd). We used a delightful sourdough starter (see previous post) recipe and, apart from the unfortunate effects of high altitude baking, made a few decent (a bit burnt this time) crackers.

SWEDISH SOURDOUGH CRISP BREAD (KNÄCKEBRÖD)

YIELD: 6 “crackers”

Ingredients:

Scant 1/4 cup (1/2 dl) Rye Sourdough Starter (see the post on Sourdough for instructions) or use 2 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast

2 cups (approx. 5 dl) lukewarm water

5.3 ounces (150 g) rye flour

5.3 ounces (150 g) spelt flour

10.6 ounces (300 g) whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt

Preparation:

I like to use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer for the “kneading”.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and attach the dough hook. “Knead” for 10 minutes.

Let the dough rest for one hour and then cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel.

Let rise for another hour.

Set oven at 500°F (250°C).

Divide dough into six equal parts.

Using a paisley embossed rolling pin (or a special Swedish “knäckebröd” one; I call mine the “hedgehog” rolling pin), roll out each piece —one at a time — on a floured parchment sheet. You’ll need lots of flour (rye is preferable) as the dough is quite sticky.

Sprinkle with poppy and sesame seeds or a combo of seeds -I like Trader Joe’s “Everything But The Bagel”.

Give the dough another roll so the seeds stick and then make a hole in each piece with a small round glass. Place “hole” beside the “cracker” on the parchment paper.

Carefully slide/transfer the parchment paper onto a baking sheet.

Repeat the process for the remaining dough. I usually bake two “crackers” at a time.

Bake for 7-10 minutes and remove from oven.

Keep an eye on this very delicate process. The bread should be somewhat crispy but not burnt. *Don’t worry if the edges are a bit burnt; Swedes love burnt edges.

Turn off the oven and place the crackers on two oven racks for a final drying process.

Leave in oven overnight.

Enjoy!

Note to self: Don’t rush the process! (pertains to life as well as the fine art of making Swedish Crisp Bread). Slow and easy is my new motto.

Clean your rolling pin with a mushroom brush

After successfully completing the first part of our baking workshop, we were ready for the next step:the pièce de résistance and most important/delicious component of the Swedish fika, namely the sweet roll/bun. I chose to make delicious cardamom buns, using a modified version of my Pigtailed Baker saffron bun recipe, and the results were divine!

SWEDISH CARDAMOM BUNS/ ROLLS

YIELD: 48 rolls

Filling:

7 oz. (200 g) unsalted butter (softened)

Scant 1/2 cup (1 dl) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 dl) grated almond paste

Dough:

2 1/4 cups (5.2 dl) whole milk

7 cups (17.5 dl) unbleached flour + more for kneading

5 1/4 oz. (150 g) butter

2 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

1 cup (2 dl) sour cream

1 cup (2 dl) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 egg (beaten) for wash

Pearl Sugar for topping

Mix all of the ingredients for the filling and set aside.Melt the butter on low heat and add the milk. Let cool to finger temperature.

In a large bowl (I prefer to use a KitchenAid Stand Mixer bowl and dough hook for the kneading) combine the yeast powder with the milk and butter. Let sit for five minutes.

Add the sour cream. spices, sugar and salt.

Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.

“Knead” for 10 minutes on the Stand Mixer’s lowest setting .

The dough should feel like a smooth, elastic ball. Give it a poke and watch for dimples. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour and knead by hand. If dry, add a little water. Return to bowl and cover with plastic wrap and tea towel.

Let rise in a warm. draft free place for 60 minutes or until dough has doubled.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead a few times.

Divide the dough into four equal parts.

Roll out each part into a large rectangle.

Spread almond paste filling equally on each rectangle and roll.

Cut each roll into 20-25 small slices (buns).

Heat oven to 400°F (200°C)

Place buns of baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Cover with tea towels and let rise for 20-30 minutes.

Glaze buns with the egg wash and top with pearl sugar.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until buns are golden brown.

While waiting for the buns to rise we enjoyed a preprepared Tomato Soup with Chile and Apricots à la Kafé Zolo and a foolproof No-Knead Bread with Castelvetrano Olives. (Stay tuned for the recipes with pics!) We also enjoyed a time of reflection (writing) with Hollis.

Our afternoon fika , with coffee and cardamom buns fresh from the oven, was wonderful! As was the entire day. Many thanks to all! Let’s fika again soon!