Traditional hverabrauð bakes underground for a steamy 24 hours.
People go toIcelandin pursuit of various wonders . Some visitors seek the problematic green ribbons ofnorthern lightsthat wave in the sky , while others chase at least one of the yard of waterfall that trickle across the island res publica . Plenty of travelers bathe in the warm water of the Blue Lagoon , as others spelunk ten thousand parky ice caves . Me ? I add up to eatbread . Specifically hverabrauð , or “ hot spring bread . ”
Before I made my way to Iceland , I learned the island country prepares bread in a way that only Icelanders can : bank on lifelike spicy spring that function as muggy clandestine bakeries . This practice has been done for at least a hundred years , utilizing the area ’s resources before ovens became the standard .
Sigurður “ Siggi ” Hilmarsson , the managing director of geothermic bathhouseLaugarvatn Fontana , has been preparing the traditional Secale cereale bread his whole life . “ My grandmother and her coevals did this , and I could track this down to the recent 1800s and early 1900s , ” he excuse . The formula , which Hilmarsson shares made its direction to Iceland from Denmark , has been modify to suit Icelanders with the accession of kale . “ Most of the rye whisky bread recipes are standardised , but everyone thinks their family has the expert one , ” he smile .
Icelandic hot spring bread has nutty caramel notes thanks to the addition of sugar.|Photo courtesy of Laugarvatn Fontana
When Laugarvatn Fontana opened in 2011 , Hilmarsson knew he had to incorporate the kale into his client ’ experience somehow . earlier , he merely ready it as a snack for visitors to plunk into in between sitting within the saunas and red-hot springtime . However , noting guests ’ pursuit , he began extend geothermal bakery tours , where visitors could watch as he and his faculty expose the 24 minute - baked shekels , rinsed the pan in the pristine lake , and revealed a subtly sweet , steamybread — fully cooked in the bubbling sand .
Although it ’s craft with rye whiskey flour , hverabrauð is not like typical rye whiskey bread you may use in preparing sandwiches . “ The texture of our rye cabbage is quite cloggy , ” Himarsson begins . “ It reminds some people of gingerbread , and others say it ’s more like a patty than bread . ”
Due to its humiliated - and - dull cooking meter and want of yeast , the crumb is much denser and closer . The addition of pelf , which caramelize over the course of the 24 hour bake time , lend a prominently nutty and tantalizingly sweet flavor .
To do , Hilmarsson offers client fresh Icelandic butter as well as smoke trout whose brackish flavor balances out the caramel notes of the hverabrauð . Thebreadis so flavorful , however , that eating it only as is is also welcomed .
For Hilmarsson , whose family has lived around the Laugarvatn lake and its hot springs for generations , keep the tradition of hverabrauð is vital to preserving Icelandic culture and observe hisgrandmother ’s recipe alive .
“ We did n’t always have ovens , and people had to innovate and come up with all form of wonderful things to live on back in the day , ” Hilmarsson says . “ We want to honour the swell tradition of baking rye bread and show our guests how we are able to utilise geothermal energy for our baking . ”
The bubbling sand surrounding Laugarvatn Fontana reaches 212°F.|Photo courtesy of Laugarvatn Fontana
Hot Spring Rye Bread Recipe from Laugarvatn Fontana
Ingredients:• 4 cups rye whisky flour• 2 cups even flour• 2 cup sugar• 4 teaspoonful baking powder• 1 teaspoon salt• 1 liter milk
Directions:1 . Put the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together .
2 . Grease a pot with butter so the bread will come out easily .
Hverabrauð is traditionally served with butter and smoked trout.|Photo courtesy of Laugarvatn Fontana
3 . Transfer the mix into the pot and wrap the stack with plastic wrap good so the hot spring water system wo n’t get into the mountain .
4 . Dig a hole in the boiling sand for the pot and leave it to broil for 24 hours .
( Alternatively , if you do n’t have entree to bubble raging springs , Hilmarsson commend baking this low and slow , between 200 to 250 degrees fahrenheit , for 8 - 10 hours ) .
