Swedish Limpa (Rye Bread)

Have you ever wished you could bake a traditional Swedish bread that's both rich in flavor and simple to make?

This easy Swedish limpa bread recipe is your ticket to a fragrant, moist loaf that's perfect for any occasion. Bursting with the warm, comforting flavors of rye, orange, and a hint of molasses, this bread will quickly become as much a favorite in your family as it is in mine.

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

🗝️ Key takeaways

• Flavor: I love the flavor of this traditional Swedish bread. It's a delightful combination of rye, orange, and molasses. It’s both hearty and slightly sweet, making it perfect for sandwiches or as an addition to your main meal.
• Versatile: Makes amazing toast so it's Perfect for breakfast with a pat of butter, as a side with soups and stews, or as a sandwich bread. It’s especially delicious during the holiday season.
• Using rye flour: Learn how to work with rye flour, which can be tricky if you haven't worked with it before.

Limpa means "bread " in Swedish so the proper name for this is just "Limpa"

Swedish Limpa is a rye bread with a delicate, sweet flavor and just a hint of orange. It is similar to Hawaiian bread - not too sweet but just right.

This is time consuming to make — you'll need to set aside about five hours — but you don't have to be working on it the whole time and it freezes well.

Make a double or triple batch on a Saturday or other day off.

This gorgeous Mexican loaf has a similar flavor

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

📖 Variations

1. Seeded Limpa: Add caraway or fennel seeds for extra flavor and texture.
2. Sweet Limpa: Increase the amount of molasses and brown sugar for a sweeter loaf.
3. Herb-Infused Limpa: Mix in finely chopped herbs like dill or rosemary for a unique twist.

🍴 Equipment

1. large mixing bowl
2. small mixing bowl
3. measuring cups and spoons
4. heavy baking sheet
5. instant-read thermometer
6. stand mixer
7. wire rack for cooling

🥫 How to store leftovers

Store leftover Swedish Limpa Bread in a paper bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For longer storage, wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

💭 Things to know

• Keep cool: Be sure that you cool the molasses mixture to 100F - 110F before adding the yeast mixture.
• Gluten development: Proper kneading helps develop gluten, which gives the bread its structure and chewy texture.
• Yeast activation: Make sure your water is warm (not hot) to activate the yeast without killing it.
• Orange zest: Freshly grated orange zest gives the bread a fragrant, citrusy aroma that's simply irresistible..
• Less gluten: Keep in mind that rye flour is hard to work with because of the lack of gluten. The bread will not be springy like white bread and if you don't  knead it enough you'll be able to use it as a door stop.
• Test texture: If you pinch the dough between your thumb and forefinger properly kneaded bread will feel the same as your earlobe.
• Best rise: No place to let the dough rise? Heat your oven for 2 minutes or so then turn it off. When you put your hand in the oven it will feel like downtown Dallas in June - nice and warm! (about 100 degrees). Put the dough in the warm oven to rise.
• Cool completely: Be sure to let the loaf cool completely before slicing.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

📚 Related recipes

🍽️ Repurpose leftovers

• Bread crumbs: Toast leftover bread and place in the blender or food processor to create flavorful crumbs for casseroles, meatloaves, and other recipes.
• Croutons: Cut the bread into cubes, toss with olive oil and herbs, and bake until crispy.
• Topping: Toast pieces of rye bread and use to top scalloped tomatoes.

📞 The last word

This classic Swedish yeast bread recipe turns out a golden loaf with a crispy crust and tender crumb.

It is a little challenging but you can do it!

You won't believe how good your house smells as this is baking. And really, consider the coolness factor. It's not everyone that can tell their friends, "Oh, yeah...I made Swedish Limpa over the weekend..."

Give this Swedish Limpa recipe a try and then let me know how you did. I adapted this recipe from one of my old cookbooks, Farm Journal's Homemade Bread, 1969.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Swedish Limpa

4.30 from 24 votes

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Limpa is a lightly sweet rye bread with a hint of orange flavor. This traditional Swedish bread makes great ham sandwiches or you can just spread it with butter and eat it as a snack.

Course Bread

Cuisine Swedish

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings:24

Calories:123

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup Grandma's Molasses, make sure to get unsulfured molasses.
• ▢ 1 tablespoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons buttter
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup boiling water
• ▢ ¼ cup orange juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons orange zest
• ▢ ¼ ounce yeast, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• ▢ ¼ cup warm water, (110F)
• ▢ 2 ½ cups rye flour
• ▢ 3 cups bread flour, you may need more

Instructions

• Combine the brown sugar, molasses, salt, and butter in a large bowl.
• Pour the boiling water over the top an stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Let cool o lukewarm (about 110F).
• Sprinkle yeast over the ¼ cup warm water. Stir and set aside to foam.
• Stir rye flour into the brown sugar mixture.
• Stir in yeast, orange juice, and orange zest.
• With the mixer on medium low and the dough hook mix in enough of the bread flour to form a soft dough.
• Knead for 5 to 8 minutes by machine or 10 to 15 minutes by hand. The dough will be slightly sticky and feel like smooth Play-Do. I usually stop kneading when the dough feels like your earlobe.
• Grease a large bowl.
• Put the dough in the bowl, grease the top, and cover with a clean tea towel.
• Let rise in a warm (100F) spot for 2 hours, or until doubled.
• Punch the dough down.
• Divide in half and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Shape into ovals and place on a greased baking sheet.
• Slash tops.
• Cover and let rise 1 ½ hours or until not quite doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
• Remove from oven and let cool before slicing.

Notes

Storage:

If you do have leftovers you can wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for a day or two.

To freeze wrap it in plastic wrap then cover tightly with aluminum foil. It will be fine for up to 3 months.

Tips:

• Be sure that you cool the molasses mixture to 100F - 110F before adding the yeast mixture.
• Keep in mind that rye flour is hard to work with. The bread will not be springy like white bread and if you don't  knead it enough you'll be able to use it as a door stop.
• If you pinch the dough between your thumb and forefinger properly kneaded bread will feel the same as your earlobe.
• Be sure to let the loaf cool completely before slicing.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

First published January 21, 2014. Last updated June 10, 2024 for editorial improvements.

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Swedish Limpa

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