Snobrød – Danish open fire bread.

As a child, one of the first experiences I had with making my own food was the popular ‘SNOBRØD’ – roughly translated as twisted bread.  It is basically bread on a stick, cooked over the open fire, and since you have cooked it all by yourself (with a little help from nearby adults) it is probably the best meal you have ever had.

If you do it correctly, the bread will have a beautiful golden brown crust and be toasty and crunchy, but to be honest, most times you will end up with slightly charred bread that is probably doughy and sticky on the inside -which is what most people end up with, but don’t worry that is part of the tradition and it doesn’t really matter, because you made it and you get to fill it with jam, sausages, butter or ketchup – whatever your preference. The key here is to keep turning your bread, staying well clear of the flames.

Ingredients

This makes around 6-8 snobrød

• 25 g yeast
• 3 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 500 g flour
• Olive oil

Method

Go looking for some long branches of wood (from fruit trees, oak, beech, birch etc) – they have to be about one meter long. Peel off the bark, and soak in water for 1/2 hour to prevent the wood from catching fire. You can also use metal skewers or bamboo sticks. The sticks used here are specially made for Snobrød, get yours here.

Dissolve the yeast in the water, and add the sugar, salt, and flour, and mix it well, until the dough is smooth and everything is well combined. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes and leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (around 1 hour).

Light your fire, you can use a campfire, BBQ, or a fire pit. Leave and let the flames burn down so you have only the red hot coals left. (Remember to have an adult present at ALL time)

Get your sticks, and cover the top with a bit of butter or olive oil. Get your dough, and divide into balls.

Get your dough balls, and roll into a long ‘snake’ and then carefully wrap it around the stick, so it connects and looks like a hot dog roll (around your stick).

Sit down on a blanket (you’ll be there a while) and carefully place your stick above the coals. Turn the stick, as you can see the bread cooking. If it starts getting black, turn it around. Keep doing that until every bit of the bread is golden brown, then take it off the fire. Get an adult to help you get the bread of the stick, and leave to cool for a few minutes. Then you fill it with jam, sausages, butter or ketchup, whatever you prefer!

Enjoy, this bread tastes heavenly.

One important reminder is to keep and eye on your children and explain to them that fire can be dangerous. If it is very windy, it is probably better to wait or find a less windy spot, as sparks can fly from the fire!!