• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Nordic kitchen stories logo

Nordic Kitchen stories

Inspired by family recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Brunch
    • Cakes
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Festive
    • Fika
    • Fish
    • Foraged Food
    • Gluten-Free
    • Healthy
    • Lunch
    • Main
    • Nordic
    • Pickling
    • Preserving
    • Salads
    • Sharing
    • Snacks
    • Soups
    • Sourdough Baking
    • Starters
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
  • Bespoke Cakes
  • Workshops
    • Sourdough Workshops
    • Nordic Baking Workshop
    • Pastry – Savoury Tarts
  • Work with me
  • Buy my book
  • About

Swedish Seeded Limpa Bread

12th February 2019 by Louise
Swedish Seeded Limpa
Swedish Seeded Limpa

There is quite a revolution happening in British kitchens, no longer are we satisfied with supermarket pre-packed sliced, we want to master a home baked loaf.  Now if you follow my blog you’ll know that I am a sourdough addict, occasionally though I find I just haven’t had enough time to bake my sourdough.  This is when I’ll make the easiest and simplest loaf of bread you’ll come across, guaranteed!

Rummaging through my recipe file, I came across this recipe, given to me by my mormor (granny).  I have fond memories of making and eating this delicious bread, limpa with a slices of Prästost (Swedish hard cheese), one of my favourites, shared with my grandparents. Having a mutual love of food we inevitably ended up baking something for lunch or fika together.

This is my updated recipe, tweaked a little and a healthier version. Classically this bread contains a fair amount of syrup. Limpa can be made with either yeast or bicarbonate of soda however for speed I’ve used the latter. I am a fan of heritage flour and in this case I’ve used wholemeal spelt, combined with dark rye, both low in gluten. Seeds and nuts add the required texture and crunch.  Traditionally this would be made with a cultured milk,  filmjölk (probiotic cultured milk) I’ve used organic Kefir, which is very similar.

In all honesty it takes me no time to weigh and mix the ingredients, pop in the oven and an hour later I have a lovely home baked loaf!

Print Recipe

Swedish Seeded Limpa

Prep Time18 minutes mins
Cook Time50 minutes mins
soak the seeds for 1 hour prior to baking1 hour hr
Total Time2 hours hrs 2 minutes mins
Cuisine: Swedish
Author: Louise

Ingredients

  • 200 g Wholemeal spelt flour
  • 150 g Dark rye flour
  • 100 g Mixed seeds
  • 50 g Chia seeds
  • 50 g hazelnuts, skinned & roughly chopped
  • 400 g Kefir
  • 15 g Black treacle
  • 10 g Honey
  • 30 ml Olive oil
  • 1 ¼ tsp Fennel seeds
  • 1 ¼ tsp Caraway seeds
  • 7 g Fine sea salt
  • 1 ½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda

Instructions

  • Begin by combining the seeds in a bowl. Remove 1 tablespoon of the seeds and set to one side. Add 75ml cold water and soak for an hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C (Fan). Line a 900g or 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper, grease the short ends. In a free standing mixing bowl place the flour, fennel, caraway and all but 1 tablespoon of the mixed seeds, the hazelnuts and chia in the bowl with the salt and bicarbonate of soda.  Now add the kefir, olive oil, honey and molasses, turn the speed to low and blend the ingredients briefly.  You may find there is a little flour at the bottom of the bowl, take a spatular and mix it all into together.  The dough is fairly wet but you are just going to tip it into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the spatular.
  • Sprinkle the remaining seeds on the top of the loaf.  Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  Store wrapped in a clean tea towel. It's lovely toasted too.
Limpa Open Sandwich
Limpa Open Sandwich

Tips:

  • Soaking the seeds makes them more digestible.
  • Toast the nuts for added flavour.
  • Use natural yogurt instead of kefir.
  • Vary the ingredients to suit what’s in your larder.  Substitute the spelt flour for white or wholemeal plain flour.
  • add chopped dried apricots for a fruity twist.

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Category: Autumn, Baking, Healthy, Nordic, Spring, Summer, WinterTag: Bread, healthy, heritage flour, nordic flavours, scandinavian, Seeds, swedish
Previous Post:Rhubarb & Blood Orange TartRhubarb & Blood Orange Frangipane Tart
Next Post:Spiced Lemon Chicken WrapsLemon & Cardamom Chicken Wraps

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christian Dewey

    26th November 2022 at 11:29 pm

    What type of seeds?

    Reply
    • Louise

      27th November 2022 at 9:37 am

      Any mixed seeds will work. I like a mix of pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and flax.

      Reply
  2. JB

    19th May 2024 at 8:57 pm

    hi there I’m dying to try this recipe it looks great! I have water kefir grains- can I culture some milk to use in this recipe? I don’t know enough about it all yet but keen to learn. many thanks in advance

    Reply
    • Louise

      20th May 2024 at 7:11 am

      Hi,
      Water kefir grains are completely different to milk kefir grains. So in answer to your question no, sorry.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Only @nigellalawson could make squeezing in just o Only @nigellalawson could make squeezing in just one more baking book sound so elegant. She wrote the loveliest words about Buns: Sweets and Simple Bakes — and went for the Brown Butter & Vanilla, a quiet favourite of mine. Deceptively simple, but the kind of bun that’s never trying too hard, because it doesn’t need to.

So chuffed you took the time, Nigella — thank you.

@quadrillebooks 
#BunsTheBook #MorningBuns #bakingwithyeast #bakingbook #NigellaLawson #brownbutterbuns #vanilla #BunsSweetsAndSimple #nordickitchenstories
With all this hot weather lately, a chilled Cucumb With all this hot weather lately, a chilled Cucumber & Almond soup was just what I fancied. Cool, creamy, and packed with protein and flavour. I used 650g small cucumbers, 250g full-fat Greek yogurt, 2 spring onions, a blanched clove of garlic (raw’s a bit harsh for this, I find), 60g skinned almonds, 50ml strong veg stock, a good drizzle of EVOO, lemon juice, and a splash of sherry vinegar to finish. I also threw in a handful of herbs – fresh dill, blanched parsley, and mint – for a lovely hit of green brightness. (Serves 2.)

Tip: blitz the blanched almonds with the veg stock first until really smooth – that’s key. Then add the cucumber, herbs, spring onions, garlic, EVOO, lemon, vinegar, and just a third of the yogurt. Only whisk in the rest once the soup’s puréed – it gives a lovely thick, creamy texture. If you add all the yogurt to the blender at once, it can end up a bit thinner than you’d like.

Finish with a swirl of EVOO, a drizzle of thinned yogurt, and maybe a few cucumber ribbons if you're feeling a bit cheffy.

As I sat down to eat, it occurred to me that some chopped pickled jalapeños on top would be lovely – so that’s exactly what I added to the finished soup before tucking in!

#chilledsoup #cucumbersoup #summerrecipes #almondsoup #vegetarianrecipes #glutenfree #coolingmeals #easyrecipes #greekyoghurt #souprecipe #healthyandfresh #britishsummerfood
This week’s bits and pieces… 1 & 2. A christe This week’s bits and pieces…

1 & 2. A christening cake I loved making, thank you for the flowers @littlebeechesfarm 

3. A lovely walk and catch-up with @wasielewskamarta – always a pleasure 🤍
 
4. Stumbled on some wild raspberries while out and about 

5. Making the most of the gorgeous summer tomatoes

6. Grass dancing in the wind



#LittleMoments #BritishSummer #SlowDays #HomeBakes #ForagedFinds #SeasonalEating #CountrysideWalks #ChristeningCake #SimplePleasures #nordickitchenstories
I’m fully embracing my current obsession with to I’m fully embracing my current obsession with tomatoes — and honestly, who wouldn’t? They’re so sweet and juicy at the moment. This little tart is packed with toasted fennel seeds, chunks of salty feta, and a mix of whole and sliced tomatoes that roast beautifully. The feta is so good with the sweet, blistered tomatoes — such a lovely mix of textures and flavours. All of that’s tucked into a light spelt pastry that’s perfectly crumbly. The full recipe will be on the blog tomorrow!

#tomatoseason #seasonaleats #summertart #vegetarianrecipes #homebaking #britishseasonalfood #tomatolove #easyvegetarian #eattheseasons #tartrecipe #bloggerrecipes #instafoodie #savourybakes #tomatotart #ukblogger #nordickitchenstories
What a weekend! I managed to deliver a Strawberry What a weekend! I managed to deliver a Strawberry and Elderflower Buttercream Cake in 30°C heat without a single mishap – a small miracle if you ask me. Huge congratulations to the lovely newlyweds Victoria and John –  hope you had the most wonderful day 💐🎂 (There’s a snap of the cake over on stories)

Now the new week is here and the temperatures are finally a bit more manageable. Thought I’d share my current favourite weekend lunch – a lovely summery Tuna Salad. When tomatoes are so sweet and juicy, it’s the perfect time to make the most of them. Paired with haricot beans, diced celery (I know it can be a bit divisive, but it adds such a nice crunch), and a caper and chive mustard dressing. Light, fresh, and very satisfying.

#strawberryandelderflowercake #buttercreamcake #summerwedding  #tunasalad #seasonaleating #haricotbeans #capers #chives #homemadelunch #simplemeals #foodinspo #saladseason #homecooking #frommytable #inmykitchen #onmyplate #ukfoodie #ukfoodblog #foodbloguk #slowdownwithstills #nordickitchenstories
I meant to post this much earlier, but I’ve been I meant to post this much earlier, but I’ve been busy prepping a wedding cake for a Midsummer wedding tomorrow. Buttercream and a heatwave are not the best combination! I was up at 4:30 to get ahead of the heat, and I’m so glad I did — the cake is finished and happily chilling in the fridge.

Being half Swedish, Midsommar holds a special place in my heart. It’s all about flower crowns, fresh air, and that lovely feeling of long summer days. We gather with family and friends, share a beautiful midsommar feast - pickled herring, new potatoes, strawberry cream cake (this is not the wedding cake), and snaps! 
A time to slow down, dance around the maypole, and celebrate life and light. 

 Glad Midsommar! 💛🌞

#Midsommar #GladMidsommar #swedishmidsummer #weddingseason #Midsommarvibes #FlowerCrowns #ScandiStyle #NordicTradition #SummerSolstice  #SkålToSummer  #Familytraditions #ScandinavianCelebration #nordickitchenstories
Nordic kitchen stories logo

Sign up to receive my latest recipes by email

Copyright © 2025 · Louise Hurst · Privacy Policy · All Rights Reserved · Website by Callia Web