Swedish Spelt Flatbread: Hönökaka

My Swedish flatbread (known as Hönokaka) recipe uses spelt flour (Dinkel mjöl). An easy recipe to make in under 2 hours. I make Swedish flatbread by combining - white spelt flour and wholegrain spelt flour, dry yeast (however, fresh yeast can be used), water, a little sugar, salt and oil. Therefore it is suitable for anyone avoiding wheat, lactose or following a vegan diet.

There are many variations to this recipe with some using milk and butter also. It bakes within 5 minutes in a hot oven and even less time if you have a steel you can use.

What is Hönökaka?
This is a popular flatbread sold here in Gothenburg, Sweden. Usually made with wheat flour, it is soft and pricked on top. The bread is name after the island town Hönö in Gothenburg's northern archipelago and was originally baked by the people living on these islands. The bread is baked round and flat. Hönökaka translates to chicken island cake. Maybe because the holes on top look like a chicken has walked on it. I will investigate and find out.

Prep. Takes = 10 minutes
Resting time = first rise; 30-45 minutes, then second rise; 10 minutes
Baking time per tray = 5 minutes
Makes = 8 medium sized flatbreads

Ingredients

• White spelt flour – 540g (almost 4 cups)
• Wholegrain spelt flour – 140g ( 1 cup)
• Dry yeast (fresh 25g) – 7g (2.5 ts)
• Salt – 2 ts
• Sugar (optional or sweetener) – 1 t
• Oil, rapeseed or olive oil or melted butter – 75g ( 3/4cup)
• Warm water – 330g ( 1.5 cups)* (add more if needed)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in your mixing bowl and knead with your hands or a dough hook for 5 minutes until it's smooth. Transfer into an oiled bowl then cover and rest for 30-45 minutes until it has doubled in size. You may need longer in winter or a cold kitchen.
2. Preheat the oven 15 minutes before you need to start baking at 290˚C or 270˚C fan or you could also place a pizza stone/steel in the oven too and set it at 270˚C (they will cook a little faster using the steel).
3. Once risen remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 8 pieces about 137g each. I prefer this size but you can choose to make them larger or smaller. Roll into a ball. Then one by one press and roll with a rolling pin thin or thick, then using a skewer poke lots of holes into the top. (check my video for the details). Rest covered for ten minutes. Then transfer it to a paper-lined baking tray. Repeat until all the dough is flattened. Or if using a pizza steel/stone you can using your pizza peel and bake the dough directly on the pizza steel, you may need a little more flour on the base to stop them from sticking.
4. Bake in the hot oven for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden. I only bake 2 at a time. If you try and bake more trays they end up taking longer. Immediately after removing the baked bread brush or spray with water on the top and cover with a cloth to cool down.
5. Store in a sealed container for 2-3 days or freeze for 2-3 months. We gently reheat them in the toaster the next day because they taste even better warm.