AI-generated image
Øllebrød
Rye bread and beer porridge
Øllebrød: Danish rye bread and malt beer porridge with orange zest and cream
Øllebrød was the everyday breakfast of Danish farmhouses long before oats took over, a thrifty way to use up stale rye bread in the long Jutland winters. The bread is soaked and simmered with dark, sweet malt beer (hvidtøl), lemon and orange peel and a little sugar into a thick brown porridge, then served with cold cream or whipped cream. Hvidtøl is a very low-alcohol beer; use an alcohol-free malt beer or malt drink so it suits everyone, and for a fully alcohol-free version use half water and half apple juice with 1 tbsp black treacle. A common mistake is using fresh, seeded bread, which turns gluey. Chef's tip: soak the bread overnight so it collapses into a smooth porridge in minutes.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 9 oz stale dark rye bread, crusts onin cubes
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 ½ cups alcohol-free malt beer
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 strip lemon peel
- 1 tsp orange zestfinely grated
- 1 pinch salt
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 9 oz stale dark rye bread, crusts on in a bowl with 1 ¾ cups water and 1 ½ cups alcohol-free malt beer, cover and leave to soak overnight in the fridge (or at least 2 hours).
5 minStep 2: Tip into a pan with 1 strip lemon peel and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the bread has broken down into a thick, smooth porridge. Mash or blend for a finer texture.
15 minStep 3: Remove the lemon peel and stir in 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp orange zest and 1 pinch salt. Taste and add a splash of water if it is thicker than porridge.
3 minStep 4: Serve hot in bowls with cold ¾ cup cold single or whipped cream poured over.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does øllebrød take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Indian
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
Bangladeshi
BsissaRoasted barley flour with olive oil
A tin of bsissa sits in many Tunisian kitchen cupboards, from Tunis flats to farmhouses in the south: a finely ground flour of roasted barley, roasted chickpeas and spices such as coriander, fennel and aniseed. In the morning a few spoonfuls are worked with olive oil and something sweet into a nutty, crumbly paste, or stirred with water into a thick drink, and it keeps you going until lunch. Travellers and pilgrims once carried it for the road. Roasting your own flour takes 15 minutes and makes a jar that lasts weeks. Sugar and dates keep it vegan; some families use honey. Chef's tip: roast the flours separately over a low heat and stir constantly; the moment they smell like toasted biscuits and turn light tan, tip them out of the pan.
Tunisian