Hveder
by Thorleif Bundgaard
History:
Friday 11.5.2001 was the Danish "Store bededag" the "Great Prayer day"
Why do the Danes have that?. Well some 600 years back, the king found that
there was too many days, partially destroyed due to the church's wish that
people should pray to God.
OK - what to do - the king proclamed that ALL small prayer days, should
be combined into ONE GREAT PRAYER DAY. This friday (It's always a friday)
ALL Danes were relieved of any work, so NOBODY were allowed to work
(Except the doctor and the priests).
So the Danes then as now, liked to have their bread, but the bakers
couldn't bake bread this day, therefore they invented a sort of 'soft scones'
(Danish = Hveder) that they could make the day before, and that people then
could cut in halves and heat, to have something nice to eat.
As times went by, the priests and the ruling of the kings became more
relaxed, and for the last 50 years or so, many Danes have taken the
opportunity to create a nice long weekend for them selves (Not that they
have forgotten God, but IF God is really a good God then he/she will smile
when he/she sees all these Danes relaxing and being nice to each other,
and that is what it's all about after all).
OK - so how are these "Hveder" made ?
Ingredients:
160 g Wheat grains (2 dl)
2 dl water
25g butter
4 dl milk
1 dl junket (Danish "ymer" a sort of thick yoghurt)
50g yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 eggs
850g flour
(Metrics: tsp = teaspoon, 1 dl is 1/10 of a liter, g = grammes, 1/1000 of a kilogram)
Directions:
Boil the Wheat grain in water at low heat under cover for 15 minutes
melt the butter in the warm grains
add milk and pour the mixture in a bowl
add the 'Ymer' and stir the yeast in it
add the remaining ingredients
beat the dough well
let it grow for 45 minutes
knead the dough again
form 15 balls and place them close together
let them grow, hot (or in steam) for 15 minutes
bake them in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes at 200� Celcius (392� F)
the day after.
divide them and roast them at serving time
serve with butter or marmelade.
Enjoy. :-D