Kavring
Twice-baked cardamom rusks, crisp and lightly sweet — the coastal coffee companion that keeps for weeks.
Cultural Context & History
Sailors needed bread that would not spoil, and the answer was kavring — sweet rolls dried slowly until crisp. Dunked in coffee, they carry the frugal ingenuity of the seafaring south.
Ingredients
- 500 g wheat flour
- 75 g butter
- 300 ml milk
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 75 g sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
Recommended Tools
- Dough hook and mixerHandles the long knead this soft dough needs.
- Serrated bread knifeHalves the warm rolls without crushing them.
- Oven thermometerConfirms the gentle 100°C that dries without browning.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Melt the butter, stir in the milk, and warm gently to 37°C — just blood temperature, no hotter, or the yeast will suffer.
- 2
Knead the yeast, sugar, cardamom, salt and flour with the warm milk and butter for a full 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
- 3
Shape into 16 round rolls, set them on a lined tray, and prove for a further 30 minutes.
- 4
Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes until pale gold, then slice each warm roll in half horizontally.
- 5
Lay the halves cut-side up and dry in a low oven at 100°C, door left slightly ajar, for 2–3 hours until crisp and golden right through.
Chef's Tip
Wedge the oven door open with a wooden spoon while the halves dry — the escaping steam is what turns a soft roll into a rusk that snaps rather than bends.
Chef's Tip
Cool the halves completely before they go into the tin; any warmth trapped inside will steam and soften them again. Dried right through, kavring keeps crisp for weeks.
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