Rúgbrauð (Icelandic rye bread)
A dense, gently sweet Icelandic rye loaf leavened with baking powder and baking soda, mixed with buttermilk, honey and molasses, then baked under a lid in a Pullman pan.
Flatbrauð (Icelandic pan-cooked flatbread)
Flatbrauð · flatkaka · flatkökur
Thin Icelandic flatbreads made from rye and whole-wheat flour with boiling water, shaped into rounds, docked and cooked on a hot stovetop or gas grill.
A measured home version
This version follows the 2012 household recipe published by Albert Eiríksson as flatbrauð/flatkökur. It combines rye and whole-wheat flour with salt, sugar and oil, then uses boiling water to make the dough. The writer says he called his mother for baking advice and recalls an aunt describing boiling water as a traditional technique. That family recollection is not a dated origin record, and this measured formula should not stand in for every Icelandic flatbrauð.
The recipe uses 300 g rye flour and 200 g whole-wheat flour. It also calls for extra wheat flour during kneading but gives no amount. The source specifies 300–350 ml boiling water; the ingredient list below preserves that range rather than choosing a precise point within it. It does not state how many rounds the batch makes.
Sources for this section
Mix, shape and cook
Stir the flours, salt, sugar and oil together before pouring the boiling water over them. The writer lets the mixture cool a little, then kneads in wheat flour and rolls it thin. A plate serves as a cutting guide; a fork docks each round. The source gives no rest, proof, exact thickness, calibrated cooking temperature or time, so those details are left open.
Cook the rounds on a very hot stovetop surface or gas grill. Albert Eiríksson directs cooks to dip each round in cold water immediately after cooking to stop it scorching. His post warns that cooking makes substantial smoke and advises opening windows because smoke alarms may sound. Use ventilation and take care around the boiling water and hot cooking surface.
Sources for this section
Flour handling
Flour can carry harmful bacteria. Do not taste the uncooked dough, and wash hands and utensils after mixing. The source gives no validated internal doneness measure; this page does not add one.
Sources for this section
History
Flatbrauð is an Icelandic flatbread name used for multiple formulas. Albert Eiríksson's 2012 page gives a measured household recipe and attributes the boiling-water tip to a relative's recollection; that account is not dated historical evidence for all flatbrauð. The atlas separately records a rye-and-water Mývatn version, which is not the formula used here.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
300 g
200 g
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
325 mL
300–350 ml; add within this rangeWheat flourUse as needed for kneading and rolling.
amount not specified
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Boiling-water burns
Boiling water is poured into the flour mixture; splashes can burn hands or skin.
Hazard sourceSmoke during cooking
The author warns that cooking the rounds on a very hot surface produces substantial smoke and may trigger smoke alarms.
Hazard sourcePathogens in raw flour
Flour is a raw agricultural product and should not be tasted before cooking.
Hazard sourcePour the boiling water carefully into the bowl and let the mixture cool enough to handle before kneading.
Control sourceVentilate the kitchen while cooking on the hot surface; the source specifically advises opening windows because substantial smoke can set off smoke alarms.
Control sourceDo not taste raw dough; wash hands and utensils after handling flour.
Control sourceBoiling water enters the dough; allow it to cool enough to handle before kneading.
The source warns of substantial smoke during cooking. Ventilate the room and check that smoke alarms remain functional.
Do not taste the raw dough.
- Mix the rye flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, sugar and cooking oil in a heatproof bowl.
- Pour 300–350 ml boiling water over the mixture and stir until combined. Let it cool briefly so it is manageable to knead; the source does not give a cooling time.
- Knead with additional wheat flour, adding only what is needed to handle the dough. Divide and roll it thin.
- Cut rounds by placing a plate on the rolled dough and cutting around its edge. Dock each round with a fork.
- Cook the rounds on a very hot stovetop cooking surface or gas grill, turning as needed until cooked. The source gives no calibrated temperature or cooking duration.
- Dip each cooked round briefly in cold water, as the source directs, then set aside.
Places
Iceland
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThe inspected household recipe is published as Icelandic flatbrauð; its page does not identify a narrower place of preparation.
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Sources
Albert eldar (Albert Eiríksson)Inspiration · Method · Food use · History
Flatbrauð/flatkökurThe measured recipe uses 300 g rye flour, 200 g whole-wheat flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp oil and 300–350 ml boiling water, plus unspecified wheat flour for kneading.
The author describes rolling the dough thin, cutting rounds with a plate, docking with a fork and cooking on a very hot stovetop surface or gas grill; the source gives no calibrated heat, cook time or yield.
The author attributes a boiling-water technique to a family recollection and warns that cooking produces substantial smoke; the page suggests opening windows because smoke alarms may activate.
Cited in: A measured home version; Mix, shape and cook
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour can carry harmful bacteria; do not taste raw dough and wash hands and utensils after handling flour.
Cited in: Flour handling