OUR DAILY BRØD

OUR DAILY BR?D

Scandinavian bakeries are on the rise, winning over bread-loving Brits with their time-honoured techniques and tempting treats. From cinnamon buns to chokladbollar, fika culture looks set to stay

Words Heather Taylor Photography Chris Terry

This pic and previous page: xxxxxxxxx xxLxoxvxexlxyxloxaxves plus cinnamon buns

(top right) at Fabrique. Previous page: Putting the

finishing touches to kanelbullar at Fabrique.

W hether we're getting hooked on Nordic noir TV shows or going bonkers for Danish designers, the UK's appreciation for Scandinavian culture is growing at a spectacular rate. Food is no exception: chefs and writers such as Norwegian-born Signe Johansen are inspiring us to cook Scandi dishes at home, while cutting-edge restaurants such as Noma and F?viken have repeatedly ranked among the world's top 10. But this cuisine isn't just the preserve of the Michelin-star diner or adventurous home cook. Stylish Nordic bakeries are popping up all over the country, meaning fika ? the Swedish coffee break, preferably served up with something sweet ? is finding a welcome place in our days.

Perhaps our newfound love of Scandinavia's wholesome baking is due to the backlash against mass-produced, poor-quality food. Favouring time-honoured processes that date back thousands of years, Scandi bakers often use family recipes, handed down over the centuries; spices are subtly combined, sourdough is proved for hours to create an intense flavour, and pastries are carefully finished by hand. Now more than ever, it seems, we're happier to slow down, enjoy the good stuff and pause for fika ? and these talented bakers around the UK are happy to oblige.

FABRIQUE

A cavernous, disused railway arch in East London isn't the first place you'd expect to stumble upon flour-dusted chefs, but that's what awaits visitors to Fabrique.

Founder Charlotta Zetterstr?m ditched her job in the finance industry to open Fabrique in Stockholm back in 2008 with her husband, David. Many loaves later, the business expanded, but it hasn't forgotten its roots; it still relies on many of the original recipes. "We

even use the same sourdough starter in every one of our bakeries," says David. "When we opened in London, we had to bring a little tin of it over on the plane." A handful of scattered tables at the front of the building serve as a pared-back caf? ? the best spot from which to watch bakers, who've been toiling since the small hours, deftly shaping kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) or hand-finishing deep brown rye, levain and sourdough loaves. The

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Addiontional stock photpgraphy (Baltzersen's, Br?d, S?derberg, Two Magpies Bakery)

BALTZERSEN'S

Paul Rawlinson refers to his great-grandmother's handwritten recipe book from 1917 when creating the pastries, cakes and desserts served at Baltzersen's in Harrogate. The cosy Nordic bakery and caf?, which takes its name from Paul's Norwegian grandmother (spot her hand-knitted woolly jumpers hanging by the kitchen), uses the best of Yorkshire's larder, Scandi-style. The freshly baked sultanaboller, which lie somewhere between a scone and

a teacake, come with butter from nearby Acorn Dairy and are washed down with excellent coffee from Leeds-based North Star Coffee Roasters. The signature bake is the skolebr?d, a cardamom dough with a custard filling and coconut icing. "They're my weakness," says Paul. "If there's only one left at the end of the day, the staff know it's mine!" 22 Oxford Street, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 1PU; 01423 202363; baltzersens.co.uk.

vast ovens lining the walls are central to the bakery's techniques, emulating the traditional stone-baking method that dates back some thousands of years. A peek inside the kitchen confirms the emphasis on handmade processes ? besides a mammoth mixer, there's little in the way of high-tech kit. And though the echoey space is hardly what you'd call cosy, there's plenty to welcome you in. As the oven doors swing open, the warm, sweet smell of cinnamon buns fills the air ? they don't come

fresher than this. With a rich, buttery flavour and fluffy texture, it's not hard to see why kanelbullar are something of a national institution in Sweden.

The Shoreditch bakery also supplies the Fabrique caf? in bustling Covent Garden, and a third London outpost is due to open in Notting Hill this month ? so here's hoping its brilliant buns are here to stay. Arch 385, Geffrye Street, London E2 8HZ; 020 7033 0268; fabrique.co.uk.

We heart Baltzersen's waffles. Above: The bakery's signature skolebr?d.



Treats at Bageriet include vaniljhj?rtan (shortbread with vanilla custard), chokladt?rta (double chocolate cake with ganache, left) and rye bread (below left).

BAGERIET

"I started out working from my own kitchen, just selling bags of biscuits to Swedish shops, and it's grown from there," says Daniel Karlsson. The softly spoken Swede now runs Bageriet, in London's Covent Garden, with friend and fellow baker Sven-Gunnar Appelgren. Family recipes are at the heart of the business. "My grandmother was an excellent cook," he says. "I make her cardamom biscuits and skorpor (a spiced rusk), traditionally served with blueberry or rosehip soup."

The pair prepare everything from scratch

in the tiny bakery space beneath their equally snug caf?, tucked away down a cobbled street in one of London's busiest tourist areas. But it couldn't feel further from the West End ? customers squeeze into tightly packed wooden tables, dunking headily spiced biscuits into their coffees, and a steady stream stop by to pick up beautiful artisan breads, tarts and cakes. The smell of spices wafts up from the kitchen ? cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and black pepper ? and all are perfectly balanced in every bite. "These products have been hidden from the

rest of Europe for many years, perhaps because they don't always look fabulous in the way French p?tisserie does," says Daniel. "But the flavours are simply amazing." If the queues are anything to go by, Daniel's customers agree. Does he have any plans for expansion? "I've worked in many places where as soon as you get bigger, the quality drops ? you lose the intimacy and soul of the business." So, for now, you'll have to wait in line ? but it's more than worth it. 24 Rose Street, London WC2E 9EA; 020 7240 0000; bageriet.co.uk.

Bakers Daniel Karlsson (left) and Sven-Gunnar Appelgren at Bageriet.

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Rye bread at London favourite Snaps + Rye.

Above: Kell Sk?tt.

SNAPS+ RYE

"Here, we don't talk about the weather; it's `How's the rye today?'" says Kell Sk?tt. This is the bread that was named Londoners' Loaf at the 2015 Urban Food Awards, and you can buy it at stylish Danish eatery Snaps+ Rye in London's Westbourne Park, which Kell runs with his wife, Jacqueline. He is vague about the recipe ? it's a closely guarded secret ? but he mentions "malt beer, honey, a bit of liquorice and lots of seeds". The result is a treacly, slightly bitter, moist loaf that forms the base of Snaps+ Rye's lunchtime sm?rrebr?d ? open sandwiches with classic Danish toppings such as pickled herring. Leftovers are used to flavour ice cream or to infuse akvavit for a cockle-warming digestif. And is Kell content with his final recipe? "Give me another 10 years ? then I might have mastered it." 93 Golborne Road, London W10 5NL; 020 8964 3004; .

BR?D

Cardiff's first Danish bakery, Br?d, aims to bring hygge to the Welsh capital. This word describes the Danish concept of `cosiness' ? a warm atmosphere and sense of contentment ? and it's in abundance at Betina Skovbro's coffee shop and bakery. Bread runs in Betina's blood ? her grandfather was a baker in Copenhagen ? and this strong family

ethos is evident right down to the caf?'s dining chairs, which belonged to Betina's grandmother. A range of treats are on offer, but the current favourite is spandauer, a golden, buttery dough filled with jam or custard and finished with a sticky glaze. It's pastry nirvana. 126 Wyndham Crescent, Cardiff CF11 9EG; 0797 029 2799; thedanishbakery.co.uk.

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Spandauer are a staple at Br?d. Opposite: Two

Magpies Bakery.

S?DERBERG

You might recognise Peter Ljungquist`s name from the packs of crispbreads now sold nationwide, but it all started with Peter's Yard caf?, which opened in Edinburgh in 2007. The group now has two bakeries, called S?derberg, with the flagship caf? in the city's pretty Quartermile a firm favourite. Visitors to the glass-fronted space can stop by for sm?rrebr?d (open rye sandwiches), sourdough pizza in the evening, and takeaway artisan loaves. And there are sweet treats galore ? the heady cardamom and cinnamon buns called kardemummabulle; mazarin tart (like a bakewell); and little chokladbollar ? chocolate, coffee and coconut balls. Despite the modernity, history remains at the heart of the business. "We serve things that Swedish people know and make at home," says head pastry chef Charlotte Guidi. "They're all steeped in tradition." Quartermile, 27 Simpson Loan, Edinburgh EH3 9GG; 0131 228 5876; soderberg.uk.

Easier to eat than to say: palsternackskaka

(aka parsnip cake), kardemummabulle and mazarin tarts at S?derberg.

TWO MAGPIES BAKERY

This Southwold bakery uses Scandi techniques to make its awardwinning breads ? from 100 per cent Swedish rye to sourdough levain and cardamom knots. There is also a daily selection of cakes and pastries, and a sourdough pizza menu on Saturday nights. 88 High Street, Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6DP; 01502 726120; twomagpies bakery.co.uk.



THE BEST OF THE REST

More great spots to stop for fika

NORDIC BAKERY With three London branches, this peaceful caf? serves excellent coffee and sweet treats. Try the blueberry upside-down cake.

BYGGA BO This beautiful caf? in Walthamstow, northeast London, makes its cinnamon buns daily. Get one to share (they fill a whole plate) and wash it down with Climpson

& Sons coffee.

COOPER & WOLF Try the home-cured gravlax at this trendy eatery in Clapton, one of East London's most up-and-coming areas

for eating out. cooperandwolf.co.uk

TAKK With speciality coffee, a shop and a seasonal

menu, this spot in Manchester's Northern Quarter will indulge your love of all things Nordic.



FIKA BRISTOL Hunt down the crumbly biscuits home-baked by Swede-Bristolian Elin Fry and sold in caf?s around Bristol ? including Small St Espresso (smallstreet espresso.co.uk), Zest Deli & Caf? (zestdeliandcafe.

co.uk) and Zion (zion bristol.co.uk). The

cardamom biscotti are the perfect fika treat.

fikabristol.co.uk

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