Viking Blood Bread
Whole wheat loaves made with sourdough starter that get their color (but not taste!) from a large amount of blood
City/Region: Viking | Sweden
Time Period: 9th Century | 10th Century
We don’t have any recipes from the Norse people of the Viking Age, so we turn to archaeological evidence to figure out what they ate. Bread that was discovered at a Viking grave in Sweden was analyzed and found to contain blood, likely as a way to preserve it. This type of bread, leavened and baked in an oven, would have been fit for a fancy Viking feast.
The bread comes out very dark like a dark rye bread because of the large amount of blood in the recipe. Surprisingly, it didn’t taste or smell anything like blood. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that it was a typical whole wheat bread with a lovely crust. I recommend using a stand mixer for the kneading as not only is the dough very sticky, but it’s still red at the beginning of the process, and I got grossed out by it. I, who have sewn a pig’s front to a chicken’s rear.
Anyway, slather some butter and honey on this bread and enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups (340 g) well-fed sourdough starter
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) lukewarm water
- 4 tablespoons (80 g) honey
- 6 cups (840 g) whole wheat flour
- 2 cups (1/2 L) blood, I used pig blood
Instructions:
- Strain the blood to get rid of any coagulated bits. If a lot of it has coagulated, blend it for a few seconds and it will reliquefy.
- Stir the sourdough starter and honey into the blood until well combined (or as well combined as you can make it).
- In a large bowl, add the blood mixture to the flour and mix. Mix in the water until the dough comes together. You can knead by hand for 20 to 25 minutes, but if you end up being a little grossed out like I was, you can use a stand mixer to knead it into a smooth but sticky dough.
- Cover the bowl and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Divide the dough into however many pieces you want. I did mine in 8 pieces. Shape the dough however you like, I did mine in rounds. Set them on a lined baking sheet, cover, and let them rise for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Score the top of the bread with a sharp knife. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Since the bread is dark, you can tap the bottom to see if it’s done. If it sounds hollow, you’re good to go. You can also use an instant-read thermometer to see if the bread has hit 190°F (90°C).
- Take the bread out and let it cool completely, then serve it forth.