Heritage

My Finnish heritage beckons me to instill a love for Finnish culture in my girls. My early formative years were spent in Turku, Finland (where my dad's family lives), and when I was ready to start Kindergarten, we moved to Portland, Oregon (to be with my mom's family). I have always considered Turku my hometown and found myself drawn to Finnish/ Scandinavian culture in general. Interestingly enough, it wasn't until I started learning about third culture kids (TCK) in order to help my own girls navigate cross-cultural challenges that my own life started making more sense. It didn't dawn on me until my late 30's that I am a TCK.

I think that's why I have a deep desire for my daughters to understand their Finnish heritage. And truthfully, there is no greater way to do this than integrate some of my favorite Finnish foods into the fabric of our everyday family life. I told my husband that my Finnish food goals for my girls are simple - love black licorice, pulla (cardamom coffee bread), and Finnish rye bread ... ok, I do have significantly more on my list, but these top three staples are important. My girls most likely will never live in Finland or have all the Finnish experiences I had. They are third culture kids in their own right and will see the world uniquely and differently than I do for a multitude of reasons. Still, I want them to know their Finnish roots.

During the pandemic years, I spent a lot of time perfecting my Finnish sourdough rye bread. I just baked the last of my starter as I continue using up all my pantry/ freezer odds and end before returning to America. I was also validated last summer when we hosted a Finnish couple and they were pleasantly surprised when I invited them over for rye bread sandwiches. What a treat it was, especially because they even had the caraway seeds. Since I plan to pick up this art again when we return to Hatyai, I thought I'd write out my recipe, so I don't forget it in this busy season of purging and packing.

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Ruisleipä

(Finnish Sourdough Rye Bread)

Makes 4 rye flat loaves.

• 4 cups lukewarm water

• 3 cups dark rye flour

• 1 cup rye sourdough starter*

Dissolve sourdough starter into lukewarm water. Add dark rye flour one cup at a time and stir into a porridge-like dough. Keep dough in a draft-free warm place, covering the bowl with a towel.

OVER THE NEXT 3 DAYS ... in the mornings and evenings, add a generous 1/2 cup of dark rye flour to feed your rye porridge and beat air into the dough. On the 4th morning, add the following ingredients ...

• 1 Tbsp. sea salt

• 1 Tbsp. dry yeast, dissolved in about 2-3 Tbsp. of lukewarm water

• 4 cups dark rye flour

• 1 cup ground caraway seeds

Dissolve dry yeast in lukewarm water in a small bowl. Add yeast water, salt, and ground caraway seeds to the rye-porridge and mix thoroughly. Then add 4 cups of dark rye flour and knead until all the rye flour is blended, about 15 minutes.

Let dough rise in a warm place for 2-4 hours.

Preheat oven at 200°C / 400°F.

Prepare your bread board with a generous dusting of rye flour. Empty dough onto the bread board and generously sprinkle with rye flour. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Work the dough into round dough balls, and take a rolling pin to flatten into a circular disc about a 1/2 inch thick. Take a small jar or glass to cut out a circle in the middle of the disc and set them aside for your next rye starter.

Place your rye disc on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Take a fork and lightly press a design into the top of the rye loaves. Let loaves rise in a warm place for about 1/2 hour. Bake 20-25 minutes until you see a slightly golden tint on top.

Do not wait longer than 24 hours to slice loaves, as it will become much harder to do so. Finnish rye bread is a dense, hard rye with rich flavor. Toast, butter, and serve with meat and cheese topped with cucumber slices. Enjoy!

*Rye Starter Tips: If you do not have a rye starter, it's easy to make one. Take one package of rye crisp crackers and dissolve it in the 4 cups of lukewarm water before adding your 3 cups of dark rye flour. To preserve your next rye starter, take the center circles from the loaves and kneads it together into one large dough ball. Roll up all the excess rye flour from the board into the dough ball and wrap with cling-wrap. Place and seal in a freezer bag or airtight container and keep in the freezer. When you're ready to make your next batch, unwrap the rye starter, and let thaw overnight in a bowl with a towel over top.

**Caraway Seeds: I have not been able to find caraway seeds in Thailand, but I have found that ordering bulk spices from iHerb has been a tremendous blessing so that I can make some of my favorite recipes for our family.