Lummur (ab-mjólk)

Pancakes with AB mjólk

AB-mjólk is a special Icelandic dairy product, a sour, thick, probiotic milk made with the help of the special bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus (a) and Bifidobacterium bididum (b).

Many Icelanders swear that ab-mjólk improves their digestion and strengthens their immune system. You can get a large selection of ab-mjólk in practically every supermarket here - and of course it is also used in Icelandic cuisine, for example in these thick little pancakes. In other countries you often can't get ab-mjólk, but you can replace it in the recipe with pure yoghurt.

So a perfect Sunday breakfast for two, right?!?

Ingredients for 2 servings / 8 pancakes

120 g wheat flour

40 g oat flakes

1 Tbsp sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

250 ml ab-mjólk

2 Tbsp oil

1 egg

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the oats, sugar, salt and baking powder.

Then pour in the ab-mjólk and mix everything into a smooth dough.

Add the oil and egg and mix thoroughly.

Then let the dough stand for about 10 to 15 minutes, after which it should be nice and thick (otherwise, depending on the consistency, add a little more flour or a little ab-mjólk).

Heat a cast iron pan on the stove over medium heat and then use a tablespoon to pour the dough into the pan in portions and fry until golden brown on both sides.

I made my dough with strawberry-flavored ab-mjólk and then served the finished Lummur with sugar cinnamon and a tablespoon of ab-mjólk, which gives a nice fresh, fruity note even on a rainy Sunday.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Kjötsúpudagurinn

Meat soup day at the beginning of winter

In Iceland, winter always begins at the end of October. The first day of winter ("fyrsti vetrardagur") according to the Old Icelandic calendar is the first Saturday between October 21st and 27th.

Since 2003, "kjötsúpudagur", or meat soup day, has been celebrated on the first day of winter on the Skólavörðustígur road, which leads from Hallgrímskirka down to Laugavegur in Reykjavík. From 2 p.m. onwards, different versions of the typical Icelandic meat soup are served at several stations along the street - usually from 2 p.m. and while stocks last (maximum until 4 p.m.).

Last year we tried it out on Meat Soup Day 2021 - unfortunately we couldn't do it this year. It is definitely a worthwhile and delicious experience!

Impressions from 2021

If you missed the Kjötsúpudagur on the Skólavörðustígur this year, like we did, you can of course still cook Icelandic meat soup yourself at home - here on the blog you will find both a tried and tested recipe for Icelandic Kjötsúpa and a very tasty meatless version, which perfectly captures the soul of this dish in terms of taste and is also suitable for vegans, the “meatless meat soup” (“kjötlaus kjötsúpa”).

Meat or no meat, that doesn't even have to be the question.

And both really taste good!

[Translated from here.]

Cooking eggs in nature

There aren't many places where you can simply cook an egg while hiking in the great outdoors - but in some corners of Iceland you can.

My husband went hiking on Monday, nearby in an area with hot mud springs.

And he was also prepared for culinary adventures - with a fresh egg, an "egg timer" that changes color so you can see how well-cooked the egg is, and a plastic bag (unfortunately we didn't have a net).

Varúð! Hverasvæði

Hverasvæði means "solfatar field". Solfatars or fumaroles are when hot, sulfur-containing water vapor or gas flows out of cracks or holes in volcanic areas. A mud pot ("leirhver", in English "mud pot") is a hot spring that, in geothermally active areas, is fed by groundwater inflow, whereby some of the water evaporates and the remaining water, along with water vapor and volcanic gases, then bubbles up rises to the surface in some places.

Such mud pots can be really life-threatening - it is said, for example, that the town of Hveragerði introduced street lighting at the beginning of the 20th century after a man fell into one of these mud pots in the town in the dark and died.

My husband was really lucky with the weather - absolutely golden September here in Iceland. And all the steaming springs in the early evening light, that has a very special charm!

But you really have to be extremely careful in such a landscape, as beautiful as it is. Visitors are warned by numerous signs and barriers.

Be careful, mud sources!

There are many dangerous mud springs in this area. New sources are constantly emerging with no clear signs on the surface. Stay on the paths and don't go too close to the mud springs. Enter at your own risk!

By the way, the warning on these signs that new springs are constantly forming in such areas without you necessarily being able to see it on the surface is absolutely serious!

Cooking eggs in nature

My husband cooked his egg in one of the hot springs here during his hike:

The egg went into a plastic bag along with the Egg Timer. My husband then hung the whole thing in one of the hot springs, here in this surreal landscape, and he weighed down the handles of the bag with a large stone to make everything possible secure yourself well and keep enough distance yourself.

The bag then hung in the bubbling spring for 10 minutes, after which the "egg timer egg" indicated that it was hard-boiled.

However, the freshly boiled egg was now really hot and my husband had to wait a bit before he could even peel his egg. But it worked perfectly and tasted good!

Refreshed, we went back home...

The safe alternative:

If you would like to cook your egg in the Icelandic nature, I recommend the Geothermal Park in Hveragerði - here visitors can buy an egg and rent a "fishing rod" and then cook their egg freshly in one of the hot springs. A cool experience for small and large children!

Geothermal Park in Hveragerði, egg cooking 2013/2014

[Translated from here.]

Bakkelsi

Icelandic pastries

Since our first trip to Iceland in 2004, I've been passionate about Icelandic cuisine - but sometimes I think, in a little corner of my heart, what I love most is classic Icelandic pastries, like carrot cake, Vínarbrauð - and of course the traditional small pastries like Kleinur, Ástarpungar ("love balls") and cinnamon rolls.

I already have a number of cinnamon roll recipes on the blog, including my absolute favorite cinnamon roll recipe .

I also baked the Ástarpungar using a tried and tested recipe that I have had on the blog since 2015.

For the Kleinur I always like to vary things up, this time it was this recipe with vanilla skyr and finely ground wheat flour:

Ingredients for approx. 30 Kleinur

100 g sugar

1 egg

160 g vanilla skyr

80 ml milk

1 tsp cardamom

440 g wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 kg coconut oil for deep frying

Preparation

In a large bowl, first whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla skyr, milk and cardamom until frothy.

Then add the wheat flour and baking powder and knead everything into a smooth dough.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 0.5 cm thick on a floured work surface or a piece of baking paper.

Cut the dough into approx. 5 cm wide strands and then cut at a 45° angle so that diamonds are formed from the dough. Cut a slit in the middle of each diamond using a sharp knife or something similar.

Then pull one end of the diamond-shaped piece of dough through so that the whole thing is “twisted”. Alternatively, you can roll the two sides inwards and then press the sides together a little so that the pastry retains its shape when baking.

Slowly melt the coconut oil in a large pot.

The liquid fat has reached the right temperature when you hold a thin, long wooden stick into the fat and small, bubbling bubbles form on the wooden stick.

Using a ladle, place the small pieces one at a time in the hot fat and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, making sure to turn the pieces so that they are baked on all sides. Be careful not to bake the Kleinur in the fat for too long - they will darken in the air afterwards!

Then lift the Kleinur out of the fat with the ladle and drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Snúðadagurinn er í dag

Today is cinnamon roll day

On October 4th, the Swedes celebrate "Kanelbullens dag", the "Day of the Cinnamon Rolls".

In Iceland there is the “rolls' day”, the “snúðadagur”.

To mark this day, the Brauð & Co. bakery had a special "3 for 2" special offer for all pastry rolls and today only there was even a new variety ("Lemon Cheesecake").

Although they had probably baked a lot more rolls than usual, all of the rolls had already been sold out in some branches this afternoon; the bakery had obviously underestimated the rush this year. The rolls there are also really tasty - I can confirm that!

Otherwise - if in doubt, just bake it yourself! You will find numerous different cinnamon roll recipes here on my blog, including my very personal favorite recipe .

Cinnamon rolls are always a hit - not just on October 4th, Cinnamon Roll Day!

[Translated from here.]

Kartöfluvínarbrauð

Potato Viennese bread

I like to use up the potato leftovers from the day before when baking, like here for this traditional Viennese bread with potato dough - especially now in autumn, it has something wonderfully "earthy".

Ingredients

220 g boiled potatoes

240 g flour

220 g margarine

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 Tbsp rhubarb jam

1 egg for brushing

2 Tbsp almond flakes

1 Tbsp granulated sugar or similar

Preparation

Mash the cooked potatoes thoroughly...

... and knead thoroughly with the flour, margarine, cinnamon and cardamom, baking powder and baking soda; If necessary, add a little more flour.

Roll out with a rolling pin into two strips approx. 15 cm wide.

Spread with the jam, fold in the edges and press down gently.

Whisk the egg and brush it on the two pieces of dough...

...then sprinkle with the flaked almonds and sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for approx. 20 - 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Verði ykkur að góðu - enjoy it!

[Translated from here.]