Skillet Barley Flatbreads

A mixed-grain dough

The Swedish History Museum's food display↗ describes barley, oats and hulled wheats among bread ingredients. Those remains connect bread to the grain cupboard as well as to the hearth.

Two parts barley flour to three parts whole-wheat flour give this dough a wheat majority. Wheat contributes the cohesion needed to roll the rounds and lift them into the pan; removing it would call for a different formula.

Both flours bring bran into the dough. A short rest allows the mixture to hydrate before it is rolled. The dough won't rise, but it should become easier to handle as the flour takes up the water.

Small rounds suit the skillet

Large, thin sheets are harder to lift without tearing, especially in a dough with barley. A round roughly seven inches across leaves space around the edge of a ten- or twelve-inch skillet. You can get a spatula underneath it without folding the whole bread against the pan's sides.

Thickness matters as much as diameter. A bread that is brown outside can still have a wet flour layer in the middle. Rolling to roughly three millimeters makes the center accessible to the heat before the outside scorches. The finished bread should be cooked through, with some flexibility while warm.

The heat should produce scattered brown patches, not an instantly black surface. Adjust the burner as the pan warms between batches. A thin film of oil helps with contact; these breads aren't meant to swim in fat.

A pan beside the hearth

The Viking Ship Museum's teaching material includes a modern reconstruction in which flour and liquid are made into small breads and cooked on a pan. A small bread needs a hot cooking surface instead of a large oven. That is the connection we can bring to an ordinary domestic stove.

A heavy skillet holds heat between batches, though it can also grow hotter as the cooking continues. Watch the bread, and lower the burner if the brown patches turn black before the center cooks.

Eat them while they're supple

Let the breads lose their fiercest heat on a rack, then wrap them in a clean cloth for serving. Trapping a little warmth keeps the first ones pleasant while the last round cooks. Left spread out for a long time, thin breads lose moisture and become firmer.

Serve alongside a bowl of grain and fish or use a piece to scoop a soft topping. Tear them while warm, when they're at their most supple.

Explore the historical background and companion recipes in The Viking Winter Pantry: Preserved Fish, Grain and Dairy.