Rieska is an easy, no-yeast rye bread that is buttery and mildly sweet. This Finnish bread is sturdy enough for sandwiches but soft and moist!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
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Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Servings
24 square slices
Difficulty
Easy
Calories *
70 kcal per serving
Technique
Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter, add buttermilk, bake.
Flavor Profile
Hearty with mild sweetness and nutty rye flavor.
* Based on nutrition panel
My Finnish neighbor used to bring us bread like this every Christmas, so I had to give it a shot. I loved not having to knead or wait for dough to rise. The buttery crust was the best part, I couldn’t stop snacking on the edges! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lauren
Rieska is a Finnish wonder of ridiculously easy bread baking. Rustic reliable and durable enough to hold a few slices of meat, cheese and veggies, but soft and moist enough to warrant its “cakey” descriptor.
It takes less time to throw together than it does for me to get dressed in the morning, and its buttery and mildly sweet flavor is unusually refreshing — not at all how you’d expect it to taste at first sight. When you find yourself craving pumpernickel bread or marble rye bread, but are short on time, try this simple rieska! If you do have more time, try my steakhouse style pumpernickel bread recipe, Russian black bread or pumpernickel bagels! If you’re making sandwiches and have a bit more time, you could also make my rye bread recipe.
I don’t know what it is about this recipe that first caught my attention. Maybe it was the simplicity of it, or the basic roll call of ingredients. Maybe it was the description — a “cakey drop biscuit,” an “easy baking powder bread,” “packed with whole grains.” Or, perhaps, it was the adventure of creating something I never had before.
Or, maybe it was because I just wanted a really good sandwich.
How to Make Rieska
Step 1: Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together oats, rye flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add butter in small cubes and cut into the dry mix, using a fork or pastry blender, until the butter is thoroughly distributed. Stir in buttermilk until well combined.
Step 3: Pour batter into prepared dish and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top of bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in baking dish completely before slicing or serving.
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Rieska
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup rye flour, or pumpernickel flour (I used dark rye)
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together oats, rye flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add butter in small cubes and cut into the dry mix, using a fork or pastry blender, until the butter is thoroughly distributed. Stir in buttermilk until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared dish and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top of bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in baking dish completely before slicing or serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this easy homemade bread recipe. Check out our other delicious appetizer recipes, like my favorite reuben dip next!
My Finnish neighbor used to bring us bread like this every Christmas, so I had to give it a shot. I loved not having to knead or wait for dough to rise. The buttery crust was the best part, I couldn’t stop snacking on the edges!
Kristen — I’m so sorry to hear that! I know everyone’s oven behaves differently, so maybe next time bake it at 450 degrees F and see if that helps. Also, it’s been forever and a day since I’ve made this recipe so I don’t exactly remember how many sandwiches it makes, but my guess is about 6 to 8 sandwiches.
Mine burned badly… 16 minutes. Any thoughts? Also, how many servings do you get when you use it for sandwiches?
That looks fantastic!
I tend to be more “hands on” when it comes to cutting in butter. Do you think it would matter much if I kneaded it in (like you would for biscuits), or is the temperature of the butter important?
I’m probably overthinking this, the recipe doesn’t look very finicky, but still 😛
Johanna — You incorporate the butter a lot like how you would for biscuits, so yes, using your hands to cutting it in works just fine.
hahaha, interesting survival tool, plus delicious.
This sounds perfect for the veg sandwiches I eat. Always need a good sturdy bread to give the sandwich some extra oomph. Those people over at King Arthur are geniuses.
Very interesting recipe! And you say it holds up well in a sandwich? Talk about easiest bread ever!