Íslenska
Icelandic Bread & Pastries in Iceland
Tasty Breakfast And Desserts
The colourful palette of Icelandic cuisine offers delicious options – from characteristically urban street food to the more refined varieties offered in fine dining restaurants.
Modern Icelandic bakeries and patisseries have claimed and perfected the roll, knead and bake techniques made available to them by European influences, and made it their own. No matter your particular tastes or which corner of the world you hail from, everyone loves bread and pastries. Follow the smell of freshly baked bread, cinnamon and coffee to the nearest bakery and taste the bread and pastries from this list! Here are our suggestions for Icelandic bread & pastries that you need to try:
Icelandic Bread
Everyone’s in awe of Iceland’s extraordinary natural beauty, but what is so beautiful has to be a bit cruel, and the stubborn settlers were well-aware of that. What little grain grew in the past wasn’t enough for it to leave a longstanding impact on Iceland’s traditional cuisine – or so was thought. Until the 20th century, there was little interest in bread, seeing as grains didn’t dominate the market. But, from then on, Icelanders managed to craft trademark loaves of bread famous to this day, and it goes well with traditional delicacies, too.
Rúgbrauð
The first and foremost of Icelandic loaves of bread is rúgbrauð, or sweet, dark rye bread. Nowadays, there are several ways to make rúgbrauð, but it was traditionally baked in a pot or steamed. Iceland is rich with hot springs, and Icelanders used to bury the bread in a special casket near a hot spring if you wonder how they managed to steam it. In this case, rúgbrauð was called “hverabrauð” or “hot-spring bread.”
The delectable rúgbrauð and its signature density are often combined with smoked lamb, cheese, or only any of the traditionally Icelandic delicacies.
Flatkaka
Another characteristically Icelandic bread is another form of rye bread, flatkaka, or rye flatbread. As well as rúgbrauð, flatkaka used to be made (and continues to be) without any rising agents, precisely how it got its name. Soft and round, flatkaka was traditionally prepared on hot stones or was baked straight onto the fire embers.
This traditional way of preparation gave the flatbread an easily distinguished spotty pattern, which is often neglected in its modern form of preparation. Icelanders nowadays use small iron pans to make it in the comfort of their own homes, but it is just as tasty!
Laufabrauð
Every Christian country has its own diverse Christmas tradition, and Iceland is no exception. We have our Christmas bread or laufabrauð. The very act of decorating the laufabrauð is a tradition that involves the entire family. Family members gather to decorate the Christmas flatbread in geometric shapes (mostly resembling leaves). After the decorating process is complete, the bread is fried in a pan, served with butter and eaten during the Christmas dinner.
Icelandic Pastries
If you are an early bird, know that you are in luck if you find yourself in Iceland. Reykjavik is rich and full of vibrant and cozy bakeries that offer a different glimpse of Icelandic traditions and morning rituals. They serve the best breakfasts and desserts that you can enjoy with a cup of coffee.
Kleina
While kleinur are served around Christmastime in most Nordic countries, they have made themselves a daily treat of Icelanders. The sole fact that they can be found just in any Icelandic household is only a statement to their undeniable popularity. Kleinur are small doughnut-like buns deep-fried in oil. The dough itself is cut with kleinujárn (a particular instrument made from whalebones) into trapezoids. Then, in the middle of a kleina, a slit is made with the help of kleinujárn and pulled into a knot, which is how it gets its characteristic look. After that, it’s deep-fried in oil. Icelanders are often sensitive when it comes to the “best way” to make kleinur, but if you want a good recipe, be sure to ask one of us to get a grandma-approved recipe.
Pönnukökur
The traditional crépe-like pancakes, called pönnukökur, are made in a pönnukökupanna, a pancake-pan that is preferably passed down, generation to generation.
This hearty breakfast food is rich with sugar, as after each pancake is made, it is dusted with sugar before it’s topped with another one. Once the entire batch is made, these Icelandic crépe-like pancakes are usually carefully folded into triangles and served with toppings such as homemade jam or whipped cream, whatever suits your preference.
Snúður
Not only are they locally famous, but snúður are also popular with tourists, especially when they are paired up with kókómjólk (Icelandic chocolate milk drink).
Cinnamon rolls or cinnamon buns are a famous European treat, but what sets snúður apart from the rest of the sweets is the wide variety of toppings and glaze that goes with them. Chocolate, vanilla, sugar glaze, or caramel glaze? If you have a sweet tooth, you definitely should not miss out on our snúður!
Skúffukaka
Skúffukaka is yet another traditionally Icelandic treat that tourists may not associate with the world-famous brownies based on the name alone. It’s not the same as a brownie, but we are sure to call it its much tastier cousin.
Usually called a baking tray cake, skúffukaka is an Icelandic, one-layer chocolate cake with subtle yet detectable traces of coffee, cinnamon, and coconut topped off with cocoa frosting. This fluffy and delicious chocolate cake can be paired with either kókómjólk or coffee if you are in for the fullest treat.
Final Words
If you’re visiting Iceland and worry that your sweet tooth won’t be appeased, you can safely conclude that this won’t be the case. From our bread to our pastries, everything is as delicious as it gets. Whether it’s merely a breakfast or you are looking for something to go along with your coffee, you’re guaranteed to find it among the many bakery stalls to fit your liking, and you won’t have to keep searching for long.
For further Icelandic Culinary Blogs click here:
Traditional Foods in Iceland
Best Street & Fast Food in Reykjavik
Best Asian Restaurants in Reykjavik
Vegetarian & Vegan Food in Iceland