Slow lunch

Working from home gives you the advantage of preparing lunch the old-fashioned way. Here's the recipe for the rolls we ate fresh from the oven today, along with the recipe for a drink from ye really olden times: Mjødurtdrikk! The Mjødurt plant, which is actually a rose, is now blooming in the fields around Tønsåsen. Traditionally used in both beer and aspirin(!) production, the flower smells quite nice and the drink you can make from it is meant to be delicious. I am giving it a go. The result will be ready for lunch in a couple of days...

Tønsåsen super-rolls
830 grams wheat flour (hvetemel)
200 grams oatmeal (havregryn)
200 grams coarse ground wheat (sammalt hvete)
75 grams linseeds (linfrø)
75 grams sunflower kernels (solsikkekjerner)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons organic cane sugar (rørsukker)
2 teaspoons dried herb mix for bread (optional)
1 sachet dried or 50 grams fresh yeast (gjær)
4 decilitres soured milk (kulturmelk)
5 decilitres water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg (for "glacing")
Mix the dry ingredients in a big baking tray. Gently heat the milk, water and oil to 38 degrees if you use fresh yeast or 40 degrees if you use dried yeast. Find the right temperature by pouring a few drops on your wrist. If there is no temperature sensation the liquid is 38 degrees. If it feels slightly warmer than your skin (just a tad), it's 40 degrees. Pour the liquid into the flour mix and knead together. Kontinue to knead for a few minutes straight onto the table. Put back in the tray, cover with a tea towel and leave to raise for 1 1/2 hour in a warm place. Roll out, cut into 26 pieces and make rolls. Put on the baking tray and leave to raise for another 45 minutes under the tea towel. Whisk an egg with a fork and brush the top of the rolls before they go into the oven. Cook at 200 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes.

Mjødurt drink
50 mjødurt flower tops
2 litres water
2 kilos caster sugar
30-50 grams citric acid (sitronsyre)
1 or 2 lemons (I used 1 lemon and 2 limes)
Scrub the lemons/limes in warm water and cut into slices. Put the flowers, sugar, citric acid and lemons/limes into a big saucepan. Bring the water to boil and pour over. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Leave for 3-5 days and pour through a cloth and into clean plastic bottles. Store in the freezer. Dilute with water to drink.