Mammi – Finnish Easter Pudding

Recipe and Photography by Annie Nichols of HotMealsNow.

Mämmi is one of the most traditional foods eaten at Easter in Finland. Traditionally it was baked in boxes made of birch bark, called TUOKKONEN. Today, Finnish packaging for shop bought Mämmi, still print birch bark-like texture on the cardboard boxes it contains. Cooking in a Harrison oven lends it a more traditional woody flavour.

It’s a required taste shall we say, and anyone outside of Finland may find this an unusual pudding. But once you try it, you somehow can’t stop going back for more!

Here’s a simplified recipe of the more traditional pudding, and although authentic recipes call for dried, ground, bitter Pomeranssi (Seville orange) zest, here I’ve used fresh orange zest, as bitter orange may not be to everyone’s taste. But add Pomeranssi zest instead if you prefer.

Baking in a Harrison Charcoal Oven adds a wonderful, very slightly smoked note to the cake. Milk or cream, and sugar are obligatory to serve.

Ingredients

• 150 ml malt syrup or dark molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 175 g wholemeal rye flour or just 350 g all wholemeal rye flour
• 175 g malted rye flour
• Finely grated zest of 1 large orange or 1 tablespoon dried Pomeranssi zest
• 100 g raisins, optional, and not traditional, but are a good addition

To serve

• Milk or cream, sugar

Instructions

1. Fire up the Harrison oven to 140ºC. Pour 1 litre of water into a large pan with the molasses, salt, and raisins (if using). Bring to a boil, then whisk in 1/3 of the flour.  Whisk vigorously, turn off the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Once cooled, whisk the rest of the flour and orange zest into the warm mixture and pour into a wooden box (birch or pine) lined with parchment paper or a 30 × 15 cm oven-proof dish.
3. Bake indirectly (put a metal tray on the bottom grill of the Harrison) for 3 hours, a Harrison Oven is perfect to hold the heat for this long, or until set but still wobbly in the centre. Remove from oven, cool then chill in fridge overnight.

Serve with milk or cream poured over and a sprinkling of sugar.

Little note… if using a wooden box, wrap the bottom of the box with tin foil.