Flour, water, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, oats, salt and yeast. A simple recipe to fuel a long ski day in Norway.
On a highly anticipated trip to western Norway in 2025, I was looking forward to many things: skiing above the ocean, sweating in wooden saunas, and getting to know some locals. The way of life up north lived up to every expectation (and more). But I wasn’t expecting my biggest takeaway from the trip to be the bread.
During our week-long stay at Hotel Aak, a historic ski lodge in the Romsdal region, each slow February morning began with the smell of warm, seedy bread. Wafts from the oven drew me out of the cocoon of my down comforter and towards the cozy dining room as head chef Øyvind Sæbjørnsen prepared dozens of loaves of Aak’s house bread—half a loaf per person, per day, to be exact. Half a loaf of bread per day, you say? That may sound excessive. But believe me when I say I probably could have consumed twice that.
At Aak, the winter routine was simple: eat, ski, sauna, repeat. Each morning we’d top our slices—which were somehow seedy and rich, but still soft and fluffy—with smoked fish, cured meat, caramelized cheese, fresh cucumbers, radishes and homemade jam. Each slice of Øyvind’s simple yet splendid bread was a new opportunity to curate the perfect combination, a challenge our hard-charging crew took on with fervor. Cucumber and brie, caramelized cheese and ham, creamy cheese and smoked trout. It was a bread buffet of the most sophisticated sort.
The February sun hung low in the sky, so breakfast was calm and unhurried, the shadowy slopes that flanked the valley walls above Hotel Aak waiting patiently for us. And just as we’d start debating whether we should top it all off with one more slice, Øyvind would come around with scraps of parchment paper and a basket of freshly baked bread so we could stuff our delicious loot inside our touring packs and take the whole feast with us.
Turns above the ocean were on the daily menu while staying at Hotel Aak in the Romsdal region of western Norway. Photo: Max Ritter
We skied above the ocean with locals and fellow US skiers alike, enjoying long, sparkly descents in the perma midwinter golden hour before sweating buckets in the sauna each night. But while the delight for exploring a new range was strong, each time we’d pause to take a break or soak up another glorious summit, Øyvind’s bread was always top of mind. We’d rummage through our bags to make sure we had another slice to power us through the rest of the day.
“Norway has historically been a working nation,” Øyvind told us one evening as we asked him about what foods the country is known for. “That’s why we have so many breads, cheeses, fish and meats that keep. It’s only recently that the nation has more capital, and we often still stick to the basics. But I think we do those basics quite well.”
As our trip was coming to the close, I asked Øyvind for his not-so-basic bread recipe. I half expected him to say no; perhaps it was a lodge secret. But to my delight he beamed and pulled out a scrap of paper to jot down the list of ingredients. “Good luck!” he said. “It tastes best when you make loaves by the dozen.”
Aak Brød
Ingredients (for 3 loaves)
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500 g Volda wheat flour (can sun bread flour in the US)
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500 g wheat flour
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About 1 liter cold water
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50 g pumpkin seeds
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100g chopped walnuts
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1 dl (50 g) rolled oats
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A little salt (~1 tsp handwritten note)
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½ tbsp dry yeast (sprinkle so it mixes evenly)
Instructions:
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Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add cold water last. The dough should be fairly sticky and wet; consistency like porridge.
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Grease loaf pans with oil. Sprinkle oats in the bottom (makes it easier to remove from the pan). Pour the dough into the pans.
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Let the bread rise covered overnight on the kitchen counter.
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Bake at approx. 190°C (375°F) convection for about 40 minutes.
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Remove the bread from the pans and cool upside down on a bread board or rack.
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Enjoy!
