Dough Docker
This is a handmade dough docker that made holes in the rolled-out Knäckebröd (Swedish Crispbread) dough prior to baking it. The holes allowed hot air to go through the dough while baking, making the finished product well-baked, crisp, and good for storage without getting moldy. This tool was often made as a gift for Mom, Mor Mor, Aunt, or sister.
Knäckebröd is customarily served during the warmer season, but eaten year-round in Sweden. These thin crackers are delicious topped with pickled or smoked fish, or sliced cheese.
The origin of the crispbread came from the earlier spisbröd (stovebread) which was a similar but thicker kind of bread. This bread was baked in central Sweden from the sixth century.
Traditional crispbread in Sweden was made in the form of a round flat loaf with a hole in the middle. The hole facilitated drying above the stove as well as storage on long poles hanging near the ceiling.
Traditionally, crispbreads were baked just twice a year: following harvest and again in the spring when frozen river waters began to flow. The slim crispbread that is common today originated in eastern Värmland.
