A dense, moist, dark spiced loaf made with rye flour and sweetened with syrup, fragrant with cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Sliced and spread thickly with butter, it is a classic Dutch breakfast and teatime bread, with the town of Deventer giving its name to a famous version.
Ontbijtkoek, also called peperkoek or kruidkoek, descends from the medieval European tradition of honey-and-spice cakes, with Dutch versions documented for centuries. The city of Deventer became renowned for its Deventer koek, and the spiced loaf settled into Dutch daily life as a wholesome breakfast slice and a steady companion to the afternoon cup of coffee or tea.
The crumb is dense, sticky and faintly chewy, deeply scented with warm baking spices that hit the nose before the tongue. It is sweet but earthy from the rye, and a cold slick of butter on a fresh slice is transformative. It tastes of cold mornings and steaming mugs.
Syrup and rye flour give the loaf its hallmark moist, dense, almost sticky crumb and keep it from drying out, which is why it improves after a day's rest. The large dose of warming spices, rather than fat or eggs, carries the flavour, making it a low-fat but intensely aromatic bread.
Variations
Deventer koek, Groninger koek, oudewijvenkoek (with anise), with candied ginger, glazed top
On the Palate
Where Ontbijtkoek sits in the Dutch flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 10
How it's made
8 steps · 15 min
- 13 min
Warm syrup with milk until just combined and slightly fluid.
- 23 min
Sift rye flour with a generous mix of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.
- 32 min
Stir in brown sugar, a pinch of salt and baking soda.
- 43 min
Pour the warm syrup-milk into the dry ingredients and mix to a thick batter.
Watch outMix just to a thick, even batter — this is a spice loaf with no eggs to save it, so over-mixing the rye toughens the crumb.
- 52 min
Spoon the batter into a lined loaf tin and level the top.
- 665 min
Bake at 160C for about 60-70 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Watch outTest with a skewer at the center — it should come out clean; the dense, syrupy crumb reads underbaked if you pull it early.
- 75 min
Cool fully in the tin, then wrap and rest for a day to deepen flavour and moisture.
Watch outWrap and rest a full day before slicing — the moisture and spice deepen overnight, and cut fresh it tastes flat and dry.
- 82 min
Slice and serve buttered.
