Norway Hairy Bikers' Bakeation

'By now, you've probably realised

'there are two things that we really love in this world.'

'Biking, and baking.'

'So, we've decided to combine them.'

'In an epic five-thousand mile Bakeation.'

'We'll be uncovering the very best baking that Europe has to offer.'

'And it's not just bread, mate. We'll be on the lookout

'for cakes, pies, pastries.

'In fact, almost everything that can be cooked in an oven.'

'And even a few dishes that don't need one.'

'Starting with the relatively unknown baking of Scandinavia.'

-That's the best bread I've ever tasted.

-Extraordinary.

'We'll be heading south to the Low Countries,

'Germany and Eastern Europe.'

-'Then on, through Austria and Italy.'

-Oh, that ragout's great!

'Before making it to France and our final destination, Spain.'

We love you more than you'll ever know!

'But it's not just us doing the cooking.

'We want to meet some of the world's very best bakers.'

'In their bakeries, and in their homes too.'

'This is going to be a truly spectacular...'

BOTH: 'Bakeation!'

'Norway, what a great place to start.

'Home of fjords, trolls and Vikings.'

'I reckon I might be one of those, you know, dude.

'Just call me Thor.'

'So, Thor, this could be a return to the mothership for you.'

'I'm feeling it already, dude.'

'Not many people call Norway home, though.

'Only five million people live here, yet it's half as big again as the UK.'

I love this bit, don't you?

You get the maps out, the books, and decide where you're going to go.

I'm quite excited. I'm so excited, I can't even concentrate.

-Excited? I'm demented.

-It's going to be great.

-We're starting north, and moving south?

-Yes.

-A bit like a goose.

So then, Thor, did you feel that fire of familiarity

-as you went up the fjord?

-I did, which is slightly worrying.

Look at you. Talk about being local!

You're more local than locals. ARE you a Viking?

I like getting drunk. I have periods of extreme violence.

-HE LAUGHS

-Never mind!

-That's where we are now, Kristiansund.

-Right.

Look where we're going.

-That is miles and miles and miles of fjords.

-Oh!

It's going to be some of the most beautiful motorcycling in the world.

Interspersed and sprinkled with master bakers.

Be careful how you say that. Master bakers, all the way through.

We're not just doing baking.

We're doing all sorts of little lovelinesses.

'We'll be baking in some of the most beautiful locations you've ever seen.'

'We'll meet Norwegians in their homes, and cook with them.'

-'We'll be sampling brown cheese and aquavit.'

-'Mm!'

'And our trip will take us to the Winter Olympic town of Lillehammer.'

You know what's in Lillehammer, as well?

Oh, brilliant. Bobsleigh.

-Imagine the speed of it with our weight!

-Oh, God.

-An Exocet missile, down that run.

-Are we having a go?

But our true destination is Oslo, for Norway Day.

It's a special day, where everybody goes Norway-vacatious.

They celebrate the nation's identify with lots of flag waving,

lots of great food.

It's a potent mix. Let's crack on.

# Take on me... #

MUSIC: "Take On Me" by A-ha.

'If you think about it, dude, Kristiansund's like the Norwegian

'equivalent of Grimsby, a town built on trade and the fishing industry.'

'It don't look much like Grimsby to me. If this is anything to go by,

'Norway will be very pretty indeed.'

'Time to find out, because this is where our road trip really starts.

'We're leaving Kristiansund,

'and heading out along the coast towards Molde.'

-'Do you think we'll see any Norwegian trolls?'

-'Here's one now.'

'No, trolls. Not tolls.' Hello. How much?

It's 57 for one motorbike.

It's not cheap, is it?

No. Do you know what's funny about the motorways?

Some you pay tolls, some you don't.

Once you've paid for the cost of building the road,

they stop charging tolls,

-That's cool.

-This is a new one. Thank you.

-Thank you.

'That was 13 quid for two bikes. Pricey, isn't it?'

'Pricey? We'll be bankrupt before we get to Oslo.

'We're heading out now to the Atlantic road,

'meant to be one of the best motorbike roads in the world.'

'But our real destination is Haholmen Island,

'only accessible by boat.

'And, just for my companion, Thor, a Viking longboat.'

Now that, my friend, is back to your roots.

Look at this. I'm at home.

I'm home!

-It's your first longboat!

-Wa-hee!

-Go on, jump on!

-Oh! Oh, I cannot wait.

Skipper!

-Oh, look at this, man.

-It IS fabulous, isn't it?

-Breathtaking.

-I can't believe we're doing this, can you?

-No.

This is nuts.

'I bet real bona fide Vikings sailed here.'

'Hey! Hey! I'm a real bona fide Viking!'

'They'd head off on trade missions to the East,

'bringing back mysterious spices, and exotic flavours.'

'I reckon we'll see some of those flavours

'in the baking, as we trail through Norway.'

'I hope so, mate.'

-BOTH: Oh, wow!

-Look at the eagle.

-Eagle, eagle!

-Roger!

Norway is so beautiful, isn't it?

Yeah. That's exactly it.

It's absolutely breathtaking.

It's the spirit of my ancestors are with us.

Just as we go into battle.

As we land on the beach, with our axes and shields.

Oh!

-I'm feeling it now.

-Are you?

'I don't know about you, bud, but all this fresh air

'and goodly wholesomeness, makes me want to bake something.'

'You've got a point.

'We've not even seen a wooden spoon yet.'

'I think it should be bread, the staff of life.

'Every region in the world has its own bread,

'and Scandinavia is no exception.'

'Most famous of all is rye bread, always flavoured with caraway.'

We're going to teach you the most simple, basic way

of baking rye bread.

It's not that hard, and we promise.

-175 millilitres of aqua.

-Is that level?

Of course.

-Ti melk hel.

-'That's milk to you and me.'

Brun farin, farin socker.

'Or two dollops of brown sugar. 'Will you speak English?!'

-'I'm getting into the lingo!' This needs to be warm!

-Mm.

-Stian?

-Yeah?

-Look at this. In Norway, everything's possible.

You're like the god of fire, really, aren't you?

Where did YOU come from? There's only us here!

'Thanks to Stian, I can heat the liquids and sugar

'to blood temperature. Just how yeast likes it.'

I still cannot get over the cooker thing, and how it's just appeared.

Anyway, I'll let it go.

'Yeast.

'Trust me, you're going to see a lot of yeast on this journey.

'The dry ingredients are very simple.

'Strong white bread flour, rye flour, salt and caraway seeds.'

You see that? It's bubbling away, it's got a scum on.

That's alive.

Once you know it's working, you WILL get bread.

It will leaven.

-Go on, whack it in.

-Slop it in.

Now you can just bring it together, with a spoon initially...

-BOAT WHISTLE

-Excuse me.

-Hello!

Remember, if the dough's a bit soft, you can add a bit more flour.

Also, when you start to knead it on a floured surface,

that'll pick up flour, and make it a little bit more workable.

-Hello.

-Hello!

-HORN TOOTS

-Steady on!

-Where are you from?

-Norway.

-Oh, no. Really?

We're from England. We're making bread.

-Dust your board.

-SPEAKS NORWEGIAN

'Flour. I guess I'll be kneading.

'We might be in another country, but some things never change.'

'Well done, old chap!'

'Kneading stretches the dough and develops the gluten,

'which is the springy stuff that gives bread its texture.'

There you go. We'll leave that till it's doubled in size.

It should take about an hour and a half.

Somewhere snug like an airing cupboard.

Excuse me! Could you put that in your cabin for me?

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-They're SUCH obliging folk.

Oh, they're brilliant.

That hour and a half gives us just time to make some klipfisk soup.

-'Klipfisk...'

-'Or literally translated, "cliff fish".'

'..is famous around here.

'It's cod, dried and preserved in salt.

'It used to be dried in the sun on the cliffs, hence its name.'

'I bet they had to preserve loads of food, living up here.

'The soup is an assemblage, of veg to start, with chopped carrots,

'onions, leeks, potatoes and garlic.'

-Can I have it?

-There you go.

You're psychic, you! That's brilliant! That's just what I want.

We have white peppercorns, mustard seeds,

cloves, and we've got allspice berries.

'This soup is just like a chowder.'

'And chowders can be traced back to the Celts in Cornwall.

'But similar fish soups crop up everywhere there's fish.'

'Here, my dough's risen!' Look at that!

-Look, that's mad.

-Beautiful.

-So, we'll knock this back.

-'That means knocking the excess air out of the dough,

'before shaping it, and leaving it to prove.'

'We're going for a kind of bubbly torpedo shape.' Oh!

'You can put it in your handy neighbourhood yacht

'to double in size.'

'The veg and fish can now be drained.

'The spices need picking out.

'Never good to crunch on a clove.'

'To make it nice and rich, we're adding butter to the stock.'

HE SPEAKS NORWEGIAN

'In English, Dave! That's sour cream, and milk.' Beautiful.

'Then back in with the good stuff.'

-That's not a namby-pamby soup, is it?

-It's absolutely not.

Oh, that's fabulous.

Look at that!

'Our risen dough can now head in an ovenly direction.'

'Then 40 minutes later...'

Look at that, man.

That's good bread.

'The recipe for the deliciously lovely Scandinavian rye bread,

'and everything else we bake on the programme is on the website.'

Bon appetit.

Mm.

Oh!

That's SO good.

Mm!

This bread, it's great.

With the soup, it's a little taste of Norway, isn't it?

-Great combo, that one.

-It is.

It encapsulates Norway perfectly, doesn't it?

-Makes you smile, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-What a beautiful evening! I'll tell you what.

-Yeah?

It'll be all right if the weather's like this

-all the way through the trip.

-Oh, yes!

Well, the weather's broken.

But it was beautiful yesterday.

But, in the world of the Hairy Bikers,

like that of famous Norwegian, Morten Harket,

The Sun Always Shines On TV.

# Touch me! #

'Listen, you cannot go around singing, "Touch me".

-'It's wrong, dude.'

-'Hee-hee!'

'We're heading inland today, through the fjords.

'Our destination is a little place called Norddal.'

Norway truly is the land of the ferry!

Every fjord has a ferry!

'Oh Lord, Dave's trying his Norwegian again.'

Morgen.

THEY SPEAK NORWEGIAN

Where did you learn that from?

Two. That's a 'skjaer'. And 'tak' is 'please'.

-Could we have a sausage?

-Do you want a drink?

No, we can't afford it!

'Let's take our sausages, and sit and enjoy the view.'

-There are the mountains of Molde.

-That's impressive!

It would be, if you could see them.

I know. But I love the pancake.

I give up.

You went back to your Viking roots. "Wa-hoo-ho!"

That looks good, man!

Hello. BOTH: Hello.

It's more expensive for celebrities!

-Oh, is it?

-We'll be all right, then.

Oh, no. A bloody tunnel, and sunglasses.

What a pair of...

T-U-U-U-U-U-NNEL!

It's like a ghost train. You can't see anything.

You're waiting for a skeleton to pop out!

'You know, mate, that man cannot live on bread alone.'

'Very true, dude.'

'What goes brilliantly with bread, the world over?'

-'I don't know. What?'

-'Cheese!'

'Oh, I do like a nice ploughman's.'

'But round here, brown cheese is the speciality.'

'Brown cheese? Doesn't sound great.'

'But this is handmade, by ladies.'

'I COULD be converted.'

'Ladies who belong to Jostein Sande.'

Hello!

-Hello.

-Hello, Jostein? Dave.

-Welcome.

-Hi, I'm Si. Very nice to meet you.

What an amazing place you live in!

-You like it?

-It's amazing!

Jostein, we hope you'll explain the mystery that to us,

is Norwegian brown cheese.

It's special for Norway, I think.

But yours, we've heard, is the best.

Probably.

-Yes.

-I can't wait to get cracking!

-OK. Let's go to the barn!

'Jostein's 130 lady goats need milking twice a day.

'We've volunteered for goat-herding duties.'

# Away on the hill with the lonely goatherd. #

The milking is quite easy.

-It's good for the goat to stimulate them a little bit.

-Yeah?

-And then, you find the teat.

-Yeah?

With one cup. And then, the other.

-And then it all happens?

-And, it starts.

-There we go!

-It's quite therapeutic, isn't it?

Now, that's typical.

He gets them all going, and then just does one.

-Shut up!

-He's a flirt, isn't he?!

'The goats will produce about five to six litres of milk each.'

I think she likes me. There you are, darling.

'It's the beard, Kingy. She thinks you da daddy!'

Oh, she's cuddling in!

'Turning this milk into brown cheese is apparently a bit of a secret.

'It's a recipe only passed down through the ladies in the family.

'But Jostein's wife, Ashild, has offered us a deal.

'If we carry the milk up the hill, she'll give us blokes

'privileged access to her secret.'

We've got your juice. Goat juice.

'And we agreed, before we'd seen the hill!'

Surely they don't bring it all the way up here?

-Several times daily.

-You're joking?

-No.

'You never saw Heidi do this.

'It was skipping in the meadows with 'er!'

Ashild. The fruits of our labour.

-Did you manage to get some, all that milk?

-Yeah!

Do you seriously carry that up twice a day to here?

I take just half, and I walk two times rather than two. BOTH: Ha!

To fill the tin, I have to walk twice.

So this is how you make brown cheese,

with those lovely ladies' milk from down there?

This is the way it has been done for a long time.

It's a hand-borne tradition.

You can't read about it in books. It has to be learned, carried on

from mother to daughter, and so on.

And we have our small secrets, it's never the same.

'All Ashild would tell us is that, unlike most cheeses,

'it's not the curd which makes the brown cheese, but the whey.

'Cream is added. It's all slowly heated for about seven hours.'

During this long process, some protein in the milk,

and lactose caramelises.

That's why the brown cheese gets brown.

So, there's no sugar in the process?

Only the natural sugar in the milk.

'When the cheese gets to a certain thickness,

'it then has to be worked by hand.'

It's easier in the beginning, and this is to get small lumps.

From the curd. Do you want to try?

-Yes.

-'You could sound a bit more enthusiastic, mate!'

'It just looks a bit icky, doesn't it?'

'The smell coming from the cheese is a weird mix

'of classic goat's cheese, and caramel toffees!'

Oh, it's so smooth! You did a really good job.

What are you doing the rest of the summer?

I have to say, there is part of us

that would very much like to do this.

'It might not look much like cheese now,

'but 24 hours in a fridge and it becomes this creamy loveliness.'

Oh, the texture of it - it's really firmed up quite a lot.

'It starts off tasting like a very rich, creamy goat's cheese.'

'But then the sweet bit hits your palate,

'and it reminds me of a cheesy Caramac bar.'

-Hello, Jostein.

-Hello, hello. Maybe I can steal one of these?

It's your cheese.

-THEY LAUGH

-And very fine it is, too.

'I'm a brown cheese convert.

'It sounds so wrong, but it's so right.'

'I was quite surprised I liked it so much,

'but it was hard work smoothing it out.

'Are we done for the day or what?'

'We are indeed, my friend, and we've got a peach of a hotel tonight.

'Apparently, it's a hotel like no other

'and it's the pride and joy of a man called Knut.'

'He wastes no time in showing us to our woodland pods.'

Wow.

Wow!

Ha-ha-hey!

What?

That's a room with a view.

By crikey.

It's possible to go to the corner. You won't fall in.

It's 12 metres down to the roaring river.

-Oh...

-This...

It's the most spectacular room I've ever been in.

Oh, without a doubt. Yeah.

Now, this is what it's all about.

The reason why everything is so dark in here

is to give you the impression of being in a camera house.

This is the lens. This is what it's all about.

'It's so peaceful here.'

'It makes you want to get in touch with nature, doesn't it?'

I feel great!

Yo!

'Now, I know what you're all thinking at home -

'"Where can I get some of those lovely knitted pants, like theirs?"

'Well, you can't.

'Unless you come to Norway and buy some in the market, like we did.'

Haven't got one in small, have you?

-THEY LAUGH

-Tad over-optimistic, that, for me, I think.

'And they weren't cheap. They were £28 a pair.'

'I think you'll agree, though. They were worth every kroner.'

There's air bubbles coming out of that!

I cannae get in here.

The things a 53-year-old man has to do to earn a living.

SIMON LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY

-Cheers, Dave.

-Cheers, Kingy.

What's that touching me leg? What's that?!

Day three, and Knut is very keen for us

to meet his next-door neighbour, Nikka.

-Next door? Are you sure?

-We are in the mountains, Kingy.

-Hiya.

-Mrs Gronning?

-Nikka.

-Oh, Nikka. Dave, Dave.

-Welcome.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Nikka.

-Velkommen.

Very nice to meet you. Thank you.

-This is beautiful.

-Oh!

Knut says Nikka wants to show us

some traditional wafers she's been making,

which are special to the area.

When we get there, production is well under way.

-SHE SPEAKS IN NORWEGIAN Sour cream.

-Sour cream?

-Mm-hmm.

You still have a business selling these at the market?

KNUT TRANSLATES

Ja, ja, ja.

Fantastic.

SHE SPEAKS IN NORWEGIAN

She said for weddings and anniversaries and so on.

-I know you shouldn't ask a lady her age, but how old is Nikka?

-Mel.

KNUT TRANSLATES

SHE SPEAKS IN NORWEGIAN

-She is getting 95 years old on her next birthday.

-Wow!

'Sour cream is unusual, but otherwise,

'it's just like the familiar pancake batter we know and love.

'Eggs, milk and flour.'

'I'm so glad Knut brought us here. Nikka's a proper cook.'

That's it. Before you start cooking, get comfy.

'Now, this is an amazing-looking waffle iron

'that dates back from 1946.'

That's like 65 years of making biscuits.

-Well, it looks well-seasoned, mate.

-It does.

Can you ask Nikka what it's like to be famous?

KNUT TRANSLATES

SHE LAUGHS

SHE SPEAKS IN NORWEGIAN

-It's great.

-Yeah?

-It's great. THEY LAUGH

'Apparently the waffle iron was handmade by a local blacksmith.'

'Each one has its own individual design.'

'Nikka is an expert waffler.'

'It has to be red hot when the batter goes on.'

-I love this. Look, look at this, the presser.

-Yeah.

'She makes it look so easy.'

'Flip it over, and it's done.'

-Ha-hey!

-Ah, that's perfect!

-Could I have a try?

-Ja, ja.

-Yeah?

-It's like taking on the seat of power, isn't it?

-Oh, yeah. Phoof!

Oh. Yeah.

That, and then...

And then, you take the stick.

SHE SPEAKS NORWEGIAN

Ah.

-Oh right. Open it up

-Yeah?

-Ja.

-Are you ready?

-Oh, yes!

Oh, mint!

Oh.

Oh, nice one, that is. Good 'un.

'Well, I can see Nikka watching me closely.'

'She wants them for a delicious looking spread she's prepared.'

-Oh, this is a great privilege.

-It's lovely. Thank you.

-Fantastic.

'There's local reindeer salami,

'home-made lefse, a Norwegian soft bread made from potato.'

'She's also made flatbread, and all sorts of other loveliness.'

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-Norwegian hospitality.

'But, for me, it's all about the waffles,

'or bakelse, as they're known locally.'

'Great on their own,

'or made into a sarnie with jam and brown cheese.'

'Perfect.'

Oh, that's fabulous.

SHE SPEAKS NORWEGIAN

-She's very happy having you here.

-Oh, we're very happy to be here.

She can see that you appreciate her cooking.

-Oh, it's brilliant.

-It's lovely.

'Even if we can't finish all these waffles, Si,

'we could put them in our saddlebags for later, dude, you know?'

-I don't want to go.

-No. I don't either.

'We'll have to, because we've got to get back on the bikes.'

'We've got the famous Eagle Road to tackle.'

Is that fog, or am I steamed up?

No, no, it's fog.

Bloody hell! Look down to your right.

By God!

Oh, yeah. I've seen it, I've seen it!

Amazing!

'620 metres below us is Geirangerfjord.'

'But, between the top and the bottom,

'there are loads of twisty hairpin turns to navigate,

'which should be fun.'

Hey!

That's it, we're here!

-BOTH:

-Geiranger!

'We've come to Geiranger to do our next cook.'

'Baking on a boat. I can feel my Viking roots stirring again, dude.'

'This is one of the most visited tourist spots in Norway.'

'It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you know.'

'And it doesn't take a genius to see why.'

Oh, man! Dave, look at that.

Crumbs!

Everywhere you look, the landscape just gets bigger.

Oh, that's ridiculous.

Look, there's Seven Sisters, but one of them's out. We've only got six.

It's the girl on the end, isn't it? She's starting in full flow.

That's obviously the big waterfall over there, which is the bachelor.

And the sisters are showing off to the man.

It's legend, it's myth,

it's magic, and it's blooming gorgeous.

It is gorgeous.

'And it's also the perfect place for a bit of baking.'

'Cookies with a hint of Viking.'

Now, it's not the warmest at the minute.

It's beautiful, but it's a bit nippy round the old edges,

so you need to soften the butter.

Now, my job with the cardamoms is this. These are the green cardamoms.

I've just given them a smash with a pestle

and inside, you find those black seeds.

They look a bit like mouse droppings.

That's where all the flavour is.

We want those seeds and we want to discard the green husk.

'This is going to take some creaming.'

'These cardamom seeds are starting to do their thing.'

There's enough aroma out of this to embrace the entire fjord,

and trolls will come skitting down the screes,

going, "Cardamoms, cardamoms!"

'Actually, my dear fellow, I think you'll find

'it's thanks to my Viking ancestors

-'that we're using cardamom in Norway today.

-Oh, whatever!'

'They're known to have traded all over the world.'

'But they also worked as mercenaries serving Byzantium emperors in Constantinople,

'and brought cardamom back with them.'

And I've got two packets of malte mandler.

'That'll be ground almonds then!'

'More than likely another ingredient from those Viking raids.'

'Which are added to the flour and ground cardamom seeds.'

This ain't no humble biscuit.

'Then, it's gradually added to my beautifully soft butter and sugar.'

I think, what I'll start to do now, Dave,

I'll start to pull it together with my hands.

You've got to give something of yourself when you're baking, know what I mean?

'It's not much of a hardship when you're out here, though, is it?'

'No. You're right there, dude.'

Sisters! It's time to stamp cookies!

-Now then, look at that cookie dough.

-Beautiful.

So, a little bit off.

Take the dough, and make a ball about the size of a walnut.

One ball, walnut sized.

Squash it. And don't be too pedantic.

These are rustic, home-made biscuits.

Flatten them out. Dust them with flour.

Take your stamp.

And create a biscuit with personality.

'Then just keep churning them out

'till you've enough to make your chuck.'

'The stamps are easy to get hold of.'

'We bought them on the internet before we got here.'

This has got to be

one of the most spectacular cookeries we've done in a while.

I look around and I want to pinch myself.

I can't believe it's real, but it is.

Just look at it!

Da da da!

Look at those.

And there we are, lemon and cardamom stamped Norwegian cookies!

'So, we've got fantastic cookies made in the best location.'

'All we need now is somewhere even more majestic to eat them.'

'More majestic? Is that possible?'

'Oh, yes, mucker.'

Here you are, mate. Have a biscuit.

Thanks, dude.

Do you know,

I reckon that trolls and mountaineers have eaten these.

Oh, aye.

Just don't look down. Look forever forward.

Can you imagine if you did a big fart and it sheered off?

If you're going to eat a biscuit, it might as well be here!

Watch this.

That's for the mountain spirits.

Hil da!

'We're starting day four, way up in the mountains

'where the weather seems to change by the second.'

'But, no matter what the weather conditions are, we must press on.'

'We've got to get to Oslo for Norway Day,

'and there's still loads to pack in. Where is everyone?'

'There! There they are, there!'

Have a good day! Bye!

Oh!

Oh, my God! I love it here!

Can you imagine skiing in hot pants and a bra?

Blooming heck!

I tell you what, though, man, this is like doing the Cresta run,

but on motorbikes.

I have never driven a motorcycle through walls of snow before.

It's unreal.

'Apparently this road's only been open a day.'

'Until then, it was closed because of snow and the risk of avalanches.'

'I can well believe it.'

'We're heading to a bakery we've heard about.'

'It's in a place called Lom, where many Norwegians go on holiday.'

'But, maybe not in the rain.'

'It's owned by a guy called Morten Schakenda, who's one of Norway's leading bakers.'

Follow your nose! Ho-ho!

That smells great. Look at that bread.

Wow, man. Look!

'And he's agreed to show us how to make his famous buns.'

-Hi.

-Morten. Dave.

-I'm Si. How are you?

-I'm fine.

-Look at that bread!

That's fruit and nuts.

-Perfect if you want cheese or...

-Yes.

How many breads do you do on a daily basis here?

A normal day, it's like 600, 700 breads, I think.

And then we do 500, 600 small.

But we know what you're really famous for as well, is the skillingsboller.

This is our variation of the skillingsboller.

Because, if you do this in Bergen, you're asking for trouble.

THEY LAUGH

Because that's kind of a national cake or buns for Bergen,

but this is our way of doing it.

How many of these would you sell in July in the summer?

-2,000.

-2,000 a week?

-A day.

-A day?

Yeah. I say it's our money machine.

-You want to see how we do it?

-Oh, yeah.

-Just follow me.

-Thanks, Morten, thank you.

-After you, mate.

-Thank you.

What a place.

Now that's what you call a water feature.

Yeah. It's a nice view for the bakers.

But I think it also matters to the products you make.

-Oh, yeah. Good for you.

-It's a holistic approach, isn't it?

So how we do it.

Should I show you? Or do you want to do it?

You're the boss, Morten. We'll get our hands dirty, yes.

So this is the basic dough that we're using.

The flour, milk, butter, sugar and the cinnamon.

-And yeast, of course.

-Yeah.

When you bake bread, Morten. What we've heard, and is it true,

the longer you leave the bread to leaven.

If you're making bread rather than this,

you get a better tasting bread.

Sure. For flavour. For the colour of the crust and everything,

it's much, much better to prove it slow.

I think that's it all over, though.

Like good cheese, like good wine. Good bread is no exception, is it?

It just, just slowly.

'And that's not just true for bread.'

'The dough Morten's using for his skillingsboller has been rising slowly overnight.'

'And now he can spread it with a mix of butter, sugar and cinnamon.'

'You can probably tell, but Morten used to be a restaurant chef before he turned his hand to bakery.'

If you should change being a chef with a baker,

-it needs to be on a kind of artisan and handcraft level.

-Yes.

-Not in a factory.

-No, you can't.

-You can't.

-Because that's not where your heart and your soul is.

-No.

'He makes it look so easy.'

'I guess that's the trick of good dough.'

'Once you've got that, you can play around with it.'

The next one, you are making.

-Ah, fantast... Yes.

-Oh, aye.

'And, before you know it,

34 money-makers are ready to rise again.'

'They are left for another 40 minutes to prove in a warm place.'

-This is great, isn't it?

-It's having a master class.

It's, I, it's just... I love it.

'Morten uses the same dough mix for the next buns.'

'But with this one, the skill is in constructing, folding, rolling and tying.'

-Easy.

-Easy.

-Right.

-OK. Twice round my finger.

-One... Two...

-No.

You see the difference?

-No, if you take it...

-Ah!

If you do it like you did, you have it perfect.

-And then we just start going around.

-Ah, yes!

-Yes. Yeah.

-It goes. like that.

-So you need to do it towards...?

-Yeah.

-Inside?

-Fine.

Two. Hold.

Wow! There it is.

Look at them, hey?

-Oh! Your tongue's hanging out again.

-It's not!

That's perfect. I can just go home.

Now just leave us here, we'd be very happy.

Ah! What a way to spend a day.

In a bake house, in Norway,

with a master baker,

learning how to do proper proper Norwegian baking.

'I'm quite proud of those, you know.'

'And, 40 minutes later, when all the buns have proved,

'they're brushed with an eggy wash, sprinkled with Demerara sugar, and popped into the oven.'

-Oh!

-Ready for testing?

Oh. It smells so good.

-They're beautiful.

-They are beautiful.

-You made it.

'The skillingsboller look just like Danish pastries,

'or Chelsea buns, really.'

'I think you'll find similarities like this all over Europe.'

'It just goes to show that great ideas travel well.'

Oh! That middle bit just gets softer.

Yeah. That's the best part.

Morten, that's fantastic.

Not good, it's fantastic.

They're very very comforting, aren't they?

You know, it's like a warm hand giving you a pat on your stomach.

"Mm, you're all right, you."

-That's the difference, isn't it?

-Oh, yeah.

-Fresh baking.

So, cheers!

-Mm.

-Mm.

-Thank you for coming.

-Thank you.

Thank you for teaching us, Morten.

Thank you. It's been an absolute pleasure to be here.

-Thank you for your hospitality, sir.

-It's my pleasure.

'What another great day, Si.'

'It was, but it's now chucking it down,

'so let's find somewhere to rest our weary little heads.'

Well, this is where we stayed last night.

It's fantastic, and it was thought to be the home of Peer Gynt,

and he was the Norwegian farmer who loved folklore, trolls and all things Norwegian and mystical,

which inspired the work of...

Ibsen.

Now Ibsen took his inspiration from this area to write the play...

Which provided the inspiration for Grieg to write that wonderful symphony of music, Peer Gynt.

And we thought to ourselves, what a wonderful place to cook.

Well, it would have been, if you could have seen the view!

But, you're going to be able to see the view, you see,

because Rog, our cameraman, stayed up all night

to do a time lapse thingy of all the cloudies and valley and everything.

He's a very clever chap. So we will be able to show you the view.

MUSIC: "Morning Mood, Peer Gynt" by Edvard Grieg

THEY HUM PEER GYNT'S DANCE OF THE MOUNTAIN KING'S DAUGHTER

'Luckily, we've got a lovely snug kitchen in which to make our pirog.'

'They're mini bread pockets filled with scrumptiousness.'

# Oh!

BOTH: # Oh, we're two trolls and we're very very happy. #

HE TAPS OUT A TUNE

We're making pirog, a traditional Norwegian troll snack.

-Yes.

-Ja.

If you're a troll and drinking beer, you want one of these.

You need to have some troll snacks.

'We start off with a handful of flour and some tepid water.'

It's nice here, isn't it?

I blooming well love it.

This is going to give that yeast a kick up the goolies

and make it go off like a mad 'un.

'A spoonful of sugar and the dried yeast,

'and get your hairy friend to mix it up.'

'This is a different way of using yeast to the Scandinavian rye bread we made at the start of the trip.'

'With that one, we made the dough essentially in one go,

'adding all the flours to the yeasty liquid,

'kneading it straightaway.'

'With this one, we'll make what is known as a sponge,

'a very liquid mix of yeast, flour, sugar and water.'

'It's left to ferment for several hours before we use it to make the dough.'

-Oh, you can smell it, it's fab.

-Mm.

'Using a sponge gives it a better texture and makes it tastier.'

'The amazing thing about yeast baking

is it's not just the ingredients that make each dough taste different,

'but the different ways you use them.'

Everything in Norway, the fjords, the mountains, the dinners, are huge,

including the cling film!

Crumbs. Where did you get that from?

'So this is the place that inspired the crazy story of Peer Gynt then.'

'It is. But I can't see any elves, dancing women in green, troll mountain kings,

'or flying stags, any of that, you know.'

'Imaginative bloke, that Ibsen.'

'Still, on with the pirog.'

-We have life in the bowl, look.

-Oh, look at that, man.

The job's a good 'un.

Kingy, I am going to melting some butter.

Melting some butter-ski.

Now, while Dave's melting the butter,

we're just going to add some selv-stiger ti melk mel.

'Oh, good grief, I'm doing it now!'

-How we getting on, dude?

-My smor is well and truly melted.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

Smor, it's butter.

-Oh, lovely.

-I'm going to use that pan to make the filling.

I'm not going to waste the butter.

Oh, you see, there's no flies on our Dave, is there?

'This is lovely, rich dough, with eggs and oil.'

Nice.

Now, what the oil does,

it'll give it a level of elasticity, and that's nice.

'Then, some milk and salt.'

'And again, it's over to your hirsute buddy.'

And, bring it all together.

Start from the edges, and just work your way in.

'While Si works the dough, I can make a start on the filling.'

HE CHOPS IN TIME TO "IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING"

HE WHISTLES THE TUNE

Now you want to knead this dough for a good five minutes.

Nonstop, really. Ten, if you can manage it.

You'll feel the gluten starting to release through the dough,

because it starts to become quite elastic.

'A bit of sea salt on your garlic, helps it grind even smaller.'

HE CHOPS IN TIME WITH THE TUNE

'What we're making is basically a ham and cheese filling.'

Cha!

THEY WHISTLE AND TAP RHYTHMICALLY

MUSIC BUILDS TO A CRESCENDO

HE RINGS BELL IN TIME WITH MUSIC FINALE

There we are, man.

This needs to go cold.

The dough needs to rise.

That gives us time, I think, to present you

with our version of...

-Ibsen's masterpiece.

-Peer Gynt. Uh ho...

Action!

How do. I am Peer Gynt.

I've met a beauty in green

who has led me to the hall of the mountain king.

And, I'm about to meet the king, my future father-in-law,

to ask for her hand in marriage.

Beautiful daughter!

Oh, hell fire. I'm not sure, now I've seen her dance.

She's like a Cocker Spaniel with worms.

What did you say?!

You dishonour my daughter!

Trolls! Goblins! Kill this snivelling farmer!

Sugar. That'll be time for me to go.

Ta-ra! Whoa!

And that is our tribute to Ibsen's masterpiece, Peer Gynt.

THEY SING THE THEME FROM IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING

Do you know, you were great.

Actually, when I stood before you and you snarled at me,

I got quite a shock.

WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

-Look at this living thingy.

-Oh!

-Oh!

'So all that remains for us to do is to construct the pirog.'

'I know it looks a bit like pastry, but this is proper bread dough.'

'Every country has its own version of the pirog.'

'Indian samosas, Spanish empanadas, and Cornish pasties.'

HE TAPS OUT THE THEME, AND STAMPS

-It is infectious that, isn't it?

-It is fantastic.

Pirog one.

Of 75.

'Little pockets, filled with loveliness is all they are really.'

'And would you believe it, the sun's come out

'so we can eat them al fresco.'

-Oh, look at this!

-Fantastic.

-Beautiful!

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

Mm.

-Oh, that's a Viking good recipe, that.

-You're not wrong.

-I tell you what, they're going to go brilliant in the panniers.

-Oh.

-Lovely.

'Well, a few made it to the panniers.'

'I'm not sure I'm looking forward to the next bit of the trip.'

'We're off to meet a man called Jan, in Lillehammer who drives bobsleighs for a living.'

'You must need snow, though, for a bobsleigh.'

'Ah, but what about a wheelbob? Same run, different vehicle.'

-Ah, you must be Jan.

-Yes.

-Hello, Jan, I'm Si. Nice to meet you.

-I'm Dave.

-Hello. I'm Jan. Hi.

-This is quite a contraption.

-Yeah, it is.

-Have you done a lot of this, Jan?

-Yes. I've done this for about 16 years now.

-Thank God for that.

Have you won any medals? A champion yourself?

-Yes, I did. In 2000, I was the Norwegian champion.

-Wow!

I'm liking you more and more as time goes on.

It's a bizarre sport, isn't it?

Yeah, it is an extreme sport.

What are we saying here? Extreme?

How fast are we expected to go?

This one will go about 100 kilometres per hour,

and a G-force up to 3 Gs on the curves.

That means three times your own weight, squeezing you down.

-What's this for?

-It's to help you to support your back and your kidneys.

What's the matter with my kidneys?

-You must have loose kidneys.

-Oh, they are now. But I didn't before.

Oh! Great, a high-tech start(!) That's reassuring.

Oh, man. This sort of speed will do great, Jan.

-It's nice, the view's great.

-Is it? I can only see your helmet.

-Ha-hey!

-Oh,

-BLEEP.

Oh, oh!

Oh!

-DAVE CHUCKLES

-Ooooh!

Ooh, that's G-force! Oh!

Wahey!

Oo-oo-oo-oo-oh!

MUSIC: THEME TO "SKI SUNDAY"

How's your bits and pieces? You all right?

-I think I may have pulled something I didn't know I had.

-Ha-ha!

Cor!

-It really is exhilarating, isn't it, Jan?

-My God.

Cor!

-That was a ride of a lifetime, I'm pleased to say.

-Awesome. Yeah.

Jan, thank you very much. Brilliant.

-Where is he?

-I'm right here.

Listen, dude, that was immense, man. Absolutely immense.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

Oh, look, there's a WC. Excellent.

'It makes these bikes seem a bit slow, doesn't it?

'Slow's just fine by me, dude, I tell you.'

'Tomorrow is National Day in Norway, so we've got to get a shift on.

'It's about 85 miles to Oslo,

'but at least we've got a bit of dual carriageway now.

'We've got one more bakery to visit, and from what we've heard,

'we've saved the best till last.

'The Apent Bakery is widely regarded as the best in Norway.'

-Oh, hello, I'm Dave.

-Hi, I'm Si. How you doing?

'It's owned by Manu, who's French, and Oyvind, who's Norwegian.

'And what binds them together is friendship and a love of baking.'

Wow!

Yes!

The breads, the cakes.

People are going mad for it, you know?

Oh, look at this!

'Before we get stuck in, Manu has a friend to introduce. His sourdough.'

This is a sourdough, liquid sourdough.

Just to be clear, it's just flour and water,

and the natural yeasts that's in the flour?

-Yeah.

-Once you've got the sourdough culture going...

-Yeah.

-..you keep feeding it...

-Yes.

-..and using it, and saving some and feeding it,

and that keeps the bakery going on a continual basis.

We have a baker, he is taking care of the sourdough for the moment,

-and he has a daughter who's called Maria.

-Yes.

So we call this Maria.

'When more flour and water is added to Maria, she becomes a dough.'

-It's sexy.

-Sexy dough!

-When we work with this one,

-you don't want to work very hard with it, you have to...

-Gentle.

-Gentle, yeah.

You see, guys, this is what's fascinating about what you do

as top bakers of the country, is there is an alchemy

and a chemistry that you understand to reach the high level

of expertise that you guys have here. It's just fantastic.

'We're going to make three different types of bread, so Oyvind carves it up.

'The secret seems to be to keep the dough as wet as possible. No dusting flour here.'

OK.

'The first bread is a taste of the woodland. Hazelnut and porcini mushroom.'

-Cor!

-So...

Squeeze it.

My natural reaction - I don't know about you, Dave,

would be to cover the place with flour so it didn't stick.

-Yeah.

-Do you know what I mean?

We don't want to work much with it for the moment,

so it's just going to rest here for like, up to an hour.

'Now it's my turn.' I can feel Oyvind,

his eyes in my back going, "Don't handle my daughter like that!"

Oh-oh-oh!

Gently. Sexy dough.

-Yes.

-Thyme?

-Thyme.

'The philosophy of the bakery is that theirs is first and foremost

'a craft bakery based on old traditions, and simple, natural ingredients.

'The olives and thyme will be amazing together.'

-Yeah, I get it.

-Yes, but you can use a scraper?

-It's nice dough, yeah?

-Oh, it's beautiful.

-It looks like the cat dragged it indoor but the texture is going to be fantastic.

-Yeah.

Taste is extremely important but the texture

to make this bread with big holes and...

It's like a Quatermass monster! It's fantastic.

It is a living and breathing thing.

Oh!

'And that sits for about 40 minutes to double in size.

'So this is the second stage for the porcini bread.'

Some people, they're taught to put oil inside the bread.

-Yes.

-But we do not.

So there's no oil in the dough?

-No.

-No?

-Because we feel, or we do know, it's better to do it like this.

We do not care so much about the shape.

-We're there for the experience.

-Looks wonderful, doesn't it?

It's rustic, but it's perfect. You know, it's a different level.

Oh, it is. Completely. Completely.

'I've just got to have a go.

'And true to form, it doesn't take Si long to fall in love.'

You are beautiful. Oh!

Jane, I'm having an affair with a sourdough starter.

Her name's Maria and I'm not coming home.

Yes.

-It's probably the best one yet.

-Look at that.

It's still breathing, isn't it?

Don't poke me girlfriend like that! Gentle dude, gentle!

-Oh, look, she's swelling up as well now.

-Oh, you lovely, lovely, gorgeous girl.

'They then need to rest again for about twenty minutes or so

-'before a final swish of olive oil...

-And a sprinkling of the finest sea salt.

'Then into the deep, dark recesses of the trusty bakers' oven.'

And it helps if it's a bit...

-Steam.

-Yes. The old-fashioned way.

'Norwegian hospitality knows no bounds,

'and the bakers have laid on a spread, all to be enjoyed with freshly-baked bread.'

The texture of that, it's extraordinary.

Actually, can you smell the mushrooms?

-Yes. This is a bit more.

-Oh, look at that. Oh! Yes!

What's it like?

That's the best bread I've ever tasted in my life.

-This is amazing.

-Good.

-Gentlemen, congratulations. This is...

-Thank you.

I'd take my hat off to you if I could. Absolutely amazing.

That is extraordinary.

I can't get over to you how good this bread is.

-Totally superb.

-Thank you, thank you so much.

-Look, even the birds know.

-Yeah.

'I can't get over the fact that that amazing bread has been made

-'with so few ingredients.

-Just flour and water in the dough,

'olive oil and salt on the outside,

'and those delicious ingredients folded in. It's quite remarkable.

'So simple, really, anyone could try that one.'

'Dave, I reckon we've got time for a quick tour around Oslo,

'before we get back into our glad rags for a night doon the toon!

'It would be daft not to see it whilst we're here.

'As capital cities go, it's pretty small.

'Only 600,000 people live here.

'It's regularly at the top of the list of the most expensive cities in the world.

'So what do you say we get out of these leathers,

'and slip into something more comfortable for our last night in Norway?'

Look, we're in Oslo. We're out on the town.

-Have you noticed, we're in our duds?

-Whoo!

-Look at him.

Mohair. Bike's parked up and we're going to have a drink.

We're going to explore the ancient Norwegian tradition of aquavit.

-Look at that.

-The right bar for the exploration.

'But this isn't any normal bar - oh, no - it's an ice bar,

'so we need to be suitably wrapped up.'

So you just press the blue button and it will automatically teleport you to the Arctic.

Hey, it's great. It's a bit James Bond, this, isn't it?

Oh! I see the need for the gloves.

I tell you what, you can see your breath in the air, can't you?

Everything in the bar is made from ice,

even the glasses containing our first aquavit.

-Cheers!

-A big clunk.

You just know that that's done you good, don't you?

-I've never drunk out of an ice cube before.

-I haven't either.

They're not the easiest to drink out of, these.

-No. But you won't get a colder drink.

-This is true, this is true.

Get two coffins ready.

'Aquavit gets its flavour from a blend of spices,

'the main one of which is caraway.'

What's interesting about that, that fits in very well

with that Norwegian culture of Vikings and trade, and travel and seamanship.

-It's very pleasant.

-It's very palatable.

-Isn't it?

-It is. Cheers.

Cheers.

-I'd like to try another one of those just to make sure it's all right.

-Me too.

-I tell you what, this is tricky, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

-Do you know what I mean?

-It's pink now.

-Here's to Norway and its people.

-Oh, my God, it's daylight.

-It's warm, isn't it?

-I never thought I'd say Norway was warm.

-No, no, and I didn't.

Riding from Kristiansund in the pouring rain mostly.

-Ja.

-Aye, I tell you what...

-Rocking like a hurricane.

-Really? On a Thursday?

-Your jacket's great. Yeah.

-You're my mate, aren't you?

-Yeah. No, no, I am. I am.

You know, we're like brothers. People say "Where did you first meet?"

It's been a long time now. Hasn't it?

-Yeah...

-Are you trying to get...?

I'm having a lovely time.

# Sad sweet dreamer

# It's just one of those things you put down to experience

# Sad sweet dreamer... #

'Is it my hangover, or is there a marching police band playing Monty Python?

'It's Norway's National Day.

'Parades take place across the country, but this is the biggest one, in Oslo.

'They're all celebrating their independence as a nation,

'a state of affairs they clearly think worthy of a flag wave or two.'

What a wonderful expression of patriotic pride this is.

-Isn't it?

-Fabulous.

-That's the King and Queen of Norway.

-Wow!

-She's waving at you, Dave. There you see.

-Yeah.

'They're going to be there for ages. Hey! Do you fancy a snack, mate?

-'Always dude, always.

-I brought a couple of things from the trip.'

-Oh, look at that.

-Porcini bread...

-Yes!

-..Peer Gynt's pirogs...

-Oh!

-..brown cheese...

Oh, this is the boy, this, though, isn't it?

-..the olive bread.

-Wow!

Norway's been absolutely brilliant. One of the best trips ever.

It has, it's been fabulous. The people have been amazing,

amazing scenery. I tell you what,

some of the best motorcycling roads in the world.

The first people over the pass down into Lom, that was exciting.

It don't get much better than that. But the food, I mean the klipfisk,

the rye bread at the start of our bakeation.

-We couldn't have got off to a better flyer.

-No.

And what superb bakers they have here. There's been Morten, Oyvind...

-Yeah.

-..Manu.

And I tell you who was fabulous, Nikka and the beautiful pancakes.

Delightful lady, yeah. Brilliant. One of the best moments of my life,

was when we were underneath the seven sisters in Geiranger fjord making the stamped cookies.

You get on your bike at the end of that day, you fly, don't you?

Oh! Well done Norway, I say.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Superb.

So expectations are high for the next leg of our bakeation.

We'll be in the Low Countries, land of dykes, windmills and chocolate.

We'll be meeting eccentric bakers in Holland

and Michelin award-winning chefs in Luxembourg.

And we'll be baking buns, a chocolate cheesecake

and an extraordinary pie.

Join us then as we continue our bakeation.

Our Norwegian pronunciation might need a bit of work,

but if you've been inspired to master your skillingsboller

visit:

Follow the links to the Open University to find out more.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd