Slow Living in the Nordics | Peaceful moments, homemade cherry jam and freshly baked bread

Summer is in full swing, and with the recent heatwave finally behind us, the air feels crisp and still. It’s almost surreal that August is already arriving next week, marking nearly one year since we bought our 1920s countryside home.

In today’s video, I’m taking some slow time to harvest from our garden. When we first put an offer on this house, we noticed a few fruit trees, but this summer has revealed a beautiful surprise—almost every tree in our garden is bursting with fruit and berries. Some of these trees feel a century old, matching the history of the house itself.

Come along as I harvest our very first batch of cherries, turn them into a simple homemade jam, and bake a crusty Dutch Oven bread using a recipe from a notebook I picked up years ago during my travels. It’s a labor of love, but there is something so deeply calming and fulfilling about creating memories through smell, texture, and taste.

🥖 The Overnight Dutch Oven Bread Recipe
Note: This recipe is super simple, but remember to prepare the dough the night before! You will need a heavy cast-iron pot (Dutch oven) with a lid.

Ingredients:
3 cups (360g) All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Warm Water

Instructions:
The Night Before: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Pour in the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rest at room temperature for 12–18 hours.

The Next Day: Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Place your empty Dutch oven (with the lid on) inside the oven while it preheats for about 30 minutes.

Shape the Dough: Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Gently shape it into a ball (do not over-knead). Place it on a sheet of parchment paper.

Bake: Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Use the parchment paper to lift the dough and lower it into the pot. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes.

Crisp the Crust: Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12–15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and crispy. Let it cool a little before slicing and serving.

In this video:
0:00 - Intro
0:51 - A special notebook for family recipes
3:06 - Harvesting our century-old cherry trees
6:47 - Making homemade cherry jam
8:41 - Baking simple overnight Dutch oven bread
9:53 - A slow, gloomy summer evening meal

#SlowLiving #Cottagecore #CountryLife #BakingBread #HomemadeJam #SimpleLiving #GardenHarvest #IntentionalLiving