The Smørrebrød BLT
The BLT is already 70% smørrebrød. It just doesn't know it yet.
Consider the facts: the classic BLT is built on contrast, fatty bacon, acidic tomato, cool lettuce, rich mayo, arranged on bread that provides structure rather than flavor. The smørrebrød operates on identical logic. Dark rye bread with serious body. Toppings arranged with intention. Each component doing its job without doubling up. The BLT is a Scandinavian open-faced sandwich that took a wrong turn at some point, picked up a second slice of bread, and never course-corrected.
This recipe corrects it.
On the Bread
Rugbrød is the foundation. Dense Danish rye bread, fermented, seeded, nearly black, with a tight crumb that won't collapse under toppings. It has a slight sourness that does more for a BLT than toasted white ever could.
If you can find it: Danish or German rye bread from a Scandinavian grocery or specialty bakery. It will be sold in a block and should be sliced thin, about 1 cm.
If you can't find it: the best substitute is a dense German-style pumpernickel (not the soft American kind). A good sourdough rye works too, especially if it's dark. Standard whole wheat is a last resort and a compromise you'll feel.
To make a quick rugbrød approximation (24 hours ahead): Mix 200g dark rye flour, 50g sunflower seeds, 50g pumpkin seeds, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp caraway seeds, 1 tbsp molasses, 300ml boiling water. Stir, pack into a greased loaf pan, cover, and let sit overnight. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 1 hour. Cool completely before slicing. It won't be identical but it'll be in the right conversation.
Ingredients (per open-faced sandwich)
- 1 slice rugbrød (or best available substitute)
- 1 tablespoon good salted butter, softened, real butter, not mayo, not spread
- 3-4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 2-3 vine tomatoes, sliced thin
- A small handful of fresh dill
- 1 egg, soft-boiled (7 minutes at a rolling boil, ice bath, peeled)
- Flaky salt
- Optional: 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
Method
The bacon first. Cook it until genuinely crispy, no compromise here. Smørrebrød aesthetics require structural integrity. Bacon that bends will not hold its position. Drain on a rack.
Butter the bread. Properly. Edge to edge. This is not optional and it is not a light application. Scandinavian open-faced sandwich culture is built on the understanding that butter is a flavor and a structural component. The butter creates a barrier that keeps the bread from going soggy and it tastes like itself, which is the point. If you're using the optional mustard, spread a thin layer directly onto the butter.
Arrange the tomatoes. Sliced thin, slightly overlapping, covering the bread. They should be in a single layer, this is not a stacking situation. Season the tomatoes directly with flaky salt.
Layer the bacon. Arrange the strips parallel, slightly overlapping, like you mean it. The Danish approach to smørrebrød is architectural, not casual. Even if your kitchen is chaos, your open-faced sandwich should look like someone thought about it.
Add the dill. Fresh fronds distributed with a light hand, enough to show up visually and flavor-wise, not so much that you're eating a herb bundle. Dill does the work that lettuce was supposed to do in the original BLT: freshness, a green note, something that lifts.
The egg. Halve the soft-boiled egg lengthwise. Place it, cut side up, slightly off-center on the sandwich. The yolk should still be jammy, this is non-negotiable. A hard-boiled yolk here is a failure of nerve. The egg is what makes this a meal rather than a snack.
Serve immediately. Open-faced sandwiches don't wait. The bread will get wet if you let it sit, and wet rugbrød, while not tragic, is not the point.
On Skipping the Mayo
The BLT is defined, in the American version, by mayo. The smørrebrød version skips it, not because mayo is wrong, but because butter is more right here. Butter has a cleaner richness that lets the other flavors speak. If you feel strongly about mayo, add a small schmear under the tomatoes. But try the butter version first. You may find you've been doing it wrong for years.