Thick, tangy cultured Danish dairy topped with a sweet, crunchy toasted rye breadcrumb topping, a beloved everyday breakfast.
Danish Ymerdrys og Ymer is a real, traditional Danish dish, known as Cultured Buttermilk with Rye Crumble. Thick, tangy cultured Danish dairy topped with a sweet, crunchy toasted rye breadcrumb topping, a beloved everyday breakfast.\n\nYmer is a traditional Danish cultured dairy product, similar to a thick buttermilk or skyr, and pairing it with ymerdrys (sweetened toasted rye crumbs) is a longstanding Danish breakfast and dessert tradition.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Danish home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.
Serves 4
Pulse the torn rye bread in a food processor into coarse crumbs, or grate it on a box grater.
Melt butter in a skillet and toast the rye crumbs with brown sugar over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes until deeply golden and crisp.
Spread the toasted crumbs on a plate to cool and crisp up further as they cool.
Divide the ymer or yogurt into serving bowls.
Sprinkle each portion generously with the cooled, crunchy rye crumbs.
Add a sprinkle of extra sugar to taste and serve immediately for the best textural contrast.
Toast the rye crumbs low and slow, stirring frequently, so they turn deeply golden without burning — burnt crumbs turn bitter quickly.
Let the crumbs cool fully before serving; they crisp up further as they cool and lose crunch if added while still warm.
Use a thick, tangy cultured dairy like ymer or a strained yogurt for the right contrast against the sweet crumbs.
Add a handful of fresh berries on top for extra freshness and color.
Some households mix in a touch of vanilla sugar to the crumb mixture.
Use skyr instead of ymer for a thicker, protein-rich alternative with a similar tang.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.
Ymer is a traditional Danish cultured dairy product, similar to a thick buttermilk or skyr, and pairing it with ymerdrys (sweetened toasted rye crumbs) is a longstanding Danish breakfast and dessert tradition.
Ymer is a traditional Danish cultured dairy product similar to a very thick buttermilk; if unavailable, a thick strained yogurt or skyr makes a good substitute.
Yes, it keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, making it easy to prepare in advance.
They were likely not toasted long enough, or weren't cooled fully before serving — both toasting thoroughly and cooling completely help them crisp up.
Per serving (220g / 7.8 oz) · 4 servings total
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