Scandinavian · Baking · Medium
Rye Bread
Dense Danish rugbrod: dark, malty, seed-studded rye that stays fresh for days and is the foundation of smorrebrod.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Rye Bread, in 5 ideas
- The overnight soak softens the grains and develops deep flavor
- This is a no-knead, press-into-the-pan dough; do not expect it to behave like wheat
- Waiting a day before slicing gives a much better crumb
- Dense rye keeps for a week and toasts beautifully
- Butter it generously; that is the Danish way
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 cups rye flour
- 1 cup cracked rye or rye chops
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup flaxseeds
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup dark molasses
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 cup bread flour
How to make it
Directions
- The night before, mix the rye flour, cracked rye, seeds, buttermilk, and molasses. Cover and rest overnight.
- Stir in the salt, yeast, and bread flour to make a thick, sticky dough.
- Press firmly into a greased 9 by 5 loaf pan, smoothing the top with wet hands.
- Cover and let rise 2 hours until slightly puffy; it will not double like wheat bread.
- Bake at 350 F for 75 minutes until deep brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- Cool completely before slicing, ideally waiting a full day for the crumb to set.
Money saver. Buy rye flour and seeds from bulk bins; specialty flours are much cheaper that way.