Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)
This is the classic Danish bread for smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches)
Equipment
- spice grinder, stand mixer, food scale, Pullman loaf pan (or long loaf pan [16x5] or two bread loaf pans)
Ingredients
- 3 cups warm water*
- 3 tsp yeast (I've made this instant yeast and active dry yeast--there isn't a huge difference because of the type of yeast for this recipe.)
- 700 grams whole-grain rye flour
- 150 grams bread flour
- 15 grams kosher salt
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup flax seed
- 1 cup cracked rye berries** (Crack rye berries in a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle)
- ½ cup whole rye berries
- ½ cup traditional rolled oats (For sprinkling on loaf before baking)
Instructions
Make the dough
- Please check out the recipe notes below before diving in!
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the yeast and warm water. Let stand for at least 5 minutes.
- While the yeast blooms, prepare dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk flours and salt together. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together seeds with a wooden spoon.
- Add molasses to yeast mixture. Mix on low.
- Slowly add flours. This is a wet dough, so don't worry if it doesn't pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Once the flours are added, slowly mix in the seeds.
- Transfer dough to a large, nonreactive bowl. (I used a large ceramic bowl, but glass or stainless steel works as well.)
Let the dough rest
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, dry area. I usually just let the bowl sit on the counter, under our under cabinet lighting. Let it rest for 12 hours--I've let it sit for 14 to 16 hours and it's just gotten a little more sour. You want to signature sour flavor. It will bubble and rise a little. It should smell yeasty, sour, and a little earthy.
Bake the bread
- Grease loaf pan with butter. (I use a loaf pan that's 16x5, but a Pullman loaf or two loaf pans would work.)
- Transfer dough to the loaf pan. Smooth out dough and make sure it's settled in the pan. Sprinkle top of dough with water and sprinkle on rolled oats.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Let dough rest in pan while over preheats.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for about another 20 minutes. When done, the internal temperature should be 205°F.
Notes
* Depending on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen, you might need more of less water. It's more likely that you'll need more water than less water. If this is your first time making the recipe, start with 2 1/2 cups of water and add more as your add your flours.
** Cracked rye berries...what the heck are these things? They're whole grain rye. They can be found in speciality food shops or ordered online. (They can also be found on Amazon.) I've also used this seed mixture from Central Milling.