Danish Rye Bread

Danes love rye bread or Rugbrød, usually packed with different seeds, grains, cracked rye and is healthy and filling. Rye bread is a staple in most Scandinavian house holds. In Denmark it is usually eaten for lunch, cut a slice of rye bread spread butter on it if you like and top with different toppings this could be Danish pate (leverpostej), herring (sild), egg salad, roastbeef, cheese and more. The finished rye bread with topping is called smørrebrød.

Recipe for rye bread - makes 2 loaves

This rye bread recipe is made with an easy starter which gives the bread a nice texture and taste.

Ingredients

Day 1 - sour dough starter

150 g rye flour

1 1/2 dl yogurt natural

1 1/2 dl buttermilk

5 g active yeast that has been proofed or instant yeast that can be mixed directly into ingredients

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl and let it sit covered at roomtemperature for 1 day

Day 2

500 g white flour

700 g rye flour

100 g rye flakes

Sour dough from the day before

8 dl lunk warm water

1 dark beer preferably porter 33-35 cl (I use a black butte porter)

135 g sunflower seeds or pumpkin seed (whatever you like)

125 g brown flaxseeds

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp salt

Whisk sour dough into water in a large bowl or your stand mixer bowl (I have a KitchenAid Professional 600 series)

add the dark beer, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, rye flakes honey, salt and flour the dough will fill the bowl pretty much all the way so be carefull when starting the mixer. Mix on low setting for about 10 min. scraping down the sides every couple min.

Divide the dough into 2 greased bread forms (I use this size 23 cm long x 13 cm wide x 8 cm tall) but you can also use a tube pan for a more fancy looking bread. Lightly tap forms on table to get air bobbles out, smooth top breads with a wet spatula.

Cover the forms with a lite clean kitchen towel and let rise for about 1-2 hours until dough reaches the edge of the forms.

Baking time

Turn oven on at 225 C (convection oven 200 C) when ready put the forms in the middle rack of your oven. Turn down temperature to 180 C (convection 160 C) and bake the breads for about 60-70 min this depends on the size and shape of your forms. Check the temperature of your breads after 50 min insert a thermometer in the center of your breads when temperature has reached 96 C your bread is done. Take them out and remove from forms and cool on a baking rack.