Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)
User Reviews
4.9
Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)
Description
Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød) uses dark rye flour combined with coarsely broken and whole rye berries plus flaxseeds and sunflower seeds to create a hearty whole-grain loaf. The dough includes yeast, sugar, salt, dark beer, and buttermilk for fermentation that lasts 24 to 48 hours at room temperature, developing a mild sourness and improving the bread's texture and flavor.
The dough is very sticky and loose, requiring a stand mixer with a dough hook for kneading, and is baked in a parchment-lined loaf pan. Traditional rolled oats may be sprinkled on top before baking. The long fermentation and combination of grains create a dense, slightly chewy bread with a robust, earthy flavor and crunchy seeds throughout.
This rye bread is well suited for serving with savory toppings, typical in Danish cuisine, and stores well due to its dense texture. Variations in fermentation length adjust sourness, and soaking rye berries overnight helps shorten proofing time for a 24-hour ferment. The beer can be substituted with water or additional buttermilk if preferred.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water lukewarm
- 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/2 cups dark rye flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup rye berries very briefly pulse whole rye berries in a strong blender or food processor until they're broken up into coarse pieces OR smash them in a heavy duty bag with a meat mallet or other heavy object, cracked
- 1/2 cup rye berries whole
- 1 1/4 cup flaxseeds whole
- 1 1/3 cup sunflower seeds pumpkin seeds and/or chopped almonds, or combination of sunflower seeds
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup dark beer (see note)
- 1 cup buttermilk vegan: 1 cup almond milk mixed with 2 tablespoons cider vinegar) (I often use homemade kefir in place of buttermilk, or kefir
- rolled oats traditional, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Stir the yeast and sugar into the lukewarm water and let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast is frothy.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast mixture, beer and buttermilk. Stir to combine.Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook and knead on the bread setting ("2") for 10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky, loose and not remotely malleable (ie, incapable of being shaped).Scoop the dough into a very large non-metallic bowl with plenty of head space (the dough will bubble up). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place (room temperature) for 24-48 hours, depending on how sour you want the bread to be (be sure to ferment it for at least 24 hours to ensure enough of the liquid is absorbed). If you're only letting it ferment for 24 hours we recommend first soaking the whole rye berries overnight before using them (drain thoroughly).
- Line a 9x5x3 inch bread loaf pan with parchment paper (SEE NOTE). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Scoop all of the dough into the lined bread pan, pressing down as needed. (It's a lot of dough but it will fit.) Brush the top with water and sprinkle over evenly with the rolled oats.Bake on the middle rack for 100-120 minutes or until the center is done. For best and most accurate results use an instant read thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of 210 degrees F.Let the loaf cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan. Let the loaf cool completely before slicing. Keep stored in an airtight container. To prolong its shelf life I recommend storing it in the refrigerator or freeze part of it if you know it will take you a while to go through it.
Notes
- Lightly spray parchment paper with oil before lining the pan to prevent sticking when removing the baked bread.
- Soaking whole rye berries overnight before use helps reduce fermentation time to 24 hours without compromising texture.
- Beer can be substituted with water or more buttermilk, depending on flavor preference.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 20slices
Amount Per Serving
Calories 277 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1slice | |
| Calories | 277kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 40g | 13% |
| Protein | 10g | 20% |
| Fat | 10g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 1mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 366mg | 15% |
| Potassium | 225mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 9g | 36% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 25IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 0.2mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 63mg | 6% |
| Iron | 2.7mg | 15% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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