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Rugbrød
5 from 4 votes

Rugbrød

Rugbrød is a very common form of rye bread in Denmark, that is prepared in a rectangular pan.

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Rest
3 d
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 3 breads
Calories: 2416 kcal
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Danish

Ingredients

For the sourdough (to be prepared only the first time, 2 days before)
  • 1½ cup rye flour
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
For day 1
  • 1½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 6 cups rye flour
  • 4 cups water or more), at 97 F / 36 ° C, lukewarm
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 6 oz. sourdough bread prepared 2 days earlier
For day 2
  • 1⅓ cup malt beer
  • 2 tablespoons syrup (preferably black syrup)
  • 16 oz. rye seed , crushed
  • 6 oz. seeds , preferably sunflower, flax or a mixture of 5 seeds (including sunflower and flax)
  • 4 oz. hazelnut crushed
  • neutral cooking oil or butter), to grease the rye bread molds, generic cooking oil

Instructions

Sourdough
    Cup of Yum
  1. This step should only be done the first time making rye bread.
  2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and place a damp cloth over it.
  3. Leave the sourdough to stand at room temperature and away from drafts for 2 days covered with the cloth.
  4. After two days, it will bubble, increase in volume and therefore be ready for making rugbrød.
Day 1 (evening)
  1. Mix the flour, water, salt and the sourdough of rye bread in a bowl and place it in a warm place, away from drafts, and covered with a damp cloth until the next morning.
Day 2 (morning)
  1. Add the crushed hazelnuts to the dough prepared the day before as well as the beer, syrup, crushed rye seeds, and sunflower and flax seeds.
  2. Take a 6 oz-(200 g) piece of this dough and place it in a glass jar with an airtight lid. This should be kept in the refrigerator and will serve as a sourdough for the next baking.
  3. Carefully grease 2 large or 3 small rye bread pans with oil or butter, and add in the rye bread dough so that it fills ⅓ of each pan.
  4. Place a damp cloth on each pan and let stand for 4 hours in a cool place away from drafts. The loaves must rise to fill ⅔ of the pan. It is important in this process that there is no temperature difference in the room and no drafts.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180°C) for 30 minutes.
  6. Just before placing the breads in the oven, prick them each 3 or 4 times using the tip of a large needle along their entire length.
  7. Place the rugbrøds in the oven and bake for about 1 hour.
  8. Rye bread should be golden all around and crisp and dark on top.
  9. 10 minutes after taking them out of the oven, gently unmold the rugbrøds.
  10. Let the rugbrøds cool on a wire rack and then place them each in a bread bag to keep them or place each in a tightly closed freezer bag to be frozen.