A strongly flavored, dense, fermented rye bread popular in Denmark and Germany with an insane amount of seeds and a fascinating texture. It kind of tastes like nutty beer, and a thin slice is quite filling. This bread is not for everyone but it is healthy, hearty, and sure to satisfy those with interesting tastebuds! I will experiment with making this sourdough in the future. I do not recommend trying this recipe if you don't like strong fermented flavors.
The original recipe is from: https://www.daringgourmet.com/easy-danish-rye-bread-rugbrod/
The recipe is here, and pictures of the process are below:
Ingredients:
2 cups lukewarm water (~470 g)
2 tsp. dry active yeast (7 g)
2 tablespoons sugar or barley malt syrup (I used sugar but the malt syrup adds color and flavor) (26 g)
2 1/2 cup dark whole grain rye flour (240 g)
3/4 cup bread flour (112 g)
2 1/4 cup cracked rye berries (if not cracked then chop with a knife, food processor, or smash inside a plastic bag) (see picture below) (348 g)
1 1/4 cup whole flaxseeds (185 g)
1 1/3 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (or a combo) (I used 119 g sunflower and 73 g pumpkin)
1 Tbsp. table salt (16 g)
1 cup water (You can use beer if you want a stronger flavor) (~230 g)
1 cup buttermilk or kefir (242 g)
Traditional rolled oats for topping
Directions:
In a medium sized bowl mix together 2 cups of lukewarm water (85-95°F) with 1 Tbsp. of the yeast and sugar/syrup until yeast is dissolved. Let rest 5-10 minutes until it activates.
In a large bowl mix together the flours, cracked rye, salt, seeds, and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar/syrup.
Then add the yeast mixture, buttermilk, and more water and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine. Then continue mixing for 10 minutes (the handle side of the spook works well, otherwise you can use your hands or a stand mixer on low speed). The batter should get thicker and slightly stretchier as you mix.
If the batter is close to the top of the bowl then divide it in half into another bowl (two bowls total) to account for the rise. Cover the bowl(s) and let rise in a warm place (my place was 70-80°F) for 24-36 hours. The longer you ferment it the stronger the alcohol taste will be and the more time the seeds will have to absorb moisture.
When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 5" bread pan with parchment paper (the bread tends to stick) and add all the batter into it, smooshing down and smoothing as necessary. It is a lot but it will fit. Then add oats or other seeds on top and gently smoosh them into the dough.
Bake for 2-3 hours, or until the inside of the bread reaches 205°F. It's very important that it gets to this temperature so it's fully set!
Once baked the crust will be very firm and the inside of the bread needs to set fully because of the moisture and rye flour. So let the bread come to room temperature and then cover and rest another 18-24 hours before cutting into (I let mine rest a full 24 hours before cutting into) so the crust is softer and the inside has a better texture.
Cut into thin slices and enjoy! It goes well with butter, cheese, and other savory toppings. Otherwise you can slice and freeze the bread. It is a heavy loaf and very dense but it freezes well, up to 3 months in a well sealed container or plastic bag.
Makes one 3.5-4 lb. loaf (about 20-30 slices). It is a brick.
These are whole rye seeds/berries/grains. Unless yours are fresh you will need to chop or crush them so they can hydrate in the bread (see the next picture).
Chopped up rye grains. This is what you want to use for this bread!
Activate the yeast in sugar water.
In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
Add the yeast mixture, water, and buttermilk.
Mix together for 10 minutes and you should have something like this. Your dough is ready to ferment!
Because it was a lot of dough I split it into two bowls.
Here's an up close picture of the dough.
Cover and ferment in a warm place for 24-36 hours. I used my oven with the light turned on.
I let mine ferment 36 hours and this is what it looked like. It did rise but it did flatten out and there were bubbles on the surface.
Close up of the dough after fermenting 36 hours. Time to bake!
Line a bread pan with parchment paper.
Start scooping all the dough into the pan. It will look weird but don't worry!
Shape all the dough into the pan.
Add oats or seeds on top.
Side view (before baking).
Then bake!
Loaf while baking.
After baking! It rose well and it's dark brown on the outside.
After baking! I then let it cool, covered it, and let it rest 24 hours before cutting into.
What the slices look like!