Borodinsky Rye Bread
Borodinsky bread is the most flavorful rye bread I’ve ever tasted. It is well known in Russia, Ukraine and all around the Eastern Europe.
The combination creates a deep, slightly sweet, aromatic loaf with incredible complexity that only becomes more flavorful after resting overnight.
Some special ingredients like rye malt and molasses are required to make it, but believe me, the flavor will exceed all your expectations.
Ingredients
Rye Sourdough Starter
- 5g ripe sourdough starter
- 40g water
- 40g rye flour
Soaker
Sponge
- 85g sourdough starter
- 352g soaker
- 175g rye flour
- 125g water
Main Dough
Directions
Day 1
Rye Starter
- 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at room temperature 74-78F until in about 8-10 hours starter reaches its peak (doubles or triples in volume). You can learn how to make starter from scratch here.
Soaker
- 10 pm add hot boiling water to the flour and whisk together. You should get a thick paste consistency. If you feel there is a need for more water, go for it.
- Soaker has to stay at 149F/65С temperature for 9-12 hours. This process will make starches break into sugar, which will give a nice and deep color as well as special sweetness to rye bread.
Note: in order to keep soaker warm for extended period of time I used a small lunch thermos. If you don’t have a thermos, mix soaker in a regular bowl, preheat the oven to 350F, turn it off, cover the soaker with plastic wrap, place it into warm oven with light on and keep it there overnight.
Day 2
Sponge
- 8 am mix rye sourdough starter with water and all the soaker. It might take some time, because the soaker might get harder overnight. Add flour, mix it until everything is well incorporated.
- Cover, let it ferment at 80-85F for 2 hours until it becomes puffy and gets bigger.
Main Dough
- 10 am Add all the sponge and flour, sugar, molasses and salt to the mixing bowl, start mixing on low speed for 2-3 minutes.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until everything is mixed properly. Make sure the dough doesn’t get overheated. Total mixing time is about 5-7 minutes. The dough will look like mud. Use a wet spatula to round it.
- Cover and let it proof for 2-4 hours until it doubles in volume at 80-85F.
- Keep monitoring the surface of the dough, as soon as it starts to crack on top, it means that it’s time to shape it.
Shaping
- Use generous amount of butter to spread it around the 9×4 inch loaf pan, or simply line it with parchment paper.
- Use spatula to transfer the dough into the loaf pan, wet spatula with water and try to even out the top of the loaf dough.
- Cover and let the loaf proof for about 1 hour at 80-85F. It should slightly grow.
Note: originally the surface of the loaf should be sprayed with water and sprinkled with coriander seeds. I skipped that step and sprinkled some rye flour on top of the loaf
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 450F/ 230C, bake for 15 minutes.
- Lower temperature to 410F/ 210C, bake for 15 minutes.
- Lower temperature to 355F/ 180C and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the loaf from the pan, let it completely cool off, then put it in an airtight bag for 24 hours. It will bring all the flavors together.
Enjoy your Borodinsky rye bread 🙏
Borodinsky Rye Bread
1950kcal
Ingredients
Rye Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)
- 5 g Ripe sourdough starter culture
- 40 g Water
- 40 g Rye flour
The Aromatic Hot Soaker / Scald (Night Before)
- 25 g Red rye malt (Fermented rye malt)
- 75 g Rye flour
- 2 g Caraway seeds (Crushed)
- 250 g Hot boiling water
The Active Sourdough Sponge (Day 2)
- 85 g Active rye sourdough starter levain (From the stage above)
- 352 g Prepared hot soaker / scald (From the stage above)
- 175 g Rye flour
- 125 g Water
Equipment
- 9×4 Inch Loaf Pan (Essential to support and contain the low-gluten, pasty structure of this heavy rye dough)
- Small Lunch Thermos (Highly recommended to hold the hot soaker temperature stable for 9 to 12 hours)
- Stand Mixer (Optional, to blend the pasty dough uniformly without manual stickiness)
- Wet Silicone Spatula (Crucial for smoothing the sticky, mud-like surface of the loaf)
Method
Night Before – Levain Initialization & Thermal Hot Soaker
- 10:00 PM – Rye Starter Build: In a small glass jar, add your 5g of ripe starter culture to 40g of water and whisk together cleanly. Stir in 40g of rye flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until the levain reaches its peak, doubles or triples in volume, and exhibits a bubbly, aerated structure.
- 10:00 PM – The Sweet Malt Scald: In a bowl or directly inside a small lunch thermos, mix together 25g of fermented rye malt, 75g of rye flour, and 2g of crushed caraway seeds. Pour 250g of hot boiling water directly over the top and whisk vigorously until it forms a uniform, thick paste consistency. Seal the thermos tightly or cover your bowl securely and place it overnight into a turned-off oven with the oven light switched on. Let it mash for 9 to 12 hours at roughly 149°F (65°C) to break down the starches into fermentable sugars.
Day 2 – The Sponge & Main Pastemix
- 8:00 AM – The Sourdough Sponge Build: In a large mixing bowl, combine all 85g of your active overnight rye starter levain with 125g of room-temperature water and all 352g of your thick, sweet-scented overnight malt soaker. Whisk well to dissolve the dense soaker completely. Stir in 175g of rye flour until completely incorporated. Cover tightly and let it ferment in a warm environment kept at 80–85°F (27–29°C) for 2 full hours until the sponge looks incredibly puffy and expands noticeably.
- 10:00 AM – The Core Pastemix: Add all 737g of your bubbly fermented sponge into your stand mixer bowl (or keep it in a large mixing bowl for hand work). Add 100g of rye flour, 75g of all-purpose flour, 30g of brown sugar, 20g of deep molasses, and 9g of salt.
- The Paste Integration: Attach a paddle or dough hook. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, then increase to medium speed for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until everything is perfectly homogenized. (The Structural Reality: This dough will look exactly like sticky, thick mud. Do not attempt to develop elastic wheat gluten or pass a windowpane test—rye grains do not behave this way). Use a wet spatula or wet hands to scrape down the sides and round the sticky mass smoothly into the center.
- Primary Bulk Proof: Cover the bowl tightly and let it proof undisturbed for 2 to 4 hours in a warm 80–85°F (27–29°C) proofing zone until it cleanly doubles in volume. Keep a very close eye on the top surface: the exact second you see small pinhole cracks begin to splinter across the crown, the bulk proof is complete and it must be panned immediately.
Day 2 – Pan Shaping, Final Proof, and Step-Down Bake
- Panning & Smoothing: Grease a 9×4 inch loaf pan exceptionally well with a generous layer of butter, or line it cleanly with parchment paper. Using your wet silicone spatula, scoop the sticky, expanded mud-like dough directly out of the bowl and smooth it into the pan. Dip your spatula or hands into cold water and smooth out the top surface of the loaf until it is completely flat and level.
- The Final Ambient Rest: Cover the loaf pan loosely and let it proof for exactly 1 hour in your warm 80–85°F (27–29°C) environment until it grows slightly. Traditional bakeries mist the top with water and sprinkle a layer of whole coriander seeds over the damp skin; alternatively, you can dust a fine coating of raw rye flour across the crown for a rustic finish.
- The Step-Down Bake Cycle: Preheat your oven thoroughly to 450°F (230°C). Slide the loaf pan onto the middle rack and execute your baking cycle as follows: Bake Phase 1: Bake at 450°F (230°C) for exactly 15 minutes. Bake Phase 2: Drop the temperature cleanly to 410°F (210°C) and bake for another 15 minutes. Bake Phase 3: Drop the temperature a final time down to 355°F (180°C) and finish baking for 30 minutes to solidify the dense internal starches.
- The Mandatory Flavor Cure: Remove the loaf from the oven and turn it out of the pan immediately onto a wire cooling rack. Allow it to cool down to room temperature. Once cool, place the entire bare loaf inside an airtight plastic bag or container and let it cure undisturbed for a full 24 hours before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories1950kcalCarbohydrates416gProtein60gFat10gSaturated Fat2gPolyunsaturated Fat4gMonounsaturated Fat2gCholesterol20mgSodium780mgPotassium2219mgFiber49gSugar60gVitamin A76IUVitamin C1mgCalcium286mgIron15mg
Notes
- Why Traditional Gluten Kneading is Entirely Counterproductive: Unlike wheat-based loaves that rely on a stretchy elastic network of gluten to trap gas, 100% or high-percentage rye breads get their entire internal structural framework from the gelatinization of rye starches and sticky, gel-like carbohydrate chains called pentosans. Mechanically over-kneading or attempting stretch-and-folds on this dough will ruthlessly shred those delicate pentosan gels, deflating your loaf into a dense, wet brick. Mix only until the paste is uniform, then stop.
- The Absolute Necessity of the 24-Hour Post-Bake Cure: Slicing into a freshly baked loaf of Borodinsky rye while it is still warm or even just cooled down to room temperature will reveal a wet, gummy, and sticky interior that sticks to your knife. High-rye loaves require a full 24-hour curing window inside an airtight container after baking. During this extended rest, moisture redistributes uniformly from the wet core out to the crust, setting the crumb structure perfectly and bringing the spiced molasses and caraway notes into full balance.
- The Magic of the Thermal Lunch Thermos Soaker: The 12-hour hot scald step at 149°F (65°C) mimics a professional bakery’s thermal mash tun. Keeping the fermented red rye malt and caraway seeds held securely at this exact hot temperature range over many hours coaxes out natural enzymatic reactions. This process converts complex grain starches into deep, sweet maltose sugars, which gives Borodinsky its iconic dark, mahogany-stained interior color and unmistakable underlying sweetness.
Tried this recipe?
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Спасибо 😊
Hi Natasha great recipe I can’t wait to try can . Any substitute for rye malt ?
Hi Natasha, I guess you use whole grain rye flour in this recipe. In England there are two types, like ordinary wheat flour, whole rye flour and white rye flour.
Yes, do whole grain rye 😊
Hi, what size of pan are you using?
9X4 inch is the best
Hi Natalya, I’ve been enjoying using different types of flours for my sourdough bread but rye bread is a constant favourite! I’m looking forward to stepping up my game from 50/50 rye/white to almost 100% in your recipe.
One question, in that last proof, are you shooting for double in size, or are you sticking to that 1 hour proof, and if so at what temperature? Or are you watching for those cracks in the top again.
Thanks so much for the recipe:)
Hi!
Rye bread is my favorite too.
Final proof should be about 1 hour at 30C
Excellent! Thank you.
I couldn’t agree with you more Natalya, the flavour of this bread indeed exceeds my expectation and I didn’t even have neither rye malt nor caraway seeds on hand, but will definitely get some rye malt for my 2nd loaf. When I was introduced to Sourdough bread making I was only making 100% rye flour boules, and while they were very good, the heightened flavour from your loaf recipe is unique and reminds me of a German bread we buy occasionally at local grocery stores.
Well done! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Shawnee, thank you so much for your kind feedback 🙏
Hj Natalya, great recipe. I only have onde question. When I’m mixing the soaker and the starter, I should add the rest of the sponge ingredients at this stage(175g eu, 125g water)? Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
Nicolas, hi!
Yes!
You are absolutely correct! Mix soaker with starter and flour snd water for sponge.
Hi. This bread looks amazing. I was wondering if you could clarify on what rye malt is please? Your link is no longer available. Is it a rye berry that i would first grind before using? Or did you order it in a powder? Could regular malt powder be substituted? If so, is diastatic or non-diastatic better? Or, is your rye malt a syrup? Thanks!
Hello Natalya. I ordered rye malt some months ago but the order was canceled. I just checked again and it says not available. I know it’s not the same but may I use rye chops? If yes, would I use the same amount?
I use rye chops in Pain Bouillie (I love that bread). Thanks girl. Take care
Jeanette, sorry! Just updated the link.
Malt has to look very dark, and have a consistency of whole grain flour🙏
Hi Natasha so the rye malt is not the berries? Is grounded? I checked your link and brings to the berries not grounded thank you
Amazing! The best rye bread I ever had. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely delicious! The Rye Malt is hard to find but very worth the effort!
When I made this recipe I had a really hard time building up the gluten strength in the bread. Even after kneading in a mixer, adding multiple rounds of stretch & fold, the dough was a sticky mass and would not even come close to passing the window pane test. I was worried about this when I saw how the sponge developed so I swapped the AP flour for bread flour just in case it helped. The dough was fine for the 9×4 pan, but I scaled up the recipe and made a boule on the side and it completely blobbed out into a disc with no strength at all. Is that normal for this kind of dough?
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Natalya, thank you!!! The bread is tasty and delicious. This is the best recipe.
I have fermented rye malt powder. How much would I use to add to this recipe and at which step?
Hi, you have to add rye malt to the soaker.
Thank you for the recipe! This is my third time making it and I have a few questions. Do you cover the starter the sponge and the dough during any of the process? I have been covering it with plastic wrap throughout the whole time and the dough does not dry out and remains Moist. Do you recommend covering or not covering during any of the process? Also, when doubling the recipe do you keep measurements exactly the same just double? I found that my loaves came out more wet when I doubled the recipe.
Thank you
This is one of the most well written recipes I’ve ever used. Having the hours for the various stages was most helpful. And the bread was absolutely delicious. May daughter, a Slavic language scholar, said it was better than in Russia.
Hi Natasha, do you have a recipe for your Borodinsky bread using yeast instead of sourdough starter? Thanks
Natasha, do you have a yeast recipe for Borodinsky bread? Instead of sourdough?
My Russian husband approved. It is so tasty. Greetings from a Mexican in Germany 🙂 I just wonder how they do it like super black when you buy it at the store
Love it! Better than the Borodinsky from the store. I sprinkle whole coriander seeds on the top before baking. Спасибо за рецепт!
My Ukrainian boyfriend is always complaining about how bad American breads are compared to what he would buy back home, so I made this recipe for him as a Valentine’s Day gift. He was very surprised and said it was exactly like the bread he remembers in Ukraine. Thank you! I will make this again!