In the heart of Danish culinary tradition lies a beloved classic: Danish rye bread. Crafted with care and steeped in history, this dense, hearty bread is a testament to the artistry of sourdough baking. Unlike its fluffy counterparts, Danish rye bread boasts a robust flavor profile and a dense, chewy texture that pairs perfectly with a variety of toppings.
The ingredients list for authentic Danish rye bread is refreshingly minimal, typically consisting of rye flour, water, salt, and perhaps a touch of honey or malt syrup for sweetness. Some recipes may also incorporate additional grains or seeds for added texture and nutrition.
I found the original recipe on the True North kitchen website. I’m posting it here after making a few adjustments.
Ingredients
Night Before:
Levain
- 300g rye flour
- 100g bread flour
- 350g water
- 40g ripe sourdough starter
Soaker
- 75g rye chops or 7 grain hot cereal
- 130g sunflower seeds
- 140g pumpkin seeds
- 70g flax seeds
- 305g water
Main dough
- All of the Levain
- All of the Soaker
- 200g rye flour
- 130g bread flour
- 180g water
- 18g salt
- 2 tablespoons molasses
Directions
Day 1
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 water to the seeds and rye chops ( or cereal mix) and whisk together, cover, leave to soak overnight in the fridge.
Day 2
Main Dough
- 10 am in a bowl of mixer combine all ingredients for the main dough.
- Using paddle attachment start mixing on low speed for 2-3 minutes.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 5-7 min. Do stops and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Make sure the dough doesn’t get overheated.
- Prepare the loaf pan by spraying it with cooking oil and generously sprinkling it with rye flour. The amount of the dough is enough to fill 1 Pullman loaf pan 13×4 inch (or I divided all the ingredients by two and filled 2 small cube loaf pans)
- Scoop the dough from mixing bowl and transfer it to a loaf pan. Use wet spoon to make the top surface is even.
- Generously sprinkle the top of the dough with rye flour, and close the lid.
- Proof at 82-86F for 2-3 hours until dough will reach 1/2 inches from the top.
- Preheat the oven to 500F. Bake the bread for 15 min, lower temperature to 400F, bake covered for 15 min, then open the lid( make sure to use oven mitts). Lower temperature to 325F and continue baking for 45 min.
- Remove bread from the oven, remove it from the loaf pan, let cool down completely. Wrap it up in plastic wrap or foil, let it rest until next morning ( this will let the crumb to stabilize and improve the flavor)
Enjoy!
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Based on 6 Review(s)
Buen dia Natalia soy un señor jubilado de argentina , y tengo como pasatiempo realizar los panes que comemos con mi esposa en casa y realmente el centeno me cuesta bastante que quede bien , voy a probar con tu receta , muchas gracias por ayudarnos a todos los que te seguimos a poder mejorar en nuestro intento de manejar los panes y sus tecnicas .
un saludo y gracias
Querido Ricardo, gracias por tus amables palabras.
Este pan de centeno es muy fácil de hacer. Por favor, déjame saber si tienes alguna pregunta.
I like the fact that this recipe has less wheat flour than the one I have been using for years.
I will be trying this out and thank you from one who grew up eating this bread – exclusively.
Inga
Thank you, Inga! We’re so glad to hear that you’re excited to try out this recipe. We hope it brings back all the nostalgic flavors of the bread you grew up eating. Enjoy baking!
Hi natasha! The recipe looks delicious! I don’t have rye chops or 7 grain hot cereal available to me where I live.. what can I replace in their place instead?
Hi there! Thank you for your comment. If you don’t have rye chops or 7 grain hot cereal available, you can try substituting them with rolled oats or quinoa flakes. These alternatives should work well in the recipe and still provide a similar texture and flavor. Happy cooking!
It looks amazing. I have to make it soon!!
Thanks for sharing wonderful recipes
Thank you for your kind words! We’re glad you like the recipe. Let us know how it turns out when you make it. Happy baking!
Hi Natasha. This bread looks amazing and easy to make. I love rye bread. Can you please write measurements in cups, not in grams? Thank you for your recipe!
Can you cold ferment the dough overnight?
I didn’t try that, but I think it should work out well.
Hello Natalya!
Can I use instant yeast for this recipe! If yes whats the replacement, how many grams and the fermentation duration
Hi!
It will be completely different recipe with yeast. But you can try 1% of instant yeast from total amount of flour in the recipe, and then watch out for fermentation. It will go faster.
Hi, Natasha. Can I replace molasses with maple syrup? Or pomegranate concentrate?
Thank you
Hello. One question, for 40 gr of sourdough for levain, can I use sourdough with white flour? Thank you
Hi Natasha,
I don’t have a stand mixer, can I mix the main dough by hand?
Also, just wanted to confirm – the total baking time is 1hr and 15min?
Thank you! Looking forward to making this recipe!