Darnitskiy Rye Bread

This classic Darnitskiy rye is deeply flavorful, moist, and has that nostalgic tang I absolutely love in a good rye loaf. It’s made with a rye starter and a blend of wheat and medium rye flour. No sourdough drama here — this dough is straightforward and humble. The result? A dense, hearty crumb and a slightly glossy crust with just a hint of molasses.

The amount of ingredients will be enough to fit 2 L-11 loaf pans with dimensions 14.5 cm (5.71 in) in length, 10.0 cm (3.94 in) in width, and 10.0 cm (3.94 in) in height.

Here’s how I make it:

Ingredients

Rye Starter (prepare the night before):

• 15g ripe rye starter (100% hydration)

• 145g dark rye flour

• 145g water

Dough:

• 300g of the rye starter from above

• 200g bread flour

• 135g dark rye flour

• 230g water

• 1 tsp molasses

• 10g sugar

• 8g salt

Directions

Day 1

Rye Levain

• 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add rye flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at room temperature 30C/86F until in about 8-10 hours starter reaches its peak (doubles in volume). You can learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Day 2

Dough

• Combine everything in a stand mixer. Mix by hand or with a spatula for about a minute until all the flour is hydrated.
• Switch to a dough hook and knead on medium speed for about 3 minutes. There’s not much gluten to develop here, so no need to overdo it.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it ferment for 1 hour 30 minutes at around 30°C/86F.

Shaping

• With wet hands on a damp plastic board, gently shape the dough into a loaf — be careful not to deflate it.
• Oil baking loaf pans  L-11 generously with oil and sprinkle rye flour all over.
• Place the shaped loaf into your prepared pan and smooth out the top.
• Final proof for another 1 hour 30 minutes at 30°C, until the dough rises to about ½ inch below the rim.

Baking:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F).
• Bake with steam for the first 15 minutes, then reduce to 200°C (392°F) and continue baking for 40–45 minutes without steam.
• Right before taking it out, spritz the top with water for that classic glossy crust.
• Let it cool completely before slicing (if you can wait). It only gets better the next day.

Enjoy!

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