Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
A rustic, dense homemade loaf flavoured with honey and caraway seeds. A touch chewier than white bread and lovely sliced thin for open sandwiches.
Homemade rye bread is dense and full-flavoured, with a little honey for balance and caraway seeds for that familiar aroma. The rye gives it an earthy depth and a close, moist crumb you don't get from a white loaf. Few things beat a warm slice with good butter, or built up into a proper sandwich.
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Prep 20 min
Cook 30 min
Total 50 min
Medium
Scale:
- 200g Rye
- 200g Strong White Bread Flour
- 10g Yeast
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tsp Caraway Seed
Preparation
- Tip the flours, yeast and salt into a bowl. In a jug, stir the honey into 250ml warm water, pour it in, and mix to a dough. Rye soaks up a lot of water, so if it looks too dry add more warm water until soft. Turn it out and knead for 10 minutes until smooth; with less gluten than a white loaf, it won't feel as springy.
- Put the dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with cling film, and leave to rise somewhere warm for 1 to 2 hours, until roughly doubled. Dust a 2lb/900g loaf tin with flour.
- Turn the dough out and knead briefly to knock out the air, working in the caraway seeds if using. Shape into a smooth oval and set it in the tin. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm spot for another 1 to 1.5 hours, until doubled.
- Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Peel off the cling film and dust the top with rye flour. Slash a few cuts on an angle, then bake for 30 minutes until dark brown and hollow-sounding when tapped. Move to a wire rack and leave at least 20 minutes before serving.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Rye flour drinks up water, so add more if the dough feels dry as you mix.
- Knead it well, but don't expect the bounce of a white loaf; rye has far less gluten.
- Allow plenty of proving time, as rye doughs are slow to rise.
- Tap the underside of the baked loaf. A hollow sound tells you it's cooked through.
Frequently Asked Questions
That's just how it is. Rye holds much less gluten than wheat, so the dough is stickier and the loaf denser. Blending in some strong white flour helps it rise.
No, though they give rye its familiar taste. Leave them out, or swap in fennel or nigella seeds if you'd rather.
Keep it well wrapped at room temperature for a few days. Rye actually tastes better a day on from baking, and it freezes well.
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