How To Make The Best Dark Rye Bread

This is the second rye bread I am sharing . Here I am using a dark rye flour and I have left out the caraway seeds.

This is another versatile bread. It can be made into one big loaf, 2 loaves, small rolls, or even 4 loaves as shown here. As with any bread you have plenty of lead-way how to go, the mixing techniques is the same, the differences come in with shaping and baking times. Of course smaller loaves/rolls/buns will take less time than one loaf, so bake it until it’s done or hollow sounding inside with a golden brown crust.

Remember, once you try home made you will never want store bought again.

Making the dough for The Best Dark Rye Bread

Measure out your ingredients. I placed the oatmeal in to stand mixer bowl and the 4 flours in one bowl and mixed the flours together. Add the room temperature milk to the oatmeal and allow the oatmeal to soak it up for 30 minutes. About 10 minutes before the 30 minutes is up, add the yeast and sugar to the water and allow the yeast to proof, it should become bubbly and foamy.

: Ingredients for Best Dark Rye Bread

: Adding milk to oatmeal.

: Proofing the yeast

After the oatmeal soaked up the milk, add the flours and salt; mix on low speed for one minute with the dough hook. Add the yeast mixture. Knead for 5-7 minutes. Turn out onto a floured surface and hand knead about 50 times. Place in a greased bowl, turn to coat the sides and top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow to proof until doubled in size, about 60-120 minutes.

: Adding the dry ingredients to the oatmeal mixture. Mix one minute with the dough hook.

: Adding the proofed yeast mixture and mix 30 seconds.

: Add butter and knead 5-7 minutes, Turn out only a floured work surface and knead 50 turns. Place dough in an oiled/greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Place in warm draft free place and allow to double 1 to 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, flatten then cut into 4 pieces.

: Doubled in size, turning out onto floured surface.

: Divide into 4 pieces.

Making a Rectangle Loaf of The Best Dark Rye Bread.

Flatten a piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick. Fold the top half towards the center and flatten. Next bring the bottom half towards the center and flatten. Next fold the right end towards the center and flatten. And finally fold the left end to meet the right end in the center and flatten. One rectangular loaf complete. You can continue making all rectangular loaves or make a round loaf.

: To shape a flat rectangular shape, flatten into a rectangle.

: Fold the top towards the center and flatten.

: Fold the bottom up to meet the top and flatten.

: Fold the left edge to the center and flatten down.

: Folds the right edge to the center and flatten. I am going to form the other three pieces into rounds.

Making a round loaf of The Best Dark Rye Bread.

Start with a piece of dough, fold over until it becomes a ball and roll in a cupped hand until a tight ball forms. You may need to use two hands to complete this, but the technique is similar.

: Roll each piece into a ball.

: To roll into a ball, keep folding over the dough towards the center until it comes to a crude ball.

: Cup the dough between your thumb and index finger. The dough should be resting in the vee shape crock.

: With you thumb pushing against the dough push the dough in a counter-clockwise motion.

: When you reach the top of the circle, cup the dough in your finger and complete the circle.

: Keep repeating this motion until the dough forms a ball.

Baking Sheet Preparation for The Best Dark Rye Bread

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and sprinkling it with flour.

: http://www.gretchensbakery.com/repare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper and lightly sprinkling with flour.

: Places bread loaves on baking sheet.

Slashing the loaves of The Best Dark Rye Bread

I am going to show 4 different way to slash the bread. We slash bread to control the expansion in a decorative way. Use a sharp knife (a serrated one works great for me) or a baker’s lame knife.

: Cross slash to a round loaf.

: 4 line slash to a round loaf.

: 4 diagonal slashed to the flat loaf.

: 3 lines and then a cross slash to a round.

Topping and Baking of The Best Dark Rye Bread

Make you egg wash by beating 1 tablespoon of water and 1 egg in a bowl. Brush the loaves with the egg wash mixture. Sprinkle with optional toppings – I am using a mixture of white and black sesame seeds. Lastly sprinkly with a little flour. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow to double in size in a warm draft free place, about 30 minutes t0 an hour. Meanwhile. preheat the oven to 350ºF/177ºC.

: Brush loaves with egg wash.

: Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

: Sprinkle with some flour.

The loaves before and after proofing.

: Loaves before rising.

: Loaves after rising. You can see what the slashing did.

Bake at 350ºF/177ºC for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Bake time can vary greatly do to loaf size. When done remove to cooling rack and allow to cool atleast 30 minutes before slicing. If you made small rolls, serve warm.

: Cooling once out of the oven.

: Close up of the two loaves with 4 slashes.

Best Dark Rye Bread Recipe

Best Dark Rye Bread

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Prep time

170 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

3 hours 10 mins

This is a non-seeded dark rye bread made into 4 smaller loaves. Sure you can make onlt 1 or 2 loaves or even rolls/hamburger buns out of it.

Author: Joseph

Recipe type: Rye Bread

Cuisine: Bread

Serves: 4 loaves

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal (200g also called white oats)
1-1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons warm water (10 mL)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (8g)
1 tablespoon of active dry yeast (8.5g)
1 cup medium rye flour (103g)
½ cup bread flour (60g)
½ cup all-purpose flour (60g)
½ cup whole wheat flour (56g) (or any dark strong taste flour)
1 tablespoon salt
½ stick butter, room temperature (4 tablespoons) (50g)

Egg Wash

1 large Egg (50g)
1 tablespoon Water (15mL)

Topping

black sesame seeds
white sesame seeds

Instructions

Dough

Measure out all ingredients.
Place the oatmeal in the stand mixer bowl, add the room temperature milk and allow to sit for 30 minutes so the oatmeal can absorb the milk. It will look like a paste in the end (thick oatmeal).
Meanwhile, combine the flours and salt in one bowl, stir to mix.
Start proofing the yeast about 10 minutes before the oats are ready by combining the water, yeast and sugar together. Stir and let sit, it should become foamy.
Add the dry ingredients to the oatmeal and mix with the dough hook for about one minute on low speed.
Add the yeast mixture, give a quick mix.
Add the butter and knead for 5-7 minutes.
Lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead by hand about 50 turns.
Oil/grease a bowl, place dough in and turn to coat, leave coated side up. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and set in a warm draft free place to double in size, about 1-2 hours.
Lightly flour your work surface, turn the risen dough out. Push down to deflate gently and cut into 4 pieces.
Form the pieces into loaves as shown in the video,
Prepare baking sheet by covering with parchment paper and lightly flouring.
Place the loaves on the floured parchment paper.
Slash the loaves as desired. The video show 4 different ways, the choice is yours.

Egg Wash

Prepare egg wash by mixing 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water then brush on loaves.

Toppings and Baking

Sprinkle with a mixture of white and black sesame seeds.
Cover and let rise until doubled in size 30-60 minutes,
Bake in a preheated 350ºF/177ºC over until golden brown and they sound hollow inside when tapped on the bottom. Baking times vary 20 minutes to an hour depending upon the size of the loaf/loaves.
transfer to cooling rack to cool.
Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.