How To Make The Best Rye Bread
Rye bread is made out of a combination of rye flour and bread flour. Rye flour does not have the gluten to support the formation of a light airy bread. This is why you must add in some bread or all-purpose flour. Rye bread may also contain fennel seeds. This helps give rye bread it taste. The fennel seeds are not required so leave them out if you wish.
This is an easy version of rye bread. It does not use a separate poolish or preferment starter. Try it, you will love it.
Let’s make the Best Rye Bread
Start out by measuring all of your ingredients. This way we will not forget any. It also makes the recipe go quicker. Add the water, sugar, yeast and the optional dough conditioner to the mixer bowl. Mix it for 1 minute with the dough hook to help dissolve the yeast. Allow this to sit to ten minutes, it should become foamy and frothy. If it does not become foamy and frothy this is an indication that the yeast may be dead and you should start over using fresh yeast. Next add the flours all at once and knead on low speed about one minute until they are incorporated.
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- Ingredients measured out.
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- Adding water, sugar, yeast and optional dough conditioner to stand mixer. Mix until yeast is dissolved about 1 minute on low speed. Let sit ten minutes until all foamy.
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- And the flours all at once.
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- Knead on low speed for one minute.
Add the canola oil and butter. Mix for one minute. Add the eggs and mix on speed until incorporated. Add the optional fennel seeds if using and continue kneading on low speed until the dough starts to become soft and elastic about 5 to 7 minutes.
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- Add the canola oil and soft butter. Mix for 1 minute.
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- Add the egg and start kneading on low speed until the egg is incorporated.
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- Add optional fennel seeds and start kneading on low speed.
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- Continue kneading on low speed until the dough starts becoming elastic and soft. If necessary adjust water or flour content. This should take 5 to 7 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto the work surface and hand knead until the dough becomes soft and elastic. Do a window pane test by taking a small piece of dough and stretching it. The center should get thing and almost to the point it is see through. If it tears and breaks before it gets thin, continue kneading a minute or two and check again. Form the dough into a ball then place in a greased/oiled bowl, turning the top to coat with oil/grease and then turn it over oil side up. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and set aside in a warm draft free place to proof until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours. Notice how the proofed dough looks.
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- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Hand knead until the dough become soft and elastic.
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- One way to check if the dough is kneaded enough is to do a window pane test. Take a small piece of dough and try and stretch it out into the dough should become thin and almost see though, if it tears/breaks like this did, the dough needs more kneading.
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- Place the dough into an oiled/greased bowl, turn the top over to put an oiled side on top.
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- Cover with plastic wrap
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- Cover with a towel and place in a warm draft free place and allow to double in size. This should take between one to two hours.
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- These pictures show the dough before and after the proof. Notice how much the dough has risen in the after picture.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate, knead a few times and shape into a round. Place the round onto a parchment lined (or greased) baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Using a sharp knife (serrated works great), make two slashed toward you about 1/2 inch (1 cm) deep, This is for design and a controlled expansion opening. Sprinkle optional toppings on top (I am using poppy seeds here). Cover with an oiled plastic wrap and towel and allow to double in size about 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350ºF/177ºC. Once doubled, place in preheated oven and bake until done. It should be a golden brown and sound hollow if tapped on the bottom.
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- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
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- Gently press out the air
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- Hand knead and shape the dough into a round
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- Once you have a round, place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Alternately place on a greased baking sheet.
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- Brush with an egg wash mixture.
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- Using a sharp knife, give two slashed about 1/2 inch (1 cm) deep.
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- Sprinkle with optional toppings. I am using poppy seeds here. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow to double in size, about 30 minutes to one hour. Preheat the oven to 350ºF/177ºC while the dough is rising.
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- This is a picture of the dough as I placed it in the oven. The dough with rise more in the oven. This is called oven spring.
Remove from the oven. Immediately place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
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- Finished load of Best Rye Bread right out of the oven. If you tap on the bottom of the loaf, it should sound hollow.
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- Transfer the Best Rye Bread on a cooling rack immediately.
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- Best Rye Bread
- 1 cup Warm Water (110 degrees F / 43 degrees C)
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (7 grams or ¼ ounce or 1 package)
- 250 grams Bread Flour (2 cups or 8.8 ounces)
- 250 grams Whole Rye Flour (2-1/3 cups or 8.8 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 Large Egg (50 grams or 2 ounces)
- 50 grams butter, soft (4 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup Canola Oil
- 5 grams Bread Improved (Dough Conditioner)
- 10 grams fennel flower seeds (2 tablespoons) (or caraway seeds)
- 1 Large Egg (50 grams or 2 ounces)
- 1 Tablespoon water
- Poppy seeds
- Sesame Feeds
- Caraway Seeds
- Measure out all ingredients
- Place water, sugar, yeast and bread improver (if using) in stand mixer. Mix with dough hook on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes; Let yeast mixture sit to proof for 10 minutes, it should become foamy and bubbly.
- Add all the flour and salt to the mixing bowl; mix for 1 minute on low speed.
- Add canola oil, butter, egg and fennel seeds (if using); Mix on low to combine for 30 seconds.
- Let dough knead for 5-7 minutes on low speed.
- Remove from container, Check to see if dough needs more kneading by taking a few tablespoons of dough and stretching around the edges. If the dough tears and breaks easily it needs to knead more; if the dough stretches into a thin 'transparent' sheet (this is called the window pane test), the dough is kneaded enough.
- Spray or oil a bowl; place dough inside, turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Place in a warm draft free place for the dough to double in size, about an hour to one-and-one-half hours.
- Sprinkle work surface lightly with flour; remove dough from bowl and gently press out excess air. Knead for 15 times. Form into a tight round loaf.
- Place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or sprinkled with flour or corn meal or even a greased sheet). Brush dough with an egg wash mixture (made by mixing 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water). Using a sharp knife, score the top of the dough in 2 straight lines about ¼ to ⅜ inch deep (1 cm). Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if desired. Cover dough with plastic wrap lightly and a towel and allow to rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350ºF / 177ºC.
- Remove plastic wrap and bake in oven at 350ºF / 177ºC for about 40-45 minutes until dough is brown and sounds hollow inside when tapped on the bottom.
- Allow to cool before slicing.
Make The Best Rye Bread with me!
