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Sliced Danish rye bread (rugbrød) with a dense, dark crumb studded with whole rye berries

Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)

A dense, deeply flavored Danish rye bread — naturally leavened with rye sourdough, studded with whole rye berries and baked in a tin.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Proofing 6 hours
Total Time 7 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 1 loaf
Course: Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: Danish, Nordic, Scandinavian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g whole rye berries (~½ cup) | soak overnight, then bring to a boil; if still hard, simmer 5–10 minutes, then drain
  • 400 g sifted rye flour (~3⅓ cups) | svedjerug (Nordic heritage rye) if you can find it, or any good rye flour
  • 4 dl water (~1½ cups) | dough should be wet and scoopable
  • 200 g active rye sourdough starter (~scant 1 cup) | fed with rye flour
  • 20 g malt flour or liquid malt extract (~2 tbsp) | for color and deep, malty flavor
  • 15 g fine salt (~1 tbsp)

Equipment

  • Digital kitchen scale | Rye is a bread you bake by weight — cup measures are too rough for a wet rye dough.
  • Stand mixer | Mixes the wet, sticky rye dough on low in a minute or two.
  • Danish dough whisk | If you'd rather mix by hand, this handles a wet rye dough better than a spoon — cheap and endlessly useful.
  • Pullman loaf pan | Gives rugbrød its classic dense, square shape and an even bake; a lidded Pullman pan is ideal.
  • Bench scraper | For scraping the sticky dough cleanly into the pan.

Method
 

  1. The night before, cover the rye berries with cold water and soak overnight. In the morning, bring them to a boil — if they're still hard after that, let them simmer for 5–10 minutes until tender. Drain and cool before mixing.
  2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the rye flour, water, sourdough starter, malt, salt and drained rye berries. Mix on low for a minute or two until evenly combined — this is a wet, sticky dough, closer to a thick batter than a kneadable one. That's exactly right for rye. (No mixer? A Danish dough whisk does the job by hand.)
  3. Scrape the dough into a greased or lined loaf pan (a Pullman pan is ideal). Wet the back of a spoon or your hand and smooth the top. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.
  4. Proof at room temperature for 4–8 hours, until roughly doubled and the surface looks domed and dotted with small holes. For a tangier crumb, proof in the fridge overnight instead.
  5. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 1 hour 20 minutes. It's done when the internal temperature reaches about 98°C (208°F) and the loaf sounds hollow.
  6. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely — then wait before slicing (see notes).

Notes

Chef's tip — don't slice it warm. Rye needs time for its starch to set. Cool the loaf fully, wrap it, and rest it at least 12–24 hours before cutting. Sliced too early, rye turns gummy; rested, it slices thin and clean, and the flavor deepens over 2–3 days. Bake by weight for consistent results, rye dough is unforgiving of guesswork. Hydration: rye is thirsty. The dough should be wet and scoopable, not stiff. If it feels stiff, add a splash more water.