Sourdough rye bread boasts deep and complex flavors from the rye, and from the fermentation of the sourdough starter. This will easily become one of your favorite sandwich breads.
During summer, there is nothing like a delicious sandwich topped with home grown lettuce and tomatoes, thinly sliced meat, and raw cheddar cheese.
Now, if you want to kick up the flavor of this American classic, then I highly suggest making your own homemade, sourdough, rye bread.
When I saw rye berries at my favorite online grocery co-op, I knew that this would be such a fun recipe to develop.
Rye has such a distinct flavor, and with the combination of sourdough, it turns into something extraordinary.
Obviously, we love sourdough around here. From desserts (hello, sourdough brownies) to breakfast and to my favorite artisan style bread, we love sourdough.
This will be added to our regular repertoire.
Why will you love this sourdough rye bread?
Delicious – Rye flour has such a delicious and distinct flavor that just doesn’t happen with regular wheat. And when you go and ferment it with sourdough starter, it’s just heavenly.
Chewy – This recipe has such a wonderful crumb and chewiness to it. It’s incredible as a side, slathered in rich butter, or you can dress it up as a sandwich for your main course.
Simple – This is basically a no-fail recipe. Mix, ferment, shape, bake. Pretty much as simple as it gets.
Tips
- This makes a very dense loaf. If you want something lighter, use half all-purpose wheat flour, and half rye flour. I used freshly-milled rye berries. You could also use store-bought rye flour.
- Make sure you have an active sourdough starter- one that is nice and bubbly. If you take a spoonful of it and place into a glass of water, it should float.
- Rye flour has less gluten than regular wheat flour, so it won’t get very stretchy compared to wheat bread, and it requires less kneading.
- If you are new to sourdough, make sure to check out my guide on how to create a sourdough starter from scratch.
Is sourdough rye bread good for you?
Yes. Rye flour has a better nutrition profile compared to wheat, and it contains more soluble fiber. Thanks to fermentation, the active yeasts and bacterias available in the sourdough help break down the anti-nutrients, making it even more nutritionally dense and the nutrients more readily available.
Plus, for those who have trouble digesting gluten, rye naturally contains less gluten than wheat, and the fermentation breaks down the gluten even further.
Is rye bread a sourdough bread?
Typically, it is a sourdough bread. This is because rye flour doesn’t usually contain enough gluten to rise well with commercial yeast.
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Tools you may need:
Loaf pan
Large glass bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
How To Make Rye Sourdough Bread:
About 4-12 hours before mixing the dough together, feed your sourdough starter. I usually like to do this right before I go to bed.
Freshly grind rye berries. Skip this step if you are using rye flour.
Place rye flour, active sourdough starter, and water in stand mixer bowl. Mix until it just comes together. If you want a lighter, fluffier loaf, use half all-purpose flour and half rye flour.
Allow it to set for 15-30 minutes. This helps get the gluten ready for development.
Add salt and knead for 5-10 minutes using a dough hook.
Place in a large, greased bowl and cover with beeswax wraps or plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 8-12 hours.
Punch down, shape, and add to a greased or parchment lined loaf pan for 2-4 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crust starts to turn a golden brown.
Allow to cool, then slice.
Find More Sourdough Recipes
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Sourdough Oven-Fried Chicken
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Sourdough Chocolate Rolls
- Sourdough Crackers
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars!
Sourdough Rye Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup active sourdough starter
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups freshly milled rye berries
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
Instructions
About 4-12 hours before mixing the dough together, feed your sourdough starter.
Place rye flour, active sourdough starter, and water in stand mixer bowl. Mix until it just comes together.
Allow it to set for 15-30 minutes.
Add salt and knead for 5-10 minutes using a dough hook.
Place in a large, greased bowl and cover with beeswax wraps or plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 8-12 hours.
Punch down, shape, and add to a grease or parchment lined loaf pan for 2-4 hours or until it has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crust starts to turn a golden brown.
Allow to cool and slice.
Notes
Using straight rye flour can leave you with a denser loaf. For a lighter loaf, use half rye flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 91Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 416mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
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holly says
hi Lisa, thank you for sharing! Does the recipe call for 4 cups of rye berry flour or 4 cups of rye berries (made into flour)? Thanks!
Lisa says
4 cups of Rye Berry Flour!
Karsen Gradidge says
Excited to see this recipe! I tried it today and it needed twice as long as stated and still wasnt cooked through. I cooked at 375 as stated which I did think seemed low. Did I do something wrong? Flavor and rise was great!