Sourdough Rye Bread

Sourdough Rye Bread is perfectly soft and chewy, with a deep golden crust and wonderfully complex flavors! It’s a great homemade bread for sandwiches, toast, or just snacking on. I’ve included all the tips and tricks you need to be successful in making your own at home. 

I have fallen head over heels for sourdough bread in all it’s wonderful shapes, sizes, and forms. Something about the slightly sour flavor gives classic recipes a refreshing and exciting twist. I have used my Sourdough Starter to make Sourdough Focaccia for Italian nights, Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread for healthier lunches, and even Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls for Sunday mornings. 

Today I’m sharing my recipe for Sourdough Rye Bread. This bread has extra depths of flavor thanks to the rye flour, plus it gets the most incredible brown crust. The sourdough and rye are perfect complements to each other, making for an addictive homemade bread!

What is sourdough? 

Sourdough is basically an ancient way of making bread. Sourdough doesn’t rely on commercial yeast (aka those little packets you have bought at the store), but on wild yeast. Wild yeast is everywhere around us and even on us!

By simply combining flour and water, you create a live fermented culture from the wild yeast found on the grains of the wheat that the flour is made from. The more it is “fed”, meaning fresh flour and water, allows the wild yeast to multiply.

Because sourdough relies on wild yeast, the process can take much longer than commercial yeast bread recipes. But the complex flavor and texture is far superior of any other bread you will ever eat. 

For more Sourdough 101: What Is Sourdough?<– click here.

Rye flour 101 

Rye is similar to wheat, in that it has three layers – endosperm, germ, and bran. Rye flour can come in varying degrees of color – from light, medium to dark – based on how much of the rye kernel used.

This bread adds onto the flavors and texture of sourdough by adding rye flour. Rye flour is a grain that has less gluten than typical flour, which means that breads with 100% rye flour are usually tough and don’t rise well. But when you mix rye flour with bread flour, you get the wonderful flavor of rye with the soft, moist inside of traditional bread.

Is sourdough rye bread better for you? 

Yes. 1000% yes. Sure at first glance, the nutrition label might look the same to conventional bread. But the long fermentation process is what has sourdough sailing past the conventional bread loaves by a mile for its health benefits. Plus it’s made with just a few simple ingredients compared to store-bought bread that has added chemicals and preservatives. 

Whole grains, in general, that bread is made with can contain lots of great minerals. But the body can have a hard time absorbing those minerals due to phytic acid that is present in grains. But the lactic acid created from the fermentation process helps to break down the phytic acid allow your body to be able to absorb more of those minerals than you would be able to with bread made from commercial yeast. 

Also, sourdough bread can be much more easily digested and enjoyed, especially those with a gluten sensitivity. The long fermentation process helps to already start the process of breaking down the gluten in the bread making it much easier to digest.

This bread also has the added benefits of rye flour, which is full of extra nutrients, vitamins, and soluble fiber. It is harder to refine than wheat, so it keeps many of the nutrients that wheat flour does not. So more vitamins, minerals, and it’s easier to digest. Basically, sourdough rye bread is awesome.

Make your sourdough starter…

If you haven’t gotten around yet to making your sourdough starter then let’s get going! What are you waiting for?  It will take about 5 days to make your starter before you can attempt this bread. But it will be worth it.  Here is the full guide on How To Make Sourdough Starter From Scratch.

Once you have your starter raring to go then you will need to feed and mantain your starter.

Want to jump in to sourdough but don’t want to make your own starter? Totally fine! Just buy a sourdough starter and it will be ready to use in a couple days.

Ingredients Needed

• Sourdough Starter – Make sure you start with an active, bubbly sourdough starter. I have two ways to tell when your starter is active below.
• Water – Make sure you use warm water. If you use cooler water it will take longer to rise. 
• Honey – I like to use raw honey, this helps to feed the yeast in your starter so it can rise.
• Rye flour – I used a light rye flour, so it’s a great way to ease into baking with whole grains if you’re new to it but you can use any type of rye flour here, it will just affect the color of the bread and somewhat of the texture.
• Bread flour – Bread flour has a higher protein content than regular AP flour, which can help to develop the necessary gluten that gives the bread structure. The whole grains in the rye flour can inhibit gluten production so using bread flour with it helps to give the dough structure so it can rise properly.
• Kosher Salt – Salt is important not just for flavor but also inhibiting the yeast production. Without salt, your yeast can cause your bread to become overproofed. Kosher salt has larger granules than regular table salt, so if you use table salt use less. I like kosher salt because it has no additives and a purer taste and the granules are easily mixed in.
• Caraway seeds – These are optional but to me rye bread needs to that have that caraway taste!

Start With An Active Starter

In order to get a tall lofty loaf with a nice crumb, you need to make sure your starter is nice and bubbly. Now if you’re like me you like to keep in the fridge all week and bake on the weekends. But using a starter straight from the fridge isn’t active enough to produce a nice, big loaf in the end. So its important to get it active again and give it a few feedings before you use it. 

So how do you know when your starter is ready to use for your dough? Well I have two ways for you tell. 

The Rubberband Trick

I like to put a rubberband around where the starter begins, and then I can easily tell when the the starter is doubled.

The Float Test

I also like to give my starter the float test. This just means to take a small amount and place it gently into a small dish of water and see if it floats. If it doesn’t, then you may need to give your starter more time and more feedings. If it does, then it’s good to go. But I like to use the rubberband trick first and this is more reliable. But the float test is a nice backup!

Make the dough

Ok now that your starter is ready time to make that dough! You want to first stir together your active starter and water. Then stir in the flour and salt. Use your hands to squish everything together until all the flour is absorbed. Then cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 

Add the caraway seeds

After the 30 minute rest, add the caraway seeds and work in the seeds with your fingers. Then work into a smooth ball.

Bulk Fermentation

Now it’s time for the rise! Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours, preferably overnight. The dough should double in size and no longer look dense. If you want a little more structure and height, stretch and fold the dough 30 minutes into the rise. Begin by pulling up on the edge of the dough as high as you can stretch it without tearing and fold it in the middle of the dough. Continue doing this around the outside of the dough until you have completed one complete circle. Repeat this technique 2 to 3 times, spaced about 45 minutes apart.

Shaping The Dough

After the dough has doubled in size, it’s time to shape the loaf. Start by scraping the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to shape the dough into a round. Do this by starting at the top and folding the dough toward the center. Turn the dough slightly and fold over the next section of dough. Repeat this until you have come full circle and you have a nice round of dough. 

Flip the dough over and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile line an 8-inch bowl with a towel and dust with flour. With floured hands, gently cup the dough and pull it toward you in a circular motion to tighten its shape. Using a bench scraper, place the dough into the bowl, seam side up.

Second rise

Now it’s time for the second rise. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes to 45 minutes.. The dough is ready when it looks puffy, and has risen slightly but has not yet doubled in size. Nearing the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 400oF.

Score and bake

Once the dough has risen, place a sheet of parchment over the dough and flip the bowl to release the dough. Sprinkle the dough with flour and gently rub the surface with your hands. Using a bread lame, or the tip of sharp knife score the dough. I keep it simple and do 4 cuts, but you can get creative! Then use the parchment paper transfer the dough to your dutch oven.

Bake the dough on the center rack for 20 minutes, covered. Then remove the lid and continue baking for 20-30 minutes. At this point the bread should be done. However, if you want extra crispy crust, remove the bread from the oven, remove the loaf from the pot, and bake the bread on the oven rack for an extra 10 minutes. (My crust is always dark at this point, so I skip this step).

Last, transfer the bread to a wire rack and cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure your starter is active before you start. Drop a small piece in a bowl of water to see if it floats. It it does, then it’s ready! If not, then it may need 1-2 more feedings. 
• Measure your flour using a kitchen scale . You can use measuring cups but for best accuracy it’s better use a kitchen scale and weigh out your flour. This ensures you don’t overmeasure, which can result in dense rolls. You can read my post on How To Measure Flour here.
• Use a large mixing bowl! This dough will expand quite a bit. So the bigger the better.
• Use a damp towel. You don’t want the dough to dry out on top creating a film that will prevent the dough from rising. 
• Use the stretch and fold technique. Since this bread uses rye flour, it doesn’t rise as high as other breads without a little extra help. For extra height and structure in the bread, use the stretch and fold technique described in the instructions. 

Why didn’t my dough rise? 

1. Starter wasn’t ready: This could be because your sourdough starter wasn’t quite bubbly and active enough. Be sure to do the “float test” before you begin.
2. Cold kitchen: Another culprit could be a cold kitchen! If your kitchen is cold the bread will take longer to rise. Ideally, your kitchen should be around 70°F.
3. Overproofed: If you overproof during the second rise, then there will be nothing left for the bread to do, and you will get no rise. So make sure to not let the dough rise for more than 30-45 minutes during the second rise. 

Recipe FAQ’s

More sourdough recipes

• Rosemary Rye Sourdough Focaccia
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Sourdough Chocolate Cake