Dark Rye Bread Recipes

EASY LITHUANIAN DARK RYE BREAD (RUGINE DUONA)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Add milk to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook until milk begins to steam and bubbles form around edges, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Check with a thermometer often; milk should reach a scalding temperature of 180 F.
• Remove from heat and cool scalded milk to 110 F. (This is done to denature proteins in the milk that can inhibit gluten formation and keep dough from rising.)
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, add butter, sugar, and salt. Pour over scalded milk and stir until cool.
• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add yeast mixture and 3 cups of rye flour to milk mixture. Beat thoroughly, then beat in remaining rye flour and caraway seeds , if using.
• Cover and put dough in a warm place (70 to 75 F) and let dough rise until doubled. This can take quite a long time because you are using only rye flour; plan for a few hours and know that it can take as long as 12 hours.
• Add whole-wheat flour and knead until smooth. It helps to wet your hands as this is a dense and sticky dough. It won't develop the springy consistency you get with wheat doughs, so don't keep adding flour hoping to achieve that texture.
• Preheat oven to 450 F. Line 2 bread pans with parchment paper.
• Divide dough in half and shape into 2 round or oblong loaves and place into pans. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled (1 to 4 hours). Brush tops of loaves with beaten egg white.
• Bake both loaves for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake an additional 35 to 45 minutes longer or until an instant-read thermometer registers 190 F when placed into center of loaves.
• Turn loaves out of pans onto a wire rack to cool completely.

GERMAN DARK RYE BREAD

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, cocoa, yeast, and caraway seed.
• Heat and stir molasses, butter, sugar, 2 cups water and 2 Tablespoons oil until warm (about 110°-115°F).
• Add to dry mixture.
• Beat at low speed on electric mixer 1/2 minutes, scraping bowl.
• Beat 3 minutes at high speed.
• Then by hand, stir in enough rye flour to make a soft dough.
• Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead till smooth (about 5 minutes).
• **Cover, and let rest 20 minutes.
• Punch down dough.
• Divide in half.
• Shape into 2 round or oval loaves on greased baking sheets.
• Brush with small amount of cooking oil.
• Slash tops with knife.
• Cover; let rise until double (45-60 minutes).
• Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
• Remove from baking sheets, place on racks to cool.
• **Note:If using this recipe to make a light/dark"marbled" rye loaf, knead both the light and dark doughs separately for about 3 minutes or so, then combine the light and dark doughs and knead them together for another minute or so (to produce the marbled effect).
• Proceed with the recipe as stated.

DARK RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Add the lukewarm water and yeast to the bowl of your mixer, stir and let it dissolve for 5 to 10 minutes.
• To the yeast mixture, add the molasses, cocoa powder, salt, caraway seeds, vegetable oil, rye flour, and about 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add in remaining flour and keep mixing until it forms a firm dough (about 5 minutes), the dough should come clean from the side of the bowl.
• Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl, spray the dough as well with cooking spray, cover with a clean damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest until it doubles in size in a warm, draft free environment.
• Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Sprinkle the cornmeal over the parchment paper. Punch down the dough and stretch it from the center to form a ball. Place the ball onto the prepared parchment paper. Let it rise for another 30 to 40 minutes until doubled in size. Once doubled, sprinkle a bit of flour over the top of the dough and cut a few slashes with a sharp knife.
• Preheat the oven to 425 F°. Place a shallow pan (not glass) on the lower rack in the oven. Transfer the bread with the parchment paper on a baking sheet or into a Dutch oven and place in the oven. Pour 1 cup of water in the shallow pan on the lower rack.
• Bake for 30 minutes until crusty and golden brown

DARK RYE (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Add ingredients to your bread machine as directed. Mine specifies liquids first, yeast last. Set to standard (white) bread and Go. Enjoy!