Whether you are new to baking with rye or a seasoned pro, this sourdough rye bread recipe is a perfect one to have in your repertoire. It is a classic sourdough recipe that can be made in either a boule or batard shape, featuring a soft, chewy crumb and crunchy crust. The rye flour and molasses make this bread deeply flavorful and delicious. If you’re just starting with rye, this is a great place to start as the recipe is relatively uncomplicated- you may wish to click down to the “Tips & FAQ” section below.
Read on to get started making great rye bread!
Tools & Equipment for Sourdough Rye Bread
- Large mixing bowl OR stand mixer
- Dough whisk
- Kitchen scale
- Banneton
- Dutch oven OR supplies for open baking- see notes below for instructions!
Ingredients for Sourdough Rye Bread
- Active sourdough starter
- Rye flour: I like this Medium Rye Flour. Any rye flour you choose should work with this recipe. A dark rye flour will make for a stronger-flavored rye bread than a light rye flour.
- Bread flour: I like bread flour better than all purpose flour for this recipe, but if you only have all purpose, you should still have good results.
- Water
- Molasses: adds some complex flavor to your rye bread!
- Salt- kosher or sea salt
Tips & FAQs for Sourdough Rye Bread Recipe
Do I need a rye starter?
No. This recipe uses a levain, so you’ll use your own sourdough starter plus rye flour and water to build what is basically a one-time-use mini rye sourdough starter specifically for this loaf.
How Should I Shape My Loaf?
See these videos for demonstrations on shaping a boule or a batard. Bear in mind that this dough will probably be a little bit stickier than an all white flour loaf.
What Should I Serve with My Rye Bread?
I’m partial to serving this bread warm and generously buttered. It makes a great companion to Finnish (and other!) soups:
Can I Add Other Seasonings?
Yes- 2 Tbsp caraway seeds makes a great addition to this bread. Add the seeds after you’ve initially mixed the dough, when it is shaggy and freshly mixed.
Why Is This Bread Sticker Than White Sourdough Bread?
Rye flour contains some compounds that make it stickier and “thirstier” than white flours. It also has less gluten, which gives white breads their structure. A recipe that mixes rye and white flours, like this one, will contain some of the benefits of both flours: Some structure from the bread flour, but the complex flavor and nutrients of rye flour as well!
How To Make this Sourdough Rye Bread Recipe
I’ll use a sample baker’s schedule in these instructions- you can modify according to your needs! Make sure to feed your sourdough starter so that it will be bubbly and active when you are building your levain.
Build your levain (7 pm)
In a glass jar or a small mixing bowl, thoroughly mix 20g of active starter, 50g of rye flour and 50g water. I usually build levains with water roughly at room temperature, since it’s going to be sitting at room temperature for so long anyway.
Cover your levain and leave it on the counter for 12 hours.
Mix dough (7 am)
Check your levain for readiness- it should have risen in the container, and the bottom and sides should show a lot of little bubbles. The top of a rye starter may not appear bubbly but should have a cracked appearance. If these signs are not present leave the levain to ferment for 30 more minutes and check again.
Note on dough temperature/water: Sourdough likes to be a little warm. If your kitchen, like mine, is cool in the winter, you may want to use slightly warm water. Try using 85-90 degree water, especially if your kitchen is below 75 degrees or so, your bread will probably thank you for it.
Add remaining rye flour, bread flour, molasses, remaining water, salt and ripe levain to a large bowl. Use a dough whisk or wooden spoon to thoroughly mix the dough. It will be a somewhat sticky dough at this stage and will have a shaggy appearance. Cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave on the counter (ideally in a warm place) to rise.
Bulk fermentation (7:30-11:30 + am)
Because rye flour has less gluten than white flour, it doesn’t benefit as much from stretch and folds, the purpose of which is gluten development. However, since this recipe also contains bread flour, I usually do a couple of thorough sets of stretch and folds with wet hands, at about 30 minutes and 1 hour into bulk fermentation. After, cover your dough and let it sit for the remainder of bulk fermentation.
Bulk fermentation time will vary for this sourdough rye recipe, depending especially on the temperature of your kitchen. Since I’ve been testing this recipe mostly in colder months, I’ve needed to stretch bulk fermentation to as long as 5.5 hours. For those of you not baking in colder climates, closer to 4 hours may suffice. Remember to check your dough and not just the clock!
Shape (11:30 am)
When bulk fermentation is complete, the dough should have risen visibly in the bowl and have a smooth, domed appearance. You will likely see small bubbles scattered throughout, especially at the sides and bottom of the bowl (an advantage to using a clear glass mixing bowl).
Lightly flour a work surface and prepare a proofing basket.
Use a dough scraper to turn your dough out onto your work surface and shape into either a boule or a batard (my preference!). Use your bench scraper to gently transfer your loaf into your proofing basket and cover with plastic wrap or a plastic bag- or for a re-usable option, I like to use these shower caps.
Cold proof: overnight
Place your proofing basket in the fridge, overnight or for up to 36 hours.
The term “cold proof” can be a tiny bit misleading- though your loaf may continue to rise a little bit, you likely won’t see a major rise in your loaf. The fermentation process does continue in the fridge, however, so definitely do this step for best results.
Next day: Bake This Sourdough Rye Bread Recipe!
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
To bake in a dutch oven: Transfer your dough from your banneton onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the dough with your bread lame, then place it into your Dutch oven. Bake in the preheated oven with the lid on for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake for 27-32 more minutes.
To open bake: If you have an open baking surface such as a pizza stone, preheat the oven with the surface inside it. I also put a loaf pan in the bottom of the oven while it is preheating. Put the loaf on a piece of parchment paper and score it with your lame. Use a pizza peel to slide the parchment paper & loaf onto your baking surface, then dump a big cupful of ice cubes into the hot loaf pan to create steam (the Dutch oven lid does this for you). Bake for 20 minutes then remove the steaming pan and bake for 27-32 more minutes.
Let your loaf sit and cool for at least 2 hours before slicing into it.
Sourdough Rye Bread
Ingredients
- 20 g active bubbly sourdough starter
- 50 g + 200 g rye flour separated
- 50 g + 350 g water separated
- 250 g bread flour
- 25 g molasses
- 10 g kosher or sea salt
Instructions
- Build your levain: In a glass jar or a small mixing bowl, thoroughly mix 20g of active starter, 50g of rye flour and 50g water. I usually build levains with water roughly at room temperature, since it's going to be sitting at room temperature for so long anyway.
- Cover your levain and leave it on the counter for 12 hours.
- After 12 hours, check your levain for readiness- it should have risen in the container, and the bottom and sides should show a lot of little bubbles. The top of a rye starter may not appear bubbly but should have a cracked appearance. If these signs are not present leave the levain to ferment for 30 more minutes and check again.
- Add remaining rye flour, bread flour, molasses, remaining water, salt and ripe levain to a large bowl. Use a dough whisk or wooden spoon to thoroughly mix the dough. It will be a somewhat sticky dough at this stage and will have a shaggy appearance. Cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave on the counter (ideally in a warm place) to rise.
- Because rye flour has less gluten than white flour, it doesn't benefit as much from stretch and folds, the purpose of which is gluten development. However, since this recipe also contains bread flour, I usually do a couple of thorough sets of stretch and folds with wet hands, at about 30 minutes and 1 hour into bulk fermentation. After, cover your dough and let it sit for the remainder of bulk fermentation.
- Bulk fermentation time will vary for this sourdough rye recipe, depending especially on the temperature of your kitchen. Since I've been testing this recipe mostly in colder months, I've needed to stretch bulk fermentation to as long as 5.5 hours. For those of you not baking in colder climates, closer to 4 hours may suffice. Remember to check your dough and not just the clock!
- When bulk fermentation is complete, the dough should have risen visibly in the bowl and have a smooth, domed appearance. You will likely see small bubbles scattered throughout, especially at the sides and bottom of the bowl (an advantage to using a clear glass mixing bowl).
- Lightly flour a work surface and prepare a proofing basket.
- Use a dough scraper to turn your dough out onto your work surface and shape into either a boule or a batard (my preference!). Use your bench scraper to gently transfer your loaf into your proofing basket and cover with plastic wrap or a plastic bag.
- Place your proofing basket in the fridge, overnight or for up to 36 hours.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
- To bake in a Dutch oven: Transfer your dough from your banneton onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the dough with your bread lame, then place it into your Dutch oven. Bake in the preheated oven with the lid on for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake for 27-32 more minutes.
- To open bake: If you have an open baking surface such as a pizza stone, preheat the oven with the surface inside it. I also put a loaf pan in the bottom of the oven while it is preheating. Put the loaf on a piece of parchment paper and score it with your lame. Use a pizza peel to slide the parchment paper & loaf onto your baking surface, then dump a big cupful of ice cubes into the hot loaf pan to create steam (the Dutch oven lid does this for you). Bake for 20 minutes then remove the steaming pan and bake for 27-32 more minutes.
- Let your loaf sit and cool for at least 2 hours before slicing into it.
Pin for later:
What Should I Make Next?
- Finnish Rye Bread
- Potato Rye Bread
- Finnish Rye Flatbread with Sourdough Discard
- Sourdough Rye Pull-Apart Rolls
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments! If you share on Instagram, please tag me at @sisuhomemaker. And I always love to hear from you- send questions, comments, concerns, etc to carol@sisuhomemaker.com!
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