Danish Sourdough Rye Bread (Rugbrød)

★ ★ ★
Course: Bread (savory)

Ingredients

Day 1 – Wet Leaven

Day 1 - Seeds & Grains

Day 2

Steps

Day 1: (1pm)

  1. Feed starter to activate it: 18g starter + 66g flour + 66g water

Day 1: (evening)

  1. Place the starter in a large bowl and add the cold water and flour. Stir with a spoon to form a nice loose mixture, cover with a loose lid or loose cling film.
  2. In a separate bowl place the seeds and chopped rye, pour over the boiling water, cover with loose lid or loose cling film. Leave both at room temperature for 10-12 hours. (Overnight).

Day 2: (morning & afternoon)

  1. Uncover the wet leaven. It should be nice and bubbly and have a pleasant, slightly fruity, alcoholic aroma.
  2. Now add all the remaining ingredients to the pre-ferment, including the soaked seeds (they will have absorbed all the water).
  3. With a large rubber spoon, bring the mixture together and continue mixing for a couple of minutes, until it’s fully combined.
  4. Leave for 10 minutes so the flour can fully absorb the water. The wet dough will become slightly firmer.
  5. Prepare loaf tin:
    1. Lightly oil your 1.5kg loaf tin with nut oil. (largest cast iron tin)
    2. Dust the base with rye flour.
  6. Spoon the loose dough in the tin. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with mixed seeds and then lightly sprinkle with rye flour through a sieve.
  7. Cover with the cast iron lid.
  8. Leave to rise. This can take 1½-3 hours (this largely depends on the temperature of your kitchen) when the surface of the bread starts to crack. It’s ready to bake.
  9. Add 250ml cold water to the bottom oven cavity and preheat the oven 30 minutes before baking to 230°C fan.
  10. Once up to temperature, put the loaf in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  11. After 20 minutes, turn it 180 degrees, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
  12. Check the temperature every 10 minutes after the initial timer is done. The loaf is done when the internal temperature is 96°C. If it's looking too browned, tent with foil (loosely). Total time: 53 minutes (foiling after 40)
  13. Remove from the oven and immediately tip it out of the tin and cool on a wire rack.
  14. Slice when the loaf is completely cold, it's important to let the crumb set. Best left until the next day.

Source: https://www.nordickitchenstories.co.uk/2020/10/28/danish-sourdough-rye-bread-recipe/

Nutrition Information

13 servings per recipe

Per recipe Per serving
Calories 3273kcal 252kcal
Fat 104g 8g
Carbohydrates 419g 32g
Sugar 51g 4g
of which free sugars 28g 2g
Fibre 120g 9g
Protein 105g 8g
Sodium 0g 0g

Note: Salt, Caraway Seeds are missing nutrition data. Totals may be incomplete.

Last generated: 2026-05-27 08:14:52 UTC