Rugbrod

Rugbrød (Danish Rye Bread)

A dense, dark, faintly sour Danish rye built on a sourdough starter and cracked rye grains, traditionally baked in a deep tin and rested a full day before slicing. This is the everyday loaf behind smørrebrød.

Prep

30 min

Cook

90 min

Total

120 min

Serves

1 large loaf (about 1200 g / 42 oz)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •25 g (1 oz) active rye sourdough starter (100% hydration), feed 4–8 hours before mixing so it is bubbly and risen
• •300 ml (10 fl oz) warm water, about 30°C / 86°F
• •250 g (9 oz) whole-grain rye flour, or a mix of whole rye and dark pumpernickel-style rye
• •100 g (3½ oz) coarse cracked rye (rugkerner), see note below if unavailable
• •50 g (1¾ oz) sunflower seeds, plus extra for topping, optional
• •20 g (¾ oz) dark rye malt (rugmaltsmel), or 1 tbsp dark malt syrup plus 1 tbsp rye flour
• •10 g (2 tsp) fine salt, or 12 g flaky sea salt
• •10 g (2 tsp) dark syrup or molasses, Danish 'mørk sirup' if you can find it
• •1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice, optional, deepens sourness and colour

Steps

1. 1 Soak the cracked rye and sunflower seeds in 150 ml (5 fl oz) of the warm water for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge. This softens the grain so the crumb sets properly.
2. 2 In a large bowl, stir the sourdough starter into the remaining 150 ml (5 fl oz) warm water until dissolved.
3. 3 Add the rye flour, rye malt, dark syrup, salt and vinegar. Mix with a sturdy spoon or your hand until you have a thick, sticky, porridge-like batter - rye dough does not develop gluten like wheat, so it will never become smooth or elastic.
4. 4 Fold in the soaked cracked rye and sunflower seeds, including any unabsorbed soaking water. The mixture should be quite wet; if it looks stiff, add 2–4 tbsp more warm water.
5. 5 Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature (20–24°C / 68–75°F) for 8–12 hours, or overnight. The batter will rise slightly, look aerated and smell pleasantly sour.
6. 6 Heat the oven to 250°C (475°F). Grease a deep 1.5-litre (about 1.5-quart) loaf tin - traditional Danish tins are long and narrow, roughly 25 × 11 cm (10 × 4½ in) - and line the base with baking paper.
7. 7 Scrape the batter into the tin, level the top with wet hands, and scatter with extra sunflower seeds if you like. Cover loosely with oiled cling film or a damp cloth.
8. 8 Bake at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes to set the crust, then lower the oven to 175°C (350°F) and bake for 70–75 minutes more.
9. 9 Doneness cues: the loaf should sound hollow when you tap the base, the crust should be very dark and firm, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre should read at least 96°C (205°F). If the top is browning too fast, cover it loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes.
10. 10 Turn the loaf out of the tin immediately and cool it completely on a rack - at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Rye bread needs this resting time for the crumb to set; slicing it warm will make it gummy.
11. 11 Slice thinly with a serrated knife. Rugbrød keeps 5–7 days wrapped at room temperature and freezes well for up to 3 months.