Danish Rye Bread (without Sour Dough)

If you are looking for a recipe for a super simple and almost fail-safe Danish Rye Bread – then you are landed on the right page. The special about this recipe is that it do not require a Sour Dough which is a very typical, and for some people a very important, ingredient. However, even though the traditional Danish Rye Bread is based on a Sour Dough I must say that this recipe I have posted below does a very job and is fully comparable with the traditional rye bread. I would even say that this bread could easily get the same amount of points in a blind-taste-test among Danish people.

Sour Dough or Fresh Yeast
The reason why the traditional rye bread is based on a Sour Dough is because it is a great leavening agent and because it gives the bread a sour and special taste. A Sour Dough is for some people an important part of the rye bread baking process. Even though a sour dough is quite easy to make, the only disadvantage is that it requires about 4-6 days preparing. I have made a complete guide how to make your own sour dough which you can find here on my blog – just use the search field on the front page.

One of the key features with a Sour Dough is, as mentioned above, the great leavening properties. However, it is quite easy to substitute the sour dough with normal yeast. In the recipe below, I have used fresh yeast, which makes it super easy to make a homemade Nordic rye bread. Of course, I also have the traditional rye bread recipe posted here on my blog. This bread requires a sour dough. Again, you can find the original rye bread recipe by using the search field on the front page.

I know that it can be difficult to get fresh yeast some places in the world. In this case, I am quite sure dry yeast can do the job as well. However, I have not tested this recipe with dry yeast yet. If you have any experience with dry yeast and rye bread I would love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Rye Bread from the Nordic Countries
I have done a lot of traveling around the world both private and with my job. I am a person who love to experience new cultures, meet new people especially the ones with a different background then myself. Very simple, I love spend time abroad, if it is business or pleasure, it does not matter. However, when I am traveling around the world there is always one little thing I am missing from back home and that is the Rye Bread. The white and light toast bread, which is the most common type of bread and eaten every day by thousands of people around world, is just not my preferred substitute when I am used to the healthy rye bread.

Rye Bread
Rye bread is a very common type of bread eaten in the Nordic countries like Denmark, Sweden and Norway but also some places in Germany. I am also quite sure this bread has found its way to other places in the world. Rye bread will, to the Nordic people, always be something very important and most a part of the daily diet. Once you have tried making your own rye bread I can also recommend to making some of my Rye Bread Chips, which are fantastic delicious as a morning snack or just before dinner.

Instructions
As I have mentioned several times, this rye bread is very easy to make. I normally always start by measuring out all the ingredients in small cups and bowls – this way the next steps are just super simple.

In a large bowl; add the lukewarm water and dissolve the fresh yeast. Then add all the grains, salt and yogurt and stir to mix. Finish the preparation of the dough by adding the different flours and knead everything into a nice and sticky rye bread dough. You can with advantage use a kitchen machine for this kneading step. After this kneading, set the dough aside and let it rise for about one hour.

Spray coat two bread pans with cooking oil or butter and pour half of the rye dough into each of them. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes somewhere warm. Before baking the bread, brush the top of the bread with water and sprinkle it with some sunflower seeds. Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Once you put the bread in the oven, lower the temperature to 160 C (320 F) and bake the bread for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Danish Rye Bread (Without Sour Dough)

2 bread
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Danish title: Rygbrød uden surdej
Cuisine: Danish
Category: bread

Ingredients:
50 g (2 oz) fresh yeast
6 dl (2 1/2 cups) water
125 g (4 1/2 oz) sunflower seeds
100 g (3 1/2 oz) flax seeds
400 g (14 oz) cracked rye kernels
200 g (7 oz) whole wheat flour
750 g (1 2/3 lb) rye flour
1 liter (4 1/5 cups) yogurt, natural
150 g (5 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
25 g (3/4 oz) salt
pumpkin seeds, for decoration

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl; dissolve the fresh yeast in the lukewarm water
2. Add the all different seeds, salt and yogurt. Stir to mix.
3. Add all the different types of flour and mix everything using a wooden spoon or a kitchen machine. The rye bread dough should be quite sticky.
4. Set the dough aside some place warm and let it rise for about 1 hour. It is a good idea to cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel.
5. Pour the dough into two bread pans. If the pans do not have a non-sticking coating, it is a good idea to spray the inside of the pans with some cooking oil.
6. Let the rye bread rise some place warm for another 30 minutes.
7. Brush the top of the bread with some water and sprinkle with sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
8. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Place the rye bread in the oven and turn the heat down to 160 C (320 F). Bake the bread for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the bread cool off on an oven grid or similar.