On the Eighth day of Breadmas my Baker gave to, Round Rye Bread! I’ve always loved rye bread. I think it’s the combo of the yeasty, breadiness with caraway. This recipe is based on the two best rye breads I’ve had; Traditional Swedish limpa bread, and a commercial, bagged rye bread that we bought when I was young. I love it for breakfast with avocado, and eggs, and for snacks with peanut butter.
Jump to Recipe
When I was young we used to buy this rye bread from the corner store. And I don’t think it was anything special, but it’s had a place in my heart ever since. It was the first “different” bread I’d ever eaten. I loved the way the caraway tasted with peanut butter. I could eat almost endless slices of it toasted with PB.
Searching for my childhood Rye Bread
Since then I’ve searched for other rye bread that I liked as much. There have, of course, been lots. But I’ve never found that bread again. The tough part is that we just called it Round Rye Bread, because of the long, round shape. But I don’t think that’s what it was really called. Most other commercial rye breads just didn’t have that caraway kick that I was craving. Eventually, I found some great rye bread loaves at bakeries.
The best one I found was called Limpa Bread. Which I learned was a traditional Swedish bread, that is mostly eaten around the holidays. It had loads of caraway, it was a touch sweet, and had a hint of orange. I loved it. So this recipe is based on that. I don’t think it could be considered traditional, because I just sort of played around with flavour and texture until I got something I loved. And I don’t know how far I may have drifted, but I know that it’s exactly what I wanted.
Beer & Molasses
The liquid in this recipe is lager beer. If you don’t want to use beer, I believe water would work fine, but you will lose the extra savoury flavour that it provides. So if you can, I would suggest using beer. It’s also sweetened with molasses. I use fancy molasses, but black strap would definitely add depth and richness if you wanted to really deepen the flavour.
Don’t forget to check out the first 7 days of Breadmas recipes, and follow me on Instagram (@dorkylittlehomestead) for more recipes over the next 4 days. Keep up the Baking!
Focaccia with Herbs de Provence
Round Rye Bread
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Kitchen Scale
- Bread Lame or Sharp Knife
Ingredients
Sponge
- 115 g Flour
- 95 g Rye Flour
- 2 g Dry Active Yeast
- 10 g Fancy Molasses
- 354 g Lager Beer
Final Dough
- 345 g Flour
- 2 Tbsp Milk Powder
- 3 g Dry Active Yeast
- 15 g Caraway Seeds
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 11 g Salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sponge ingredients. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Cover the sponge ingredients with the final dough ingredients and don't stir together. Cover the bowl with plastic and let sit for 4 hours. The sponge will be bubbling through the other ingredients after the 4 hours.
- Attach a dough hook. Mixer slowly for a few seconds to prevent flour flying everywhere. Then increase the speed to medium and knead for 10-15 minutes. The dough should be smooth, elastic and springy. Cover and let rise for 1.5-2 hours, until doubled.
- Scrape dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic and let rise again for 1 hour.
- Flatten the dough ball and fold into thirds. Rotate 90 degrees, and fold into thirds again. Roll the folded dough into a log shape, and press the seem to seal. Set the log, seem side down onto parchment paper dusted with flour or corn meal. Cover and let rise for about an hour. Pre heat your oven to 450F, with a Dutch oven inside it to also pre heat.
- Carefully transfer the risen log into the Dutch oven. Slash the top with a sharp knife or a bread lame. Put on the lid. Bake with the lid on for about 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 400F and bake for ~35 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes. The loaf is ready when it's a deep brown, and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Cool on a wire rack completely before slicing. Store in the fridge for 2 weeks on in the freezer for up to 2 months.
LizaLeigh
