Bursting with rye, whole grains and a variety of tasty seeds, Danish Rye Bread (rugbrød) is one of the most delicious and nutritious breads out there.
In the world of Nordic cuisine, this dense rye bread is an absolute essential. It serves as the base for smørrebrød (the FAMOUS Nordic open face sandwiches), and is an integral part of the Scandinavian diet, not just in Denmark but throughout the region.
Rugbrød can be difficult to find here in the United States. Unless you live near a good Scandinavian bakery, it's likely that the only rye bread available is something more like pumpernickel or a deli rye. If you want an authentic Danish rye bread, you are probably going to have to make it yourself. Fortunately, this recipe for rugbrød is simple, foolproof and made with easy-to-find ingredients. Ready to get started?
Why This Recipe Works
There are plenty of recipes for rugbrød out there that simply don't work. BELIEVE ME....I've tried several. This recipe succeeds every time because:
- It uses an overnight method which relies on a minimal amount of yeast and no sourdough starter;
- a mixture of bread and rye flour helps create a sturdy gluten structure which holds the bread aloft and keeps it from sinking in on itself (a common problem with rye breads); AND
- the method of baking relies on a few different oven temperatures during the course of the baking time. This helps prevent a gummy texture in the final loaf.
The Ingredients
For the Soaker:
- 7 grain cereal provides the hearty backdrop of the bread. Traditional rugbrød recipes call for rye chops which are just coarsely chopped pieces of rye grains. Because rye chops can be hard to find in the U.S., this recipe calls for a 7 grain cereal mix instead (feel free to use rye chops if you have access to them! They work just as well here). 7 grain cereal mix is simply a combination of several different coarsely chopped grains including wheat, rye, triticale, oats, oat bran, barley and/or brown rice. I often use the Bob's Red Mill brand, but have also had good luck with this mix from Nuts.com.
- Sunflower seeds, Pumpkin seeds and flax seed bring texture, flavor and nutrients to this hearty, substantial loaf.
For the Dough:
- A combination of bread flour and rye flour is key to providing the gluten structure this bread needs to keep its shape.
- Instant yeast serves as the leavener. Please note that instant or rapid rise yeast and active dry yeast are two different things. The essential difference between the two is that instant yeast can be mixed right in with the dry ingredients whereas active dry yeast is designed to be proofed in warm liquid prior to adding it to the recipe. Instant yeast is also more reliable, effective and fast-acting.
- Molasses not only sweetens and flavors the dough, it also helps deepen the dark brown color of the final loaf.
The Equipment
You will need:
How To Make This Recipe
The Night Before
- 8-12 hours before you plan to make the bread, begin mixing the dough: Combine the rye flour, bread flour, instant yeast and cold water together in a large bowl (I just use the bowl that goes with my stand mixer since that is where it will eventually go....one less bowl to wash). HOLD BACK ON THE MOLASSES AND SALT FOR NOW. Stir to combine as best you can (mixture will be thick), and then knead briefly with your hands until you have a cohesive mixture. The dough will be very thick and clay-like in texture. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.
- At the same time, mix the soaker together: Combine all the ingredients for the soaker together in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.
The Morning of Baking
- 8-12 hours later, finish mixing the dough: Grease a 13 x 4 inch pullman loaf pan with butter and dust with rye flour, including the lid. Set aside. Combine the dough, molasses, salt and the soaker (THERE IS NO NEED TO DRAIN THE SOAKER.....go ahead and put in the water and the soaked seeds) in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally. Increase the speed to medium and continue to mix for another 2-3 minutes. The dough will be VERY STICKY at this point.
- Scrape or spoon the dough into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Damp fingers or a moistened spatula can help with this if you are having a hard time getting the top smooth.
- Dust the top of the loaf with a thin, even layer of rye flour and place the pullman lid cover on top of the pan. Let the dough rise for 1½ -3 hours at room temperature or until it is about ½ inch from the top of the pan. The time that it takes for your dough to rise will largely depend on the temperature of the dough and your kitchen.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bake the loaf with the lid on for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake, covered, for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and carefully slide the lid off. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake, uncovered, for an additional 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately turn the loaf out onto a metal cooling rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Return the bread to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely before slicing, at least 3 hours or overnight if you can wait! Rye bread is even better a day after baking.
Expert Tips
- Wait a day before enjoying your bread! Unlike wheat breads which are best eaten shortly after cooling, both the texture and flavor of rye bread improves after a rest of 12-24 hours. Once the bread has cooled completely, wrap it loosely in foil and cut into it the following day.
FAQs
Rugbrød simply means "rye bread" in Danish. It is a sturdy, dense loaf that is comprised of rye flour, chopped rye grains and is often studded with sunflower, pumpkin and/or flax seeds. It is almost always baked in a 13 x 4 inch pullman pan with a lid. This helps the rye bread bake properly and gives it its characteristic square shape.
Check out this link to hear how "rugbrød" is pronounced by native speakers, both male and female. It might take a little practice if you don't speak Danish!
Rye breads, particularly those baked here in America, often have a variety of ingredients added to them to enhance their color (making them darker in appearance) and flavor. Common additions include caramel coloring (no thank you), stout beer, cocoa powder, espresso powder and molasses. Rugbrød, in contrast, has very little additional flavoring, perhaps just a little molasses for sweetening. It is meant to be a very straightforward bread so that it can serve as a neutral base for a variety of different sandwich toppings.
Sometimes I will come across a rugbrød recipe that calls for flavor enhancers such as caraway, fennel or anise seed in the dough, but this seems to be more of an exception than the rule. Again, simple is the name of the game here.
When it is served, Rugbrød is typically sliced thin (a little less than a quarter of an inch) and buttered liberally with salted butter. There is actually a word in Danish, tandsmør, which means "tooth butter". It refers to buttering your bread generously enough so that when you bite into it you can see your teeth marks in it. You butter lovers know what I'm talking about. It may be enjoyed as is, simply slathered with butter, or it can be piled with additional ingredients to form the base of smørrebrød, the famous Danish open sandwich.
It can be stored loosely wrapped in foil at room temperature for about 5 days.
Yes! Rugbrød freezes very well. Tightly wrap the bread (either a whole or partial loaf or slices) in plastic wrap and then either tightly wrap it in foil or place it inside of a freezer bag. It will keep for a couple of months.
I have had many readers tell me they have split the dough into two 9 x 5 loaf pans instead of using the pullman pan with excellent results. Use a heavy baking sheet as a "lid" for the covered portion of the baking and keep the baking times and temperatures the same.
If you have a smaller mixer, it may be difficult to get all of the dough in the bowl at one time. If that is the case, simply mix half of the overnight dough, molasses, salt and the soaker and then mix the second half. Combine all of the dough together in the loaf pan for baking.
Related Recipes
If you keep a sourdough starter around, you might want to consider trying my recipe for Sourdough Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød) which is also really delicious!
Once you have baked your own rugbrød, you are going to want to try making smørrebrød (Nordic open sandwiches) at home. If you need some inspiration, I have several recipes on the blog to get you started. Click the link below for dozens of delicious open sandwich ideas!
There you have it! GO FORTH and make rugbrød at home with confidence and ease. Don't be surprised if it becomes part of your regular baking rotation!
Easy Overnight Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)
Ingredients
For the Soaker:
- 2 ½ cups (375 grams) 7 grain hot cereal mix such as Bob’s Red Mill brand or rye chops see note below
- 1 cup (142 grams) sunflower seeds
- 1 cup (152 grams) pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup (71 grams) flax seeds
- 2 ⅔ cups (613 grams) cold water
For the Dough:
- 2 cups (248 grams) dark rye flour I use the Bob’s Red Mill brand, plus more for dusting the pan and loaf
- 2 cups (295 grams) bread flour
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) instant dried yeast
- 1 ½ cups (353 grams) cold water
- 4 teaspoons (23 grams) salt
- ¼ cup (80 grams) molasses
- Butter for greasing the pan
Special Equipment Needed:
- Stand mixer
- 13 x 4 inch pullman loaf pan with lid
Instructions
- For the Soaker: Combine all the ingredients for the soaker in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight, approximately 8-12 hours.
- For the Dough: Combine both flours, yeast and water in a separate bowl. Stir to combine as best you can (mixture will be thick), and then knead briefly with your hands until you have a cohesive mixture. Dough will be very thick and clay-like in texture. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight, about 8-12 hours.
- Grease a 13 x 4 inch pullman loaf pan with butter and dust with rye flour, including the lid. Set aside. Combine the soaker, flour mixture, salt and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit mixer with paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes until everything is thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Increase speed to medium and mix for an additional 2-3 minutes, stopping to occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mixture will be quite sticky.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Smooth out the top and sift a thin layer of rye flour over the surface of the dough. Place lid on pan and let the dough rise for 1½ -3 hours at room temperature or until it is about ½ inch from the top of the pan. The time that it takes for your dough to rise will largely depend on the temperature of the dough and your kitchen.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bake the loaf with the lid on for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake, covered, for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and carefully slide the lid off. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake, uncovered, for an additional 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately turn the loaf out onto a metal cooling rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Return the bread to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely before slicing, at least 3 hours. Rye bread is even better a day after baking. If you can wait until the following day, let the completely cooled bread sit at room temperature loosely wrapped in foil overnight before slicing. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3-5 days loosely wrapped in foil. Freeze for longer storage.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your Easy Overnight Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød) and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #truenorthkitchen and tagging me @true_north_kitchen.
Bente Goyer
Hello. Have been trying so many recipes and this one is the best. I just love how moist the bread was. Thank you so much. It is now my go to recipe.
Kristi
Thank you for your feedback! I'm so glad it worked out well for you. It's definitely my go-to recipe, too!
Judy
I was looking for that brown bread found everywhere in Scandinavia at breakfast and the base for open-face sandwiches. This is it! The loaf needs to sit for a couple of days, and it tastes exactly right. So happy to have a fun recipe to keep my pantry stocked with this bread. Thank you.
Kristi
Thanks for the feedback, Judy! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
George Sevelle
Have you tried this recipe using a Rye Sourdough Starter. If so what amount did you use and how much water did you remove from the yeast based recipe.
Kristi
Hi George,
I have not tried this particular recipe with a sourdough starter. I do have another recipe for sourdough rugbrød that is very good. I'm happy to share it with you if you are interested (it's not on the blog yet).
Thanks,
Kristi
George Sevelle
Yes I'd like to try the recipe using a sourdough starter instead of comercial yeast.
Thank you for sharing.
Kristi
George,
I just sent the recipe to your e-mail address. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks,
Kristi
Leanne
Kristi,
I, too, would love the sourdough rugbrod recipe! Thank you!
Leanne
Kristi
Hi Leanne!
Thanks for your request! Here is the link to the sourdough rugbrød recipe. Happy baking!
Kristi
Holly
Hi there, this looks like a great recipe for rugbrød. I am also wondering if you have a similar recipe that uses a rye sourdough starter instead of yeast? And also is manual mixing okay as I don’t have a stand mixer? Thanks in advance.
Kristi
Hi Holly! I do have a rugbrød sourdough recipe that is really good. I can e-mail it to you if you are interested. You certainly can mix the dough manually, it is just really sticky and difficult to work with. But I would definitely give it a try!
Stephen
I would love your sourdough rugbrød recipe as well. My mom has fond memories of the time she spent in Denmark after college.
Kristi
Hi Stephen!
Here is the link to the sourdough version. Hope you enjoy it! https://true-north-kitchen.com/sourdough-danish-rye-bread-rugbrod/
Kristi
Ann
Hey Kristi, Can you share I have your sourdough recipe with me? I am trying to figure out the best way to create some good Rugbrod in the bread machine.....lots of fails but I am getting closer! If you have any ideas please share! Thank you!
Kristi
Hi Ann! I would be happy to! If you want to e-mail me directly at [email protected] I'll send it over.
Kristi
cheryl graber
hi Kristi - i would love to try this recipe but at this time am unable to purchase the pan with lid that you recommend. can I use a traditional loaf pan or something else??
thanks!
Kristi
Hi Cheryl! I think you could try splitting the bread dough between 2 regular size loaf pans OR making a half recipe and use one regular loaf pan. For the lid, I have covered my loaf pan with a heavy cookie sheet before and that worked fine. Just make sure you grease and flour the part of the cookie sheet that will come into contact with the bread. I would leave the baking time the same. I hope this helps! Please report back if you give it a try! I made a loaf yesterday and am about to dive into it for breakfast!
Cheryl
Hi Kristi - I finally got around to making the bread and it was amazing! My husband spent lots of time in Copenhagen and has been looking for something like this. It was perfect and I will certainly make it again. Thanks so much!
Kristi
Hi Cheryl! Thank you for taking the time to get back to me. I'm so glad you loved the bread and that it worked out to bake it in two pans. I will have to try that myself....it might be nice to bake one and freeze one. I'm curious....do you use yours for open sandwiches and do you have a favorite?
cheryl
we like to add a New York twist - favorite is one slice toasted up crisp with cream cheese and lox topped with dill! I did freeze one loaf and it was just as delicious out of the freezer.Really enjoying your recipes, thanks again
Kristi
Oh yum! That sounds amazing. I will have to give it a try! I'm always looking for new sandwich ideas.
Doug Weller
Fantastic! I was really afraid it would be too wet when I did the dough bit last night, it didn't seem clayey (how do you spell that?) enough, but it looked beautiful when I saw it at 6am! It was a beast to mix though, my Kenwood mixer is great but not super-sized. My Pullman pan is only 11 inches, and as I had 2kg of dough I put 1.5 kg in it and the rest in a fairly small loaf pan. That worked a treat, and the bread is a treat. I did wait 3 hours and then dove into the small loaf. I'll leave the big one out until tomorrow, then cut it up and freeze some. I struggle with my rye sourdough starter and am not sure if this bread could be improved with sourdough starter, but I'll try.
Kristi
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! It is such a delicious loaf. I can't wait for you to try the sourdough version! It's up on the blog now. It's a little different than this one....more flour and less of the cereal mix/rye chops. A bit more refined I would say. For the record, I use a plain old bread flour sourdough starter for all my breads. So if you keep a rye starter and a wheat starter, feel free to use either in the rugbrød recipe.
Gigi
I love this bread! The Norwegian bakery in Seattle makes it and I usually get my weekly loaf. In my old age I am lucky enough to have someone else make it for me.
Alessandra
Hi Gigi! I just stumbled across your comment and I’ve actually been looking for a place in Seattle that sells this type of bread! Would you mind sharing the bakery? Thanks 🙂
Kristi
Hi Gigi! Yes, it's so delicious. How lucky that you live near a bakery that can make it for you! Thank you for your comment!
Kristi
ryAn
Is there a variation on this recipe that uses a rye starter rather than commercial yeast?
Kristi
Hi!
I do have a recipe for sourdough rugbrød on the site here. It's not entirely the same but it is really delicious! I use a wheat starter in mine, but other readers have used a rye starter and reported excellent results. Happy baking!
Kristi
Nikolai
Hey Kristi,
I am thinking of trying this recipe. I do have some maltmel (malt flour) do you know how much I should use of this instead of the molasses?
Thank you
Kristi
Hi Nikolai,
Thanks for your question! I've never tried this recipe with malt powder in place of the molasses so I'm not sure how it would work. You would definitely lose some sweetness as molasses is sweeter than malt.
Kristi
Patricia Swanson
My husband is 50% Norwegian and Danish. We have visited those countries many times and have always,loved the bread. I was so excited to,find your recipe. Luckily, ai was able to get a Pullman Pan the exact size. Last night and today I made the first loaf. Tomorrow, I will taste it. I got a bit worried when at 1hour of raising in the pan that it hadn’t moved much. So, I set the time for another 45 minutes. This time, it had changed. I decided to preheat the oven, which took 15 minutes. By then, it was 1/2” from the top of the pan. So, in she went. I did all the steps exactly. I am thrilled with my Pullman pan. The loaf released immediately with hardly a crumb left behind. It is beautiful. I cannot wait to taste it tomorrow. Thank you for a splendid recipe.
Kristi
Hi Patricia! I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread and that it reminds you of your travels to Scandinavia! Thank you for taking the time to let me know how it turned out. I really appreciate it. I hope you have a bunch of yummy open sandwiches planned!
Kristi
Patricia Swanson
Hello again. I have now baked this recipe four times, I end up sharing a lot of each loaf with friends. I even made a waxed cotton bag in which to keep it. One question, the very center of the loaf seems unbaked as compared to the top, sides, and bottom. I am doing everything exactly as directed. Should I bake it longer? At which stage? Thinking at the stage of the uncovered pan??j Because we usually toast each slice, that center spot goes away. But, just need your thoughts. Thank you so much.
Kristi
Hi Patricia,
I'm so glad you are enjoying the bread! I would tack on an extra 10 minutes of baking time at the very end after you have turned the loaf out onto the baking sheet. That should help it to continue to dry out in the low heat of the oven. Oven temps can vary so much from oven to oven, especially with this recipe where we are changing the oven temperature twice in the middle of the bake. And then just make sure to give it ample time at room temperature uncovered to cool before wrapping. I hope that helps. Let me know how it turns out!
Thanks,
Kristi
Lorrie
This recipe looks lovely and very authentic! I do have a rye sourdough starter and would appreciate getting the recipe that uses one! Really looking forward to trying it!
Kristi
Hi Lorrie,
Thank you for your nice note! If you want to use your sourdough starter, give this recipe a try. It gets a lot of good feedback from readers. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy baking!
Kristi
Lydia
Delicious! I mixed by hand so I wondered if next time I could reserve two cups of flour to add the next day? It would make mixing easier but not sure if it would interfere with the rise?
Kristi
Hi Lydia,
Thank you for your comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread! I am also impressed that you were able to mix the dough by hand. It's really thick and sticky! I'm not sure what would happen if you held back on some of the flour until the next day. I agree with you...it might affect the rise but I think only by slowing it down some. The recipe originally called for a small amount of instant yeast (1/2 teaspoon) to be added in the final mix. You could try that too just to give it a little extra help. Please report back if you give it a try!
Kristi
Lucy
Hi!
I imagine this is a silly question but it's my first time making rye bread. Would it still work by just using completely rye flour instead of the mix with bread flour? Or would it completely change the texture?
Thank you!
Kristi
Hi Lucy!
Thanks for your question! It's nice to have the help of bread flour here because it brings a little gluten structure to the loaf (rye is very low in gluten) and prevents it from getting gummy on the inside (a common problem with 100% rye flour breads). I definitely recommend using a combination of the two. Happy baking and please report back and let me know what you think!
Kristi
Morten Jorgensen
Hi Kristi
I finally found courage enough to test your RUGBRØD reciepe. Success in first try, but a few observations.
Raw sunflower seeds were impossible to locate even thoug i tried several stores and a coop. I finally broke down an purchased some lightly roasted, but unsalted sunflower seeds. It works, except for the fact, that the bread tastes too much of sunflower. In fact, it tasts exactly a sunflower bread that I have purchased in Denmark. Do you thing that lightly toasted seeds give out a stronger taste than raw? In planning my next bread, which "milder tasting seeds" do you suggest I try, or should I just use less sunflower seeds and try to adjust the reciepe to that? I have tryed to perfect my rugbrød for a long time (missing my good danish stable) and usually found my bread that was "gummy"in the middle (you still eat it though, as I hate to see food wasted). Your reciebe have eliminated that "gummy" problem and I am eternaly grateful for that.
Kristi
Hi Morten,
Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad the bread was a success and that you've eliminated the gummy problem. I've had that same problem myself with other recipes and it's so disappointing. Using toasted seeds rather than raw will definitely result in a stronger sunflower taste. The raw are much more subtle. I think I would try using half the sunflower seeds and see how that goes rather than subbing in a different seed altogether. You might add a little less water to the soaker but I'm not sure that it's going to make much of a difference as it is only 1/2 cup of seeds. Let me know how it turns out! Happy baking!
Kristi
Mae
Hello! This recipe sounds great as I have struggled to find good rye here in my city. As I’m only baking for myself- would it be possible to half this recipe and use a smaller bread pan?
Thank you!!
Kristi
Hi Mae,
Thanks for your question! I’ve had other people tell me they have halved the recipe and it’s worked out just fine. If you don’t have a Pullman pan with a lid, simply set a baking sheet on top of your standard loaf pan during the part of the baking process where it is supposed to be covered. This bread also freezes nicely so it you make a full loaf or two smaller ones, you could always wrap one and tuck it away in the freezer for another day. Please report back and let me know how it goes! Happy baking!
Kristi
Helle Evans
Made this yesterday _ turned our exactly like I have grown up with in Denmark, One question and a comment.
The dough (rye flour, bread flour, yeast and water)- what is the reason for the COLD water? Normally with yeast I would use luke warm water, but I followed your recipe and the dough was not like clay, more like brick - I managed to get it somewhat to stick together but I was certain that I would be tossing it in the garbage the next morning.....it was not at all like the video you show where you knead it and my Kitchenaid was pushed to the limit when mixing next morning... I wonder if warm water would work better or maybe a bit more water. Have you ever run into this?
For my comment, I don’t have a Pullman pan but I took a strip of parchment, brushed a tiny bit of olive oil on it, sprinkled a bit of rye flour to cover and put it on the top of the pan with foil on top, very loosely covered and the dough rose and baked with it on without anything sticking..
I will make this many times now as I have never made from scratch....
Kristi
Hi Helle,
I'm so glad the bread turned out well for you! I start with cold water because I want everything to rise slowly at room temperature over a 12 hour period. Warm water would definitely accelerate the process. Is it possible that you used active dry yeast rather than instant? They look the same and it's easy to get the two mixed up. That might be one reason the consistency didn't seem right. My only other thought would be to double check the amount of water next time. And thanks so much for the parchment paper and foil tip. Genius! Happy baking!
Kristi
Salma
This was so delicious but it was completely gummy and raw inside despite a nice crust 🙁
Kristi
Hi Salma,
I'm sorry to hear that! This bread is definitely moist, but should not be gummy and raw. A few trouble shooting thoughts for you...did the bread rise normally? If the yeast failed for some reason or you used active dry rather than instant yeast, that could be a reason it didn't bake up properly. Did you cover the loaf during the first half hour of baking and follow all of the changes in temperature? The baking process is critical to the success of the final loaf. Finally, it could be your oven. Some ovens run hotter than others and if yours tends to run cool, it's possible that it needed more time. If you have a meat thermometer at home, you can always take the temperature of your loaf to make sure it is fully baked. The internal temperature of your loaf should be 205-210 degrees F when it is done. Hope this helps!
Kristi
Yulla
Hi,
I would loooove to make this bread but I cannot find 7 grain hot cereal mix, Bob’s Red Mill. It's not available anywhere, not Amazon or brand itself ! can you PLEASE recommend something that can be used instead? Or if you know where to buy it in the US?
Thank you!!!
Kristi
Hi Yulla,
You are the second person who has mentioned this to me this week! It looks like they are currently "out of stock" at the company itself so I think it might be hard to find for awhile. There is an alternative available from http://www.nuts.com that is very affordable and appears to be in stock. It's called "7 Grain Mix" and it's almost the same thing as the Bob's Red Mill brand. It will work just fine as a stand-in. I hope you give the bread a try! It's really good.
Kristi
George Sevelle
Yula/Kristi
I use this Rye Chops that is available on amazon. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CXHVC4J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
G.
Kristi
Thanks, George! That's super helpful to know!
Kristi
Yulla
Thank you, Kristi, I will definately try it!
Chad
The final product picture looks like a 3" loaf (rather than the 4" wide pan called for in the instructions. How can I find a pan that will give me the dimensions in the final product photos? Do I need to order from Denmark?
Kristi
Hi Chad,
The pan I used for the loaf in the photos is the USA brand pullman loaf pan (13 x 4). It works great and is available at Amazon.
Thanks,
Kristi
Yulla
I made bread!!!! It was fantastic! A bit salty for my taste, so next time I will asjust amount of salt and try to add caraway seeds. Thank you, Kristi, I have been looking for easy Danish recipe and finaly found it!
Kristi
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! I remember that you had trouble finding the Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain cereal. What did you end up using instead?
Kristi
Yula
Hi Kristi, I got the mix that you recommended from nuts.com. I just made a second batch yesterday, my family loved it. Even my picky eater teenager complemented the taste and texture. Thank you!!!
Kristi
That's good to know! I will share that with anyone else who is having trouble finding the mix. Thanks so much for your feedback. It is greatly appreciated!
Kristi
Frank
Kristi,
I only have a 9" Pullman pan. How much room should I leave at the top of the pan? I don't want to overfill the pan.
Kristi
Hi Frank, I would say about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Let me know how it turns out!
Frank Jankovsky
Kristi,
I adjusted the recipe to 5/8 of 100 percent. The loaf nearly touched the top of the pan. Is it supposed to rise against the lid or just close? We like the bread very much but I did have to bake it an additional 20 minutes on the rack to get the internal temp up to 200 degrees. All in all a great success for my first try. Thanks for the recipe. Happy New Year.
Kristi
Hi Frank,
So glad the bread worked out! Depending on the weather, etc. mine will sometimes touch the top of the pan (which is kind of nice because you get that nice square shape). Happy New Year to you!
Kristi
Carole
When I made the bread last night , I was sceptical about the result , even though I do not possess a stand mixer , I mixed it by hand , turned out great , thank you for your lovely recipe
Kristi
Hi Carole,
Thanks for your comment! I agree....the dough does not look promising at first. But I'm so glad you enjoyed the final result! Happy baking!
Kristi
Travis Andersen
Hello, would you have any suggestions on adjusted baking times if I were to bake these in 3x6 mini loaf pans?
Kristi
Hi Travis,
I've never baked mini loaves but I think I would start by keeping the first two 15 minute baking periods as is and maybe reduce the time when the loaves bake at 325 degrees to 30 minutes. You can always check the interior temperature of the loaf with a meat thermometer to help determine doneness. The temp should be between 205 and 210 degrees F when it is fully baked. Hope this helps! Happy baking!
Kristi
Kristina
Hi Kristi,
I inherited my father’s rugbrød pan of proper dimensions, but it doesn’t have a lid. He made bread in it all the time, but I didn’t pay attention to the baking details. The one on Amazon is backordered until 25 December, which is too late to make a loaf in time for jul bord. Any idea whether a baking sheet or aluminum as a lid would work, in a pinch?
Many thanks,
Kristina
Kristi
Hi Kristina,
A baking sheet works just fine. How cool that you can use your dad’s pan! Let me know how it goes.
Kristi
Julie
This bread really is perfect! So easy to make, it is delicious, and it keeps very well. I froze 1/3, gave 1/3 away to my Danish parents, and ate 1/3 over a couple days. The frozen piece was just as good as the piece we ate fresh. For others unable to acquire Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain cereal, I used Rogers Porridge Oats and Ancient Grains (available at my local Superstore in Ontario), and it turned out great. Worth the purchase of a pullman loaf pan! I will make regularly. Thanks for the recipe!!
Kristi
Hi Julie,
Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread, and THANK YOU for the tip on the cereal. The Bob's Red Mill brand has been difficult to track down recently. Happy baking!
Kristi
Cath
Very good recipe! I appreciate a well-written recipe with good instructions. The bread was very good - just a little sweet for me but that is personal taste and not a reflection of the recipe at all. I made two loaves; we cut into one same-day once cooled and let the other sit overnight. I didn't notice much improvement - or really any difference - between the loaf we ate the day of baking and the one we ate the next day. Very tasty and nutritious bread.
I would note that I think the calorie calculation for this recipe is incorrect - I ran it through two calorie calculators and based on 16 servings, it comes in at 317 calories / slice not 238. Wanted to note this as it does make a difference for those on calories restricted diets.
I'm looking forward to trying some more of your recipes!
Kristi
Hi Cath,
Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread. I am just now in the process of adding nutrition information to the recipes so I appreciate you letting me know that. Sometimes the automatic calculation isn't always correct for some reason. Please let me know what else you try!
Kristi
Jane Thompson
Has anyone had the chance to scale this recipe in grams? I am making it tomorrow. I have followed a different recipe for a very similar bread but it has no regular flour. I am a looking forward to trying this as I think the addition of the bread flour will add some loft due to the gluten structure. I am awaiting my Pullman loaf via Amazon and I am also wondering if anyone has had to “stall” this recipe time line at any point prior to getting it in the pan? Can if ferment/sit longer than the 12 hours if necessary? Can it be mixed together and sit in the bowl until it is put in the pan? I am also using a combination of millet and oat groats for the grain mix. I’ll post my results! So excited
Kristi
HI Jane,
I have not scaled this in grams, but I will look into it and add them to the recipe as I'm sure my European and Canadian readers would appreciate grams as well. Also, if you have a sourdough starter, I do have a sourdough version on the blog which is written in grams. You can find that recipe here: https://true-north-kitchen.com/sourdough-danish-rye-bread-rugbrod/
I have let the dough and the soaker rise in the fridge for up to 24 hours and the bread turned out fine. I would say if you haven't yet received your pan and you are getting close to 12 hours at room temp, pop everything in the fridge until it arrives and go from there.
I hope this helps! Please let me know how it goes!
Karen Chalupa
Have made your recipe several times. It is appreciated by many. Very much. I would also appreciate if you would post the recipe scaled to grams. Always feel I can be more accurate with my measuring if I weigh. Thanks in advance.
Kristi
Hi Karen,
I'm so glad you are enjoying the bread! And I will definitely be adding grams to the recipe as I have had the request several times now.
Thanks for your feedback!
Kristi
Christine Wood
Excellent I’ve been looking for this recipe in English. Great video! I don’t have a Pullman loaf pan yet but I’m going to get one.
Kristi
Hi Christine,
Thanks for your note! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Let me know how the bread turns out!
Kristi
Alex
Thank you very much for this. I'm happy I can make this myself from ingredients I can get here in Massachusetts. I've tried it all - rugbrød mixes and various recepies... Yours is the best. Easy to follow and works every time.
Thank you again!
Kristi
Thank you so much for your comment, Alex! I'm so glad you enjoy the bread. Happy baking to you!
Kristi
Morten Jorgensen
Hi Kristi.
I finally managed to make, what I consider to be the perfect rye bread (RUGBRØD) following your recipe. Changing temperatures and giving the bake the extra 10 minutes out of the baking pans seems to do the trick. As it is nearly impossible to find sunflower seeds other than roasted seeds here in MN, I cut down on the amount of those seeds, and substituted with pearled barley seeds. The result is a slightly moist bread, easy to slice thin for "smørrebrød" (our daily lunch) and with a very good and well rounded taste. Furthermore, we give a slice to our old dog mixed in with canned dog food, to keep her stomach in order. She loves that bread, even though she is a stubborn and picky eater (my dogs in Denmark always were fed rugbrød with liverpaste). It seems to be good for their coats. I bake the breads without having pullman pans, by just placing another pan as cover while baking. It works well. So your recipe is absolute right on. Thanks.
Kristi
Hi Morten,
Thanks so much for your comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread. I love how you share it with your dogs! I will have to try that with mine. Thanks again for taking the time to share your feedback.
Kristi
John V
Love your web site! Do you happen to have the weight equivalents for your easy Danish rye bread? Thanks!
John
Kristi
Hi John,
Thanks for your nice note! I do not have the weight equivalents but have had a few requests so I probably should look into doing that the next time I make it myself. Happy Baking!
Kristi
Pat
Hi Kristi,
When you say pumpkin seeds, do you mean the green pepitas?
Kristi
Hi Pat,
Yes, green pepitas. I hope you enjoy the bread!
Kristi
Dave Liddell
I am a recent, pandemic recruit to bread baking. Getting a good danish rye loaf has been a challenge - until I tried your recipe! My sourdough loaf turned out beautifully and tastes great. Thank you for the great and easy to follow recipe!
Dave
Kristi
Hi Dave,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread! It's one of my all time favorite recipes. Happy baking!
Kristi
gregory anderson
I tried to pin this recipe, after saving it, and I got a dead bird image after I made the attempt. I actually used the PIN symbol on the photo image itself. This is a real drag. I don't know if the recipe was saved. That's beyond my ability to determine at this point.
I like the recipe. Having cooked Scandahovian foods for over 50 years, I've got a sense of recipes. I'm a happy camper with yours. Thank you.
Kristi
Hi Greg,
Thanks for letting me know! I'll check with the company that puts out the "Pin It" plugin I use and see what's up. Glad you enjoyed the bread despite the pinning difficulties!
Kristi
Jen
I can't thank you enough for this recipe. It turned out perfectly, tasting (and looking) very professional! It's true the recipe lacks the sour tang my Dad is used to but he loved it and my Mom and I actually prefer it your way! I'll be making some more as soon as we finish the current loaf. Mange tak!
Kristi
Hi Jen,
Thanks so much for your comment! I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed the bread. If you are feeling ambitious and want to try a version of this bread that is a little more sour, give my Sourdough Danish Rye Bread recipe a try. It's a little more of what your Dad is looking for, I suspect. But I agree with you....I like the fact that this one isn't as sour as a traditional rugbrød. Thanks again for taking the time to leave me a note! Have a great week.
Kristi
Vicki
Delicious! Halved the recipe and made it in a larger “normal” bread pan covered with a cookie sheet (but nothing to weigh it down). Top was a little crusty when it came out of the oven (I think from not using the Pullman pan) so I let it cool about 30 minutes and then wrapped tightly in foil. The top softened nicely from the steam by the next morning. Dense but not heavy and very “nutty”. Perfect with gjeost for breakfast! Lots of hands off time, but really a pretty easy to make bread.
Kristi
Hi Vicki,
Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the bread.
Happy Baking!
Kristi
Holly Whiteside
Oh my GOSH! I have been baking bread for nearly 50 years, made all sorts of artisan breads, but never made bread with a "soaker." I made two changes from your recipe: I used rye sourdough starter (instructions here: https://practicalselfreliance.com/rye-sourdough-starter/) instead of packaged yeast, and I used honey instead of molasses (we keep bees). Aside from the dough being from a little more wet than optimum, no doubt because of the changes I made, it is one of the most amazing bread recipes I have ever made! The flavor is outstanding! The texture quite lovely and unusual for a rye bread. I had no trouble at all getting an excellent rise with sourdough starter, so it was not dense and heavy. Perfect for sandwich bread or on its own. Top rating! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Kristi
Hi Holly,
Thanks so much for your kind review! I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread and that you were able to use a rye sourdough starter in place of the yeast. Happy baking to you!
Kristi
anna belle
I made this just over a week ago and I love it. It turned out perfectly and I agree that it is wonderful how moist it is. I’ve just mixed up the two bowlfuls again for the second go tomorrow morning. A friend is making her first one right now.
Lovely recipe and not difficult actually.
Kristi
Hi Anna Belle,
So glad you are enjoying the bread! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Kristi
sara
Hi Kristi,
I would like to try your recipe but I leave in Europe. I'm not used to the cups measurement. I only use a scale when I bake breads. I tried to convert on google but doesn't seems accurate
.. It gives different result when I convert to grams.
please could you help ?
Should I use your sourdough recipe that is in grams and add the extra flour and water from the levain+ instant yeast ?? I don't want to use a sourdough starter.
Thanks a lot for your help
Best
Sara
Kristi
Hi Sara,
I can try and do the gram measurements for you! I've been meaning to add them but just haven't gotten around to it. I will try and get to it by the end of the week so please check back in!
Kristi
sara
Thank you very much. looking forward
Ray
Hi. This recipe looks well worth trying. Question: Can you blend whole rye berries o make rye chops?
Kristi
Hi Ray,
That's a good question! I had someone try using a food processor with limited success but I wonder it a high-powered blender might work? I think it would be worth trying! Please let me know if you give it a go.
Kristi
Monica
I’ve used a coffee grinder to mill rye berries to chops. My grinder is adjustable. For rye flour, the chops get processed a second time. Works great.
Donna Dauphinais
Hello! I am eager to try this recipe!
Do you have a version of this recipe that converts volume to weight? (In grams.) I am used to cooking in more exact measurements.
Thank you so much!
Donna Dauphinais
I would also like to have a version of this recipe that uses weights in grams. Although I can find a conversion online, I don't know whether it would work for this recipe - or whether my "cups" would weigh the same as your "cups," which is why weights are more reliable in recipes.
THANK YOU!
Kristi
Hi Donna,
Yes! I've had several requests for gram measurements and plan to add them soon, hopefully within the week. I had hoped to get it done over the holidays but it didn't happen. Thanks for your interest!
Kristi
Dave from New Jersey
Kristi - I would like to point out that when I went to print the recipe, there base recipe is for 26 slices but if you change the number of slices the only the volume measurements are changes - the gram weight stays the same.
Wasn’t a problem for me but it might foul someone else up.
Kristi
Thanks, Dave! I will get that fixed.
Kristi
Donn
Thank you for adding gram measurements!
I have now prepared this recipe four times, and my 'consumers' and I all love, LOVE the bread,,, It is beyond delicious! I am a traditional sourdough baker, but I feel NO NEED to sway from the instant yeast in this recipe.
THANK YOU!!!
Kristi
Hi Donn,
So glad you are enjoying the bread! I had a lot of requests for grams so I am happy to have made that happen. I am also a sourdough baker but find myself coming back to this one just because I love it! I do have a sourdough version of rugbrød here on the blog should ever want to give it a try. Also delicious!
Happy weekend to you!
Kristi
Sarah
Hi
We made this last night (did an 8 hour soak with rye chops that we can get locally throughout the day). Other than a little bit of over proofing (due to doing something else) everything seemed to be fine but when we removed the lid it stuck and about 1/4 of the top ripped off. I got a smaller pullmans pan and when looking at the label on it we noticed that it says that over 450 the nonstick coating doesnt work (yes I also dusted the top with flour as well. So does it have to be bake at the 500 for 15 min or is there something in the 450 range we can try?
Otherwise we will be trying this again
Kristi
Hi Sarah,
Sorry to hear that ! You could definitely try 450 for the first fifteen minutes rather than starting at 500 (maybe add an additional 5 minutes of baking time for good measure). And I would double down on the layer of rye flour that is sifted on top of the loaf before baking along with thoroughly greasing and flouring the lid. Hopefully that does the trick! Please let me know if it works out for you.
Thanks,
Kristi
Karen
Hi Kristi
I have 2 questions..... can I use cracked rye berries instead of rye chops? Also about yeast.... I'm having a problem with the weight ( I prefer to weigh over measure). When weghing yeast 1 tsp doesn't weigh 4 grams. I've come across this with some other recipes as well. so do I use the 3 gm or measure the tsp? In order to get 3 gm it is MUCH more than 1 tsp
Thank for this recipe, I will be making it the very moment I receive your reply and I am so anxious. I grew up eating this bread and I can wait!
Kristi
Hi Karen,
Cracked rye berries should work! As long as they aren't whole rye berries and you are doing the overnight soak I think you'll be fine. Definitely just a teaspoon of yeast! I should probably remove the grams on that measurement in the recipe because sometimes those small amounts are difficult to get accurate. Please report back and let me know how it turns out!
Kristi
Anissa
I’m in the process of making the bread now. So excited to finally find rye chops after 3 years of searching. Wish I would’ve found your blog sooner to know that I could’ve substituted the 7 grain! I’ve had the biggest hankering for rugbrød since moving back to the states from Denmark and without a surdej ready I’m happy to have found your recipe for an overnight bread. I did have difficulty finding sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds that were unsalted and not roasted so I went ahead and bought them hoping they’ll work in a pinch until I can order some online. That being said, since they’re salted do you think I should omit the salt in the recipe, or perhaps cut back on it at the very least? Just wanted to make sure cutting it out wouldnt have any adverse effects on the baking process.
Kristi
Hi Anissa,
I hope the bread baking is going well! I have never used salted seeds but would probably reduce the salt by half to start with. Hope this helps!
Kristi
Dave from New Jersey
I made this yesterday and it was awesome for breakfast today!
I scaled the recipe to fit my 8” pullman pan (reportedly a 1 pound pan) by multiplying the ingredients by 0.45. Next time I made go up to 0.5 or 0.55.
I didn’t have flax seeds so I substituted flax meal. That soaked up a lot of water so I gradually added more water to the soaker until I had something moist. I ended up adding 130g water to the soaker and the resulting bread was delicious.
I’ll be making this again!
Kristi
Hi Dave,
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your feedback!
Kristi
Becky
I need to make the soak and dough the night before and cannot complete the mix until later the next afternoon. Can the soak and dough sit for closer to 18-24 hrs with no problem? Thanks so much. I am making this for St Patricks Day in just a few days!
Becky
Kristi
Hi Becky,
Thanks for your question! I'm inclined to have you pop them both in the fridge in the morning and then take them out about an hour before you do the final mix. This will slow down the yeast production until you are able to return to it. Let me know how that goes!
Kristi
Becky
Thank you for your suggestions! I will put the soak and dough in fridge on Thursday morning before work and will see what happens! I know it will take longer to rise in the pan due to the colder temp.
Monica
I’ve made a few different rugbrod loaves but this is my favorite. Moist, not gummy, filling, great plain or with toppings. I shared with friends and they all want the recipe. I don’t have a Pullman pan and used two 9x5 pans resulting in a rectangular slice of bread vs the square slice. I should have known better, since calculating the volume of each pan in square inches suggests the smaller loaf pans have the closest total volume compared to the Pullman pan.
Pullman pan: 13 x 4=52 sq inches.
8x4.5=36 which is 72 sq inches for 2 loaves.
9x5=45, 90 sq inches for 2 loaves
Kristi
Thanks for your feedback, Monica! So glad you are enjoying the bread.
Kristi
KJ
This bread is "to die for" delicious. The taste, heft and chewiness was perfectly on-point. If I closed my eyes while eating it, I was transported to Europe.
Kristi
Thanks, KJ! So glad you enjoyed it!
KJ
I absolutely love this bread. People I've served it to can't say enough good things about it. Everyone wants the recipe! Thanks for making this so easy that even this novice baker can be successful.
Kristi
Hi KJ,
SO glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for your feedback!
Kristi
Quinn Simpson
Kristi,
I am so keen to make this recipe but I don't have the pan with a lid.
Will it still work or no???
Quinn
Kristi
Hi Quinn,
Yes, you definitely can make it. You can split the bread dough into two 9x13 pans and use a large baking sheet as a lid during the covered portion of the bake. I usually grease the part of the baking pan that might come into contact with the bread so that it doesn't stick. Leave the baking times the same.
Hope this helps!
Kristi
Maryann Erickson
Love this bread! So nutritious and relatively easy to make. They sell a similar type bread at the Swedish bakery, Fabrique, which has a store in New York City.
Kristi
Hi Maryann,
So glad you liked the bread! Thanks so much for your comment!
Kristi
Lave Olson
Is there any version of this recipe that does not require the lidded bread pan? Thanks!
Kristi
Hi Lave,
You can bake it in two 9x5 loaf pans and use a baking sheet as a "lid" during the portion of the bake when it's supposed to be covered. Baking times remain the same. Hope this helps!
Kristi
Dee
Firstly, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for this amazing recipe. I have been on a quest for a few years to find the exact bread I was being served on our cruise in Norway. I incorrectly thought it was a Norwegian bread and finally after looking at your pictures thought maybe it was this danish rye bread. I finally made it yesterday and waited as mentioned an extra day to dig in. Oh my it was almost exactly like the one I had in Norway minus that brown cheese ( which I probably might take a 2nd trip to get use to). Next challenge will be to try the sour dough version.....but.....and here is the big "BUT" I am allergic to rice and after devouring my morning slice I found myself with my very violent coughing fits with the works. Bob Mills 7 grains has rice, I am looking into other brands as of now. Do you have any recommendations besides 7 grains cereal I could try ? I am also allergic to corn.
Kristi
Hi Dee,
Thanks for you nice comment! I would just use rye chops (they are just chopped up pieces of rye grains that are used for baking). You can find them on Amazon (just search for rye chops) OR you can order them from King Arthur Flour. I hope this helps with your rice issue. So glad you enjoyed the bread though!
Kristi
Cynthia
Getting ready to make this bread for the first time. I usually bake all my bread in a cast iron Dutch oven. Will this recipe work in a Dutch oven?
Kristi
Hi Cynthia,
I am also a fan of baking bread in cast iron! You definitely don't need it for this recipe, though. If you are using a pullman pan, the lid replicates that steamy environment that the cast iron gives you. Hope this helps! Enjoy the bread!
Kristi
Cynthia
I didn't have a Pullman Pan and seriously thought about using my Dutch oven. I decided to go with the recommended two loaf pans with a cookie sheet on top instead. I was worried because the crust was super hard when I pulled it out of the oven - like you could club someone over the head hard! LOL! But I let it cool and then wrapped it loosely in aluminum foil for a day per your instructions. It was PERFECT!!! The crust softened but still retained a rustic quality. Also, I didn't have seven-grain hot cereal available so I picked up six-grain hot cereal in the bulk bin at my local store (Sprouts) and it still tasted exactly like the bread my husband and I had in the Faroe Islands. Thank you for this amazing recipe! - Will be investing in a Pullman Pan since I will definitely be making this again!
Kristi
Hi Cynthia,
So glad you enjoyed the bread, and thanks so much for your feedback! It is much appreciated!
Kristi
Patti
I am so happy to have found this recipe. Can I use fresh yeast instead of the instant yeast?
Kristi
Hi Patti,
You certainly can! Here is a link to a reliable yeast converter. Hope this helps!
Kristi