Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød) is dense, hearty, and packed with rye flour, whole grains, and a variety of nutritious seeds. A true staple of Nordic cuisine, this richly flavored, slightly tangy bread is the foundation of smørrebrød (Danish open-faced sandwiches) and a key part of the Scandinavian diet.
If you've ever tried to find authentic rugbrød in the U.S., you know it can be a challenge. Most store-bought rye bread here is closer to deli rye or pumpernickel, lacking the depth and texture of traditional Danish rye. But the good news? You can make it at home-easily!
If you keep a sourdough starter around, you might also want to consider trying my recipe for Sourdough Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød) which is also really delicious!
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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, pumpkin and flax seeds - 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.
- Water
- Salt
- Butter - for greasing the pan.
The Equipment
- a sturdy stand mixer
- a 13 x 4 inch pullman pan with lid
How To Make Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)
The Night Before:
- 8-12 hours before you plan to make the bread, 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 (do not 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.
- 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 Tip
- 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.
Recipe 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 often 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.
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.
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.
How and What to serve with Rugbrød
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.
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-faced sandwiches. Check out this post about How to Make Smørrebrød at Home for everything you need to know about making these deliciously beautiful open-faced sandwiches with your rugbrød!
Related Recipes
Looking for more Scandinavian rye bread recipes? Give these a try:
If you tried this Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød) recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Easy Overnight Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)
Ingredients
For the Soaker:
- 2 ½ cups 7 grain hot cereal mix such as Bob's Red Mill brand or rye chops see note below
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- ½ cup flax seeds
- 2 ⅔ cups cold water
For the Dough:
- 2 cups dark rye flour I use the Bob's Red Mill brand, plus more for dusting the pan and loaf
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon instant dried yeast
- 1 ½ cups cold water
- 4 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup molasses
- Butter for greasing the pan
Special Equipment Needed:
- Stand mixer
- Pullman pan with lid (13 x 4 inches in size)
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 pan with lid 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. (The loaf should have an internal temperature of 205-210 degrees F on an instant read thermometer at this point). 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.
Heidi Goff says
Hi. I love this bread. I made it four days ago and it is getting better daily. The family loves it, which is a good thing since that is a BIG loaf. I made mine completely organic! Really lovely.
However, I can one problem which I need to solve, hope you can help. My dough rose VERY fast. I set the timer for 1.5 on the rise at room temp (72 degrees). It was already pressing against the top and oozing out the ends of the corners of the pan. I had to quick heat my oven and bake, it continue to rise and ooze out during baking leaving me with a very messy oven. However, I am not complaining, just trying to give you an idea of how active this one. I used 1 teaspoon Fleischmann's RapidRise Instant Yeast - Fast Acting. Do you know if this is different from the instant yeast you specified? Could something else be the cause. I used weight to measure all the ingredients except the yeast and the molasses. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Thank you.
Kristi says
Hi Heidi,
Thanks for your comment! Your yeast is the same thing as instant yeast so that is definitely not the issue. I am wondering how long your overnight rest was? I think that a longer overnight rest might lead to a faster second rise. Glad you enjoyed it nonetheless!
Kristi
Kristi says
Hi Denise!
Sorry for the late response, I have been out of town. I have done both and had good results both ways. I hope this loaf turned out well for you!
Kristi
Denise Fischer says
I have made several loaves of the sourdough version of your Rugbrod recipe. I am in the process of cooking this loaf but was wondering if you had suggestions for the best spot in the oven to cook this. Should the oven rack be on lowest or middle shelf?
Dorte Rasmussen says
I have been trying a zillion different recipes, also including sourdough starter. This one has been the best and so convenient with the dried yeast. It is moist, not gummy, and full bodied flavor. My one issue, as always is when it cooled the middle area sunk down about a 1/2 inch. The internal temp was right on but it is annoying. I am thinking next time, not to allow it to rise more than 1 inch max from top. Help!
Kristi says
Hi Dorte,
So glad you enjoyed the bread! I'm not sure what to say about the sinking. Definitely give your idea about rising a try.
Kristi
Behan says
Hello! Here in Mexico I have access to active dry yeast, but not instant yeast. Do you think if I use the water volume for the dough, warmed a bit, to proof the yeast before mixing in flour would make it OK to substitute active for instant? I'm missing this bread so much (after a trip to Denmark a couple of months ago) and hope to replicate it here.
Kristi says
Hi Behan,
Sorry for the late reply. I've been out of town for the past week. That will definitely work! Let me know how it turns out.
Kristi
Evgeny says
Good afternoon, I ate this bread once on a cruise. I want to repeat it, I live in Israel
I have a question for you
1. Why do you leave the dough for 8-12 hours? To make it acidic?
Can I use sourdough instead of yeast and go through this long autolysis?
If I have a good and strong sourdough starter, can I do without yeast with good acidity?
Kristi says
Hello!
The overnight rise helps with flavor and makes it possible to use less yeast. I do have a sourdough version! Here is the link: https://true-north-kitchen.com/sourdough-danish-rye-bread-rugbrod/
Hope this helps!
Kristi
Ellen says
I halved the recipe to accommodate a 8 inch pullman pan. I really liked the flavour. The second time I made it, I did cover it with a damp tea towel while it cooled to prevent the crust from hardening too much.
Kris says
Omg yum!!! Bought the bread pan and followed directions exactly. Turned out great. Like you said "it's hard to mess this recipe up". I used roasted and salted pepitas and sunflower seeds, so only added 2 tsp salt as you suggested, that was just right.
I have a question... would it hurt to add chia seeds? A couple tbs in place of 2 tbs of breakfast cereal? Thanks
Kristi says
Hi Kris,
So glad it worked out and that you enjoyed the bread!
Kristi
Elizabeth says
Verry nice. Thanks for sharing.
Patti says
I am so happy to have found this recipe. Can I use fresh yeast instead of the instant yeast?
Kristi says
Hi Patti,
You certainly can! Here is a link to a reliable yeast converter. Hope this helps!
Kristi
Cynthia says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Hi Cynthia,
So glad you enjoyed the bread, and thanks so much for your feedback! It is much appreciated!
Kristi
Dee says
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 says
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
Lave Olson says
Is there any version of this recipe that does not require the lidded bread pan? Thanks!
Kristi says
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
Maryann Erickson says
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 says
Hi Maryann,
So glad you liked the bread! Thanks so much for your comment!
Kristi
Quinn Simpson says
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 says
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