This authentic Danish rye bread recipe (rugbrod) is easier to make than you may think. It’s packed with nutrients, has a fantastic texture and old-fashioned flavor and is just plain delicious! Whether you prefer a bolder or milder flavor, you’re completely in charge of that in determining how long you allow the batter to ferment.
Be sure to also try our German Bread (Vollkornbrot) recipe!
I love breads of all kinds, but there are two kinds that I especially love: Ones that are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside (eg, baguettes) and whole grain breads that are very dense and hearty like the kind I grew up with in Germany (eg, Vollkornbrot, Roggenbrot, Schwarzbrot, etc) and this Danish rye bread.
Smorrebrod
In Germany and throughout Scandinavia dense whole grain breads are particularly popular. You’ll see them served cut up in squares for a variety of hors d’oeuvres (for example, topped with gravlax/smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraîche or hard-boiled eggs and a sprig of dill), served for breakfast with a tray of sliced cheeses and cold cuts, enjoyed for open-faced sandwiches or simply slathered down with good butter and jam.
In Denmark this rye bread (rugbrød) serves as the basis for their smørrebrød (ie, smorgasbord) wherein it is served buffet style with any number of fine toppings and is also a common accompaniment for many meals. Traditional options include herring, pickled vegetables, liver pate, smoked salmon, and sliced hard-boiled eggs. This Danish Rye Bread recipe is just what you need to create your smorrebrod!
I’ve known many people who have visited Denmark or Germany, fell in love with this type of bread and returned home to their countries unable to find it there. I haven’t been able to find it anywhere here in the U.S. except for German specialty stores and World Market stocks a very small selection of dense German breads. Though specifically Danish sourdough rye bread I haven’t found anywhere here for purchase.
The good news is you can make it yourself and I’m going to be posting several recipes for this wonderful style of dense, hearty European bread.
We’re going to start with a favorite among many, Danish Rye Bread. And while this bread is also popular in Germany, it claims particular importance in Denmark, indeed it’s practically one of its national foods, so we’re going to go ahead and ascribe this bread to the Danes. (Plus it will make the maternal side of my husband’s family happy, they’re fiercely proud of their Danish ancestry. And I have some Danish ancestry myself, so we’re all happy.)
Fermenting Danish Rye Bread
Danish rye bread is a sourdough bread that traditionally takes 2-3 days to make. Here is a super simple version that cuts the fermentation time down to as a little as 24 hours without the need to tend and feed it. This version calls for a yeasty beer. Beer and bread are cousins, both traditionally made from the same two ingredients, water and grains. The alcohol in this bread is burned off during the long baking process while the beer contributes to a fabulous texture and consistency (and flavor, depending on which beer you use).
The bread dough is allowed to ferment for 24 hours at room temperature (or 48 hours depending on how sour you like the bread). This fermentation process neutralizes the phytic acid in the grains, a naturally occurring substance that binds nutrients so that the body cannot properly absorb them. Not only does phytic acid acid bind the nutrients of the grains themselves, it binds the nutrients of anything else you eat with the grains. Fermenting the bread dough increases its nutrients and makes the bread easier to digest. And even after sourdough is baked it continues to sour and only gets better in flavor over time.
This wonderfully nourishing bread is packed full of whole grains, seeds and nuts. The grains are included in the form of flour (rye and wheat), cracked rye berries and whole rye berries. Tons of similar styled breads incorporate these various forms of whole, cracked, coarsely ground and finely ground grains (eg, spelt, einkorn, wheat, kamut, etc) into the same loaf for a wonderful balance of textures, and that’s where a good grain mill really comes in handy. Not only can you grind your own fresh flour on demand with all the nutrients still intact (as opposed to flour that’s been sitting on grocery store shelves for ages), you can get exactly the kind of grind you need.
I buy my grains all in bulk, take out what I need to last me for a few weeks at a time and store the rest in a dark, cool place. I don’t even buy flour anymore, I grind all of my own flours, cornmeal and make my own baking mixes.
For today’s Easy Danish Rye Bread I’m using my German-made KoMo Classic Grain Mill, another stellar example of German engineering and the pride and joy of my kitchen.
With a 12-year warranty, the quality and construction of the KoMo is amazing, plus it’s gorgeous and something you’d want to display on your counter. You can grind your grains as fine or coarse as you like. I use it nearly every day to make my own flours, cornmeal and mixes and cannot recommend it highly enough.
Check out my video below where I talk about some of the KoMo Classic Grain Mill’s features and show it in action in making today’s Danish Rye Bread!
Danish Rye Bread Recipe
Let’s get started!
If you’re grinding your own rye and wheat flour and cracking your own rye berries you’re in great shape! If you don’t have a grain mill you can easily find rye flour in grocery stores and you can “crack” the rye berries yourself by very briefly pulsing them in a good/powerful blender or food processor or smashing them in a bag with a meat mallet or other heavy object.
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a stand mixer bowl. Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes. Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
Give everything a stir manually to combine, then attach the dough hook on the stand mixer, set it to the bread setting (#2), and knead for 10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky, loose and not remotely malleable (ie, incapable of being shaped).
Scoop the dough into a very large non-metallic bowl. The dough will bubble up so use a very large, deep bowl with plenty of head room. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place (ie, room temperature) for 24-48 hours, depending on how sour you want the bread. I’ve done both with great results. If you’re only letting it ferment for 24 hours we recommend first soaking the whole rye berries overnight before using them (drain thoroughly).
After 24 hours the dough will be nice and bubbly with a very gooey texture.
For sourdough it’s recommended that you line your loaf pans so the acid in the dough can’t react with the metal. I use and love the Parrish Magic Line bread pan made of heavy gauge aluminum with straight edges (made in the USA). It’s a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
Scoop all of the dough into the loaf pan, patting it down. It’s a lot of dough but it’ll fit in there, just pat it down (be sure you’re using a 9x5x3 loaf pan). Brush the top with some water and sprinkle some oats evenly over it.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 100-120 minutes or until the center is done. For best and most accurate results use an instant read thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of at least 210 degrees F.
Let it sit for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan. Let the bread cool completely before slicing it. Your rugbrod is ready!
To prolong its shelf life I recommend storing it in the refrigerator or freeze part of it if you know it will take you a while to go through it.
In order to get nice thin, clean slices that look like something you bought at a professional bakery, I recommend a slicer. Chef’s Choice Slicers are consistently ranked at the top and they get excellent reviews. I also use a slicer for meats and cheeses. Whenever I find chunks of cooked ham, turkey or cheese on sale I get those and slice them myself – it’s cheaper than buying them at the deli. At the very least you’ll need an excellent bread knife and for that my favorite knife, hands down, is the Cutco 9 3/4″ Slicer. It glides smoothly through bread and meat like no other.
Enjoy!
For more delicious breads from around the world be sure to try our:
- German Bread (Vollkornbrot)
- Lavash
- Injera
- Dosa
- Naan Bread
- Crumpets
- Olive Rosemary Focaccia
- Skillet Cornbread
Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)
Ingredients
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/2 cups dark rye flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup cracked rye berries (very briefly pulse whole rye berries in a strong blender or food processor until they're broken up into coarse pieces OR smash them in a heavy duty bag with a meat mallet or other heavy object)
- 1/2 cup whole rye berries
- 1 1/4 cup whole flaxseeds
- 1 1/3 cup sunflower seeds or combination of sunflower seeds ,pumpkin seeds and/or chopped almonds
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup dark beer (see note)
- 1 cup buttermilk or kefir (vegan: 1 cup almond milk mixed with 2 tablespoons cider vinegar) (I often use homemade kefir in place of buttermilk)
- Traditional rolled oats for sprinkling
Instructions
- Stir the yeast and sugar into the lukewarm water and let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast is frothy.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast mixture, beer and buttermilk. Stir to combine.
- Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook and knead on the bread setting ("2") for 10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky, loose and not remotely malleable (ie, incapable of being shaped).
- Scoop the dough into a very large non-metallic bowl with plenty of head space (the dough will bubble up). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place (room temperature) for 24-48 hours, depending on how sour you want the bread to be (be sure to ferment it for at least 24 hours to ensure enough of the liquid is absorbed). If you're only letting it ferment for 24 hours we recommend first soaking the whole rye berries overnight before using them (drain thoroughly).
- Line a 9x5x3 inch bread loaf pan with parchment paper (SEE NOTE). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Scoop all of the dough into the lined bread pan, pressing down as needed. (It's a lot of dough but it will fit.) Brush the top with water and sprinkle over evenly with the rolled oats.
- Bake on the middle rack for 100-120 minutes or until the center is done. For best and most accurate results use an and aim for an internal temperature of 210 degrees F.
- Let the loaf cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan. Let the loaf cool completely before slicing. Keep stored in an airtight container. To prolong its shelf life I recommend storing it in the refrigerator or freeze part of it if you know it will take you a while to go through it.
Notes
* You can substitute water or more buttermilk for the beer
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet January 28, 2016
Brian says
What amount of rye berries need to be ground to make 2 1/2 cups of rye flour?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Brian, I haven’t measured it – I just pour a half cup or so of rye berries into the grinder at a time, measure the flour as it comes out and keep adding more berries until I have the amount I need.
Brian says
Thanks. I will try that. I was concerned about measuring by volume since the flour from the mill is so fluffy.
My wife is dying to try this bread.
Your photo of the bread is why she approved the Komo mill purchase.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m excited that you guys got the KoMo – you’re going to love it! Yes, so what I do with that flour that comes directly out of the mill is push it down so it’s compact before I measure it. I’ll fill it into the measuring cup and press it down with my fingers and keep adding more until it’s full. Happy baking and let us know how it goes!
Brian says
It came out great. Wow! It is a substantial loaf. >4lbs!
We will be enjoying it for a while.
Thanks for posting this recipe and your helpful answers to my questions.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s terrific, Brian, I’m so glad to hear it – thank you! To prolong its shelf life I recommend storing it in the fridge. You can also freeze it.
Lauren says
Thanks Kim. It turned out beautifully. Just a bit moist/dense even after more time in the oven. I went slightly wrong somewhere in the recipe. Once toasted it’s perfect!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lauren, that’s awesome, thank you! Yes, it may just have to do something with switching out the ingredients and their different capacities to absorb moisture.
Lauren says
I was thinking of using course rolled oats. Could that work?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lauren, I think that will work just fine. Happy baking!
Lauren says
Can I exchange the rye berries for oats?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lauren, do you mean whole oat groats/berries or the flattened oats? You can definitely substitute them for the whole oat groats. Flattened oats “should” work too but I haven’t tried it.
Suzie clark says
I would love to make this authentically w sourdough. Has anyone done it and how did you adjust the recipe ?
Annelise says
I’ve been looking for an easy rugbrød recipe and this looks delicious! I had brought back a rye bread mix from Denmark when I was there in March, but when I pulled it out of my cupboard…it appears tiny bugs got to it first (packaging was paper – flour bugs? expiration was 2/2017). The packaged mix requires the liquid and yeast, rise for an hour and then bake. If I used your recipe and didn’t let it set for 24-48 hours (because I’m impatient), would it still work if I baked it after a short rise time? Thanks for your help! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Annelise! That’s a shame about your bread mix, I’m sorry to hear that. Yes, a shorter rise should still work, you just want to let it sit long enough to ensure that the whole and cracked grain berries become saturated and softened. I would still recommend let the dough sit for a least the full day (morning and then bake in the evening). The other factor is that it won’t rise as much if you don’t let it sit as long. So really if you can muster the patience I recommend waiting until about the same time the following day :)
Victoria Miles @ Pleasant Kitchen says
You deserve it. Have a great weekend!
Irene says
Thanks Kimberly! I’ll try with regular then :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Irene, my only recommendation is to get one that has a flavor you like, otherwise, if you get a bad-tasting beer, your bread is going to taste like it :)
Irene says
Hi, your bread looks amazing. I tried once in Denmark and want to make it for my family. Could you please clarify what yeasty beer means? Is it any beer? We live in Singapore and I haven’t seen yeasty beer on the market.
Many thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Irene, most beers are filtered to remove yeast but there are some microbrews and European brews that don’t filter them. It honestly isn’t critical to have a “yeasty beer” for this bread, I’ve made it many times with regular beer and it turns out perfect. IF you have easy access to it then you can go with the yeasty stuff. Happy baking and let us know how it turns out!
Valerie Gaarde says
Hi Kimberly,
The link in your description for the Parrish Magic Line bread pan is for a 16 x 4 inch pan. Just wondering if Amazon may have changed the product for that link.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but have been experimenting with quite a few Danish Rye bread recipes from the web with mixed results. Most of them have used sour dough starter and it seems to be hit or miss with getting the bread to rise properly. All have tasted great but have been a little flat.
The pans I have been using that I bought while living in Denmark are 13 x 5 x 3
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe but need to get the proper pan first. Any suggestions?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Valerie, thanks for letting me know. Yes, it looks like it’s not available right now, hopefully that will change. Very honestly, any 9x5x3 pan will do. Aluminum is just often recommended for baking because of the way it conducts heat. You can try 1 1/2 times the recipe and use your 13x5x3 pan. There may be a little dough leftover once you fill the pan. I really like the longer pans and it’s actually what I use the most for these kinds of heartier breads.
Stina Collin says
Hi, I just made this bread and it taste like nice rye bread, but soaked in beer :/ I dont know what went wrong. You have any ideas? Best wishes from Sweden
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Stina, greetings to Sweden! The strength of the beer flavor will depend on the kind of beer and the brand of beer you use. If you prefer, use a very light, mild-flavored beer and the flavor will be more subdued.
Keun says
My husband is from Denmark, I love love love this bread. So I decided to bake one. Found couple of recipes from youtube and even made sourdough from scratch just to follow old fashion way. Failed! Then I found your easy recipe a few days ago. So excited to try, it looks perfect, smells perfect, but tastes really really really weird. Like gluestick. Texture was bit wet. Then I noticed I used 1 bottle of beer instead of 1 cup. Duh.. And also I used 13x4x4 pan since that’s the one I already have. However it makes me think even though I pour 1 cup beer instead of 1 bottle, it would still taste funny. I am so confused and sad. What do you think went wrong? shoud bake longer time?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Keun, that is strange! If it smelled great I’m not sure why it would have tasted weird. Without actually tasting it I’m afraid I can’t troubleshoot it and try and guess what may be wrong. I’m assuming that you didn’t use any expired or stale/rancid grains or nuts and that you used a decent tasting beer (all of those factors will make a huge difference). No, the baking time wouldn’t change the flavor. How long did you let the bread sit at room temp?
Keun says
that’s what was so weird about my bread. it smelled perfect! felt perfect! but when I sliced it, it was little bit sticky wet in the center. I left it in room temp for 24hr before I put it in the oven. it was bubbly as it supposed to be…. I was totally heart broken.
So went out and bought all new fresh ingredients yesterday. ;-) hope this time will be better. so far, it has been sitting for 12 hr, not risen up much, about 150% of it’s original dough size. worrisome. will see.
btw any preference of beer? whats your favorite brand?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Keun, the stickiness issue will have been because you used the whole bottle of beer instead of one cup. So that shouldn’t be an issue again. Also, the dough isn’t going to rise a ton, that’s not a problem. I’m afraid I’m far from knowledgeable about the various brands of beer, I don’t drink it I just occasionally cook and bake with it. I just know that some brands have tasted simply awful in the finished product while others have enhanced the final flavor. Let us know how this batch turns out! I’ve made this recipe close to ten times now and we love it. One final thing about the moistness of the bread: While it shouldn’t be remotely sticky wet in the center (again, that was a problem of too much liquid), this isn’t as dry of a bread as typical breads bread, and has a similar texture to dense whole-grain pumpernickel bread.
Keun says
Hi again! the good news is it turned out PERFECT! my husband thanked me hundreds of times for bringing his childhood memory back. ;-) so Thank You for sharing wonderful recipe. the bad news is now he is going to expect me to bake another perfect one. LOL I will try. He also mentioned that it supposed to be a bit wet inside (but my first and second one were glue-y. yuk!) and I think you are right about beer, funny enough I used non-alcoholic beer I occasionally drink (due to breastfeeding) and it brought much better taste.
So Thank you again!!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
YES! Good, I’m so happy to hear it turned out and that your husband was so pleased with the results. The next ones will turn out just as perfectly :) Thanks for the feedback!
mayK says
Hello, this bread looked so good so I baked it yesterday, – with sourdough.. so I finished baking it in one day. Instead of the whole rye berries I used Barley berries/ grains, it’s very high in nutrision and not so hard to chew on, – compared to uncooked rye berries, barley grains looks good in bread too.. And when baking rye breads I always packing or “tucks in” the bread when still warm out of oven in a couple of glass towels and place it in a plastic bag until complete cold, to keep the bread moist, and it shouln’t be cut in before 24 hours :-) the Rye Bread has many rules to follow…
An idea is also to scald some of the rye or wholegrain flour when baking rye breads, then you get the consistency of sourdough bread…and I like to soak both berries and wholegrain flour to gain most of the nutrision.
Thank you for the recipe – this is really a good recipe for all of us bread lovers, it’s just take a little time and patience.
Best wishes for Easter from Norway ~ mayK
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the feedback and the tips, mayK! Barley is wonderful, I agree, and I regularly experiment with a wide variety of grains in bread baking, including barley. Thanks again and Easter greetings to Norway! :)
Melissa says
HI, May! May I asked how you converted it to sourdough? Would love to utilize my starter but am not too familiar with converting recipes.
Stephanie Olsen says
I don’t have a stand mixer – any suggestions?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Stephanie! Yes, get ready for an intense arm workout :) The batter is too soft to knead on the counter and too thick for a hand mixer, so you’ll need to use a wooden spoon and stir at a moderate pace for a long time (the stand mixer kneads it for 10 minutes so you’ll need to do it longer by hand). I’d recommend taking turns with somebody else – that’s what I always used to do when making my Spätzle dough before I got a stand mixer. It was quite the workout :)
Tiffany says
Is the amount of liquid correct? My dough is so runny!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Tiffany, yes it’s more like a very thick batter.