If you’re a fan of hearty and flavorful bread, then this seeded rye bread recipe is a must-try. Made with a combination of rye flour and all-purpose flour, this bread has a dense and chewy texture that is perfect for sandwiches or toasting. The addition of caraway seeds, adds a delightful crunch and nuttiness to each bite. Fresh Dill gives it a slightly savory flavor. Whether you’re a seasoned bread baker or just starting out, this recipe is easy to follow and yields delicious results.
It is nearly St. Patrick’s Day and Farmer Fred can’t wait to make a Reuben on Seeded Rye with the leftover Corned Beef that we will be feasting on to celebrate the day. Not only does the Rye have gut-healthy prebiotics but the sauerkraut on the Reuben is a filled with probiotics as well. This makes it the ultimate gut-healthy sandwich.
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Key Takeaways:
- Flavorful and Nutritious Bread: Seeded rye bread combines rye and all-purpose flour for a dense, chewy texture, enhanced with caraway seeds for crunch and nuttiness, and fresh dill for a savory touch.
- Gut-Healthy Benefits: This bread pairs perfectly with a Reuben sandwich, offering prebiotics from rye and probiotics from sauerkraut, making it a powerhouse for gut health and mood elevation.
- SIS Tip: For a classic deli rye flavor, use dill pickle juice as a substitute for Deli Rye Flavor. Adding a whole grain bread improver enhances the bread’s texture, making it less crumbly and more structured.
- Neuro-Nutrition Advantages: Rye bread supports brain health with high fiber content, which aids gut microbiome health, and low glycemic index, providing steady glucose release for cognitive focus.
- B Vitamins Boost: Rich in thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, rye bread contributes to energy production, neurotransmitter support, and overall brain and nervous system health.
- Easy Recipe Steps: With simple ingredients and instructions, this recipe is suitable for both novice and seasoned bread bakers, yielding a loaf perfect for sandwiches or toasting.
Overview
If you’re craving a hearty, wholesome loaf that’s as good for your gut as it is for your taste buds, this Seeded Rye Bread is the perfect bake. Combining the robust earthiness of rye flour with the structure of all-purpose flour, this bread is chewy, dense, and layered with the nutty crunch of caraway seeds and the savory brightness of fresh dill. It’s especially delightful as the base for a gut-healthy Reuben sandwich, pairing beautifully with probiotic-rich sauerkraut and leftover corned beef—a timely treat around St. Patrick’s Day. Not only does this loaf support digestion with its high fiber content and low glycemic index, but it also fuels your brain with essential B vitamins and steady glucose release for mental clarity. Even better, this recipe is approachable for both seasoned bakers and beginners, with helpful tips like substituting dill pickle juice for deli rye flavor and using whole grain bread improver for perfect texture. Whether you’re baking for health or flavor, this seeded rye delivers both in every bite.
SIS Tip - Simple is Smart Tip for Seeded Rye Bread
The SIS Tip for Seeded Rye is to use dill pickle juice to give your loaf of seeded rye bread that deli rye flavor. In the recipe I used King Arthur Baking Companies Deli Rye Flavor and Rye Bread Improver to give my loaf of bread that “classic” deli rye flavor. However most people don’t have these ingredients just hanging around in their pantry so dill pickle juice is an excellant substitute. However, I still recommend some whole grain bread improver from King Arthur as it will improve the texture of your rye bread and you can use it in all of your whole grain bread recipes. I use it in my 100% whole wheat recipe to make a soft, dense, chewy loaf that doesn’t crumble.
Neuro-Nutrition Nugget - Rye
Rye bread, a delicious and nutritious alternative to traditional wheat bread, offers a host of health benefits for both your brain and body. It is a a tasty and satisfying choice for sandwiches and toast and contains several key nutrients that can support your overall well-being. One of the main reasons rye bread is considered healthy is its high fiber content. Rye bread contains insoluble fiber that is food for our gut microbiome. In addition, fiber can help prevent constipation, which in turn supports a healthy brain and body. A study reported in Nutrition Journal indicated that rye bread elevates our mood by helping to keep our gut healthy. Our gut makes up to 90% of the serotonin in the body. Serotonin is our feel-good, be-happy neurotransmitter.
Not only does fiber aid in digestion, but it also helps to regulate blood sugar levels, which is important for maintaining stable energy levels throughout the day. Our brain needs a steady supply of glucose and rye bread breaks down slowly to deliver its energy to our brain and body. Without a consistent glucose supply, we have difficulty focusing, concentrating, and remembering.
In addition to its fiber content, rye bread is a good source of various vitamins and minerals that are essential for brain health. B vitamins, for example, play a crucial role in supporting cognitive function and maintaining a healthy nervous system. Rye bread contains significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin – all of which are important B vitamins. These vitamins help convert food into energy, support the production of neurotransmitters in the brain, and promote overall brain health.
Rye bread is also known for its low glycemic index (GI) compared to other types of bread. So it may help you loose weight. The GI measures how quickly carbohydrates are digested and absorbed by the body, affecting blood sugar levels. Foods with a low GI are digested more slowly, providing a steady release of energy over time. This is particularly beneficial for brain health as it helps to maintain stable glucose levels in the brain, which is the primary source of energy for this vital organ.
Ingredients:
- Organic Bread Flour
- Organic Medium Rye Flour a substitute would be pumpernickle or a light rye flour.
- Instant Yeast I used SAF Red Instant Yeast
- Sea Salt
- Deli Rye Flavor This gives your loaf of Rye Bread that pungent flavor that we all associate with a great loaf of deli rye bread. If you don’t have deli rye flavor, dill pickle juice is a good substitute.
- Rye Bread Improver or whole grain bread improver. This is important for a nice dense but still soft loaf of rye bread. Without it your bread is crumbly and doesn’t rise as well because it helps the gluten form a more elaborate matrix which allows for the gas produced during fermentation to become trapped giving more lift and lightness to your loaf.
- Honey my favorite bread sweetener and food for the yeast.
- Olive Oil use extra virgin
- Water make sure it is warmed to about 110 degrees F.
- Pickle Juice in place of Deli Rye Flavo. If you don’t have deli rye flavor replace half of the water in the recipe with dill pickle juice.
Step by Step Instructions:
- Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the honey and olive oil to the water. Heat to 110 degree F and add to your dry ingredients. If you are using half pickle juice add the pickle juice to the water.
- Mix on low until moistened and then increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 7 more minutes.
- Place dough in a bowl and let it double in size in a warm place.
- Shape into 2 smaller loaves or one large loaf. You can use two loaf pans if you want your loaf to be sandwich bread shaped.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cover and let the loaf rise. Once the loaf is doubled in size slash the top and bake immediately in a 350-degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until the internal temp is 190 – 210 degrees F.
- Cook on a wire rack, slice and enjoy.
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FAQ:
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Rye Bread
Equipment
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- To see the ingredient amounts in metric units, click the blue "METRIC:" button between the ingredients and the instructions for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1⅓ cups medium rye flour
- ¼ cup Rye bread improver
- 1-2 tsp deli rye flavor
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped dill weed.
- 1 tbsp SAF instant yeast (1 pkg)
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 1½ cups warm water 110℉ see notes
- 1 tbsp Honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add all of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the honey and oil to the water or water plus dill pickle juice.(see notes below) Add the water mixture to the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl.
- Mix on low with the stand mixer until combined.
- Then increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for seven minutes.
- The dough should be soft and slightly tacky.
- Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm (75 - 80℉) warm area. If your kitchen is cool place a bowl of warm water in your oven and put the bowl with the dough in your oven to rise. Alternatively turn on the oven light and place the bowl near the oven light.
- Once the dough has doubled, lightly deflate and make one large loaf or two smaller loaves of bread. Put the loaves on a parchment lined baking sheet. If you prefer, put the loaves into two lightly greased 8½ X 4-inch loaf pans.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and put a baking steel in the oven.
- Once the loaf has doubled in size, Create 3 slashes in the top of the load with a knife or Bread Lame.
- Bake at 350℉ for 30 to 40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf is between 190 to 210 ℉.
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