Rye Bread

Rye bread is a simple yeast-leavened bread that is made using a combination of rye and wheat flour. The darkness and flavour of the bread depends on the colour of the rye flour and the amount of rye flour used in relation to the wheat flour. Rye flour does not contain much of the protein that promotes gluten development, so the addition of wheat flour allows the bread to rise. When rye flour is used alone, the dough is very sticky and difficult to handle, and the loaf is very heavy and dense.

Light rye bread has a relatively high proportion of wheat flour and is ideal for sandwiches, particularly with roast beef, salt beef, pastrami, or ham and cheese. It is also good with smoked fish. Dark rye bread, such as the German pumpernickel, is better sliced very thinly and served as open sandwiches, with smoked ham, cheese or smoked fish.

Polish Rye Bread

Polish rye bread usually includes caraway seeds, which provide additional flavour. The bread may be made with a course grind of rye meal to produce a dark rye, or it may be prepared using a finer grind of rye with a high proportion of wheat flour to produce a lighter, less dense loaf. Polish rye is particularly good when served with hearty soups and stews.

Swedish Rye Bread

Swedish rye tends to be lighter in texture and flavour than many other northern European rye breads Prepared as a loaf-shaped hearth bread, it has a soft crumb and a slightly sweet flavour, with a hint of molasses.