Caraway Rye Bread

Recipe by PJ Hamel
209 Reviews 4.5 out of 5 stars

When it comes to rye bread recipes, this light, seed-studded loaf is a standout — soft in texture, yet rich with the classic, slightly tangy flavor of rye that makes it perfect for piling high with deli favorites. Corned beef on rye? Absolutely. And if you really want to make a super flavorful loaf of rye bread, there’s a secret ingredient swap that takes this loaf from simple to sensational in the baker's tips, below. This will become your go-to rye bread recipe. 

 
Prep
10 mins
Bake
35 to 40 mins
Total
3 hrs 25 mins
Yield
1 large loaf or 2 smaller loaves
Two slices of caraway rye bread turned into a sandwich, one King Arthur's many rye bread recipes.

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the water, sugar, rye flour and yeast, mixing to form a soft batter. Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes; this allows the rye flour to absorb some of the liquid, making the dough easier to knead.

  2. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix and knead the dough together — by hand, mixer or bread machine — until it's fairly smooth. The nature of rye dough is to be sticky, so don't be tempted to add too much flour.

  3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl or large (8-cup) measure, cover, and let it rise until noticeably puffy, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

  4. Gently deflate the dough, knead it briefly, and shape it into two smooth oval or round loaves; or one long oval loaf. Place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

  5. Cover the loaves, and let them rise until they're noticeably puffy, about 1 1/2 hours. Towards the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350°F.

  6. Just before they go into the oven, spritz the loaves of rye bread with water, and slash them about 1/2" deep. The oval loaves look good with one long, vertical slash; the rounds, with two or three shorter slashes across the top.

  7. Bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes or until a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads 205°F to 210°F. The single, larger loaf will bake for 45 to 50 minutes. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it lightly with foil after 25 minutes of baking.

  8. Remove the rye bread loaves from the oven and transfer them to a rack. While still warm, brush them with melted butter, if desired; this will keep their crust soft.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Don't throw away that dill or sour pickle juice! It's a great substitute for the water in rye bread recipes. Depending on the saltiness of the juice, you'll want to cut back the salt in this recipe to 3/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon.

Baker’s Resources