Homemade Sourdough Rye Bread

Hearty rye flavor meets soft, chewy texture in this easy sourdough bread. Mix it in the morning, fold between errands, and you’ll have a loaf is sturdy enough for stacked Reubens but still has a light, open crumb.

Once you’ve made it a couple of times, you’ll have the timing down. Just like all sourdough bread recipes, this one takes some time, but it’s mostly hands-off.

What You’ll Need

Combining rye and bread flours is important to get that nice light crumb, but also be sturdy for sandwiches. And don’t rush it, the long rise will let the rye sugars break down to give a better flavor and texture. You can replace up to 1/2 cup of rye flour with whole wheat flour if you want. You can also add some caraway seeds for a traditional deli rye flavor.

And your Dutch oven has to be preheated. You need it to create and trap the steam for a crispy crust.

This makes 1 loaf with about 16 slices. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, or use metric measurements, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• digital scale
• Whisk, spatula, or wooden spoon
• Dutch oven
• Bench Scraper
• Parchment paper
• Tea towel or plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 100 grams (½ cup) active sourdough starter
• 300 grams (1 ¼ cups) warm water
• 10 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) salt
• 32 grams (2 tablespoons) honey
• 120 grams (1 cup) rye flour
• 360 grams (3 cups) bread flour

How to Make

Step One: Feed Your Starter

You gotta feed your starter about 4-6 hours before you want to bake. I just mix 25 grams of starter with 35 grams each of flour and water. Let it double and you’re good to go.

Step Two: Mix up Wet Ingredients

When you’re ready to make the bread, grab a big bowl and mix your active starter with 300 grams of warm water, 10 grams of salt, and 32 grams of honey. Just stir it all together.

Step Three: Add Flour

First the 360 grams of bread flour, stir it in, then the 120 grams of rye flour.

Mix until it’s all combined and form it into a ball. Cover it and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Step Four: Stretch and Folds

Wet your hands (trust me on this), pick up one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over. Turn your bowl 90 degrees and do it again. Keep going until you’ve done all four sides. Cover and wait 30 minutes. Do this whole thing 3 or 4 times total.

Step Five: The Long Wait

Cover your dough and let it sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours until it doubles. Warmer kitchen = faster rise. Cooler kitchen = longer wait. Just watch it, not the clock.

Step Six: Shape

Once it’s doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Put it on parchment paper.

Step Seven: Preheat Dutch Oven

Put it in your oven and preheat to 450°F. Let it sit at that temp for 20 minutes so it’s really hot.

Step Eight: Score and Bake

Make a few slashes on top with a razor blade, then carefully transfer your dough (parchment and all) into that hot Dutch oven.

Bake covered for 25 minutes, then take the lid off, drop the temp to 375°F, and bake another 25 minutes.

Step Nine: Wait for It

Let it cool for an hour or so before you cut into it. The bread is still cooking inside even after it comes out of the oven.

Serving & Storing

Serve toasted with jam or homemade butter, use for sandwiches for lunch, or as a side with soups, stews.

You can keep it at room temperature for 3 days, store it cut-side down on a cutting board the first day, then move it to a paper bag.

If you want to freeze it, slice it first to make it easier to grab for toast.

More Sourdough Breads For Everyday

• Sourdough spelt bread has a bit of a nutty flavor. Start in the evening, rise overnight, and bake in the morning.
• Sourdough whole wheat sandwich bread is soft an sturdy and my kids love it for lunch.
• Farmhouse white sourdough bread is the kind of bread your grandmother would be proud of.
• We use these crusty sourdough rolls for everything!

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