Rugbrød - Danish Rye Bread

Sourdough is almost always used as the main base; though the bread may be made exclusively with rye and wheat flour and can contain up to one third whole rye grains. Variants with whole sunflower or other seeds also exist.

Facts
Buttered rugbrød is essentially the base on which the famous Danish open sandwich smørrebrød is created.

When Oprah Winfrey visited Denmark in 2009, she fell in love with rugbrød and recommended its nutritional values back on her TV show in the States. “It tastes like eating a piece of earth,” said Winfrey.

Danes eat rugbrød for breakfast, brunch, lunch and even for supper.
 


Three Danish Rye bread recipes

1. Rye-bread - rugbrød
3 ½ oz (100 g) yeast
1 pint (5 dl) buttermilk
3-4 tablesp. (1 dl) water
About 1 3/4 lb (850 g) rye flour
1 teasp. salt
All the ingredients should be at room temperature before baking.

Heat the buttermilk and water until lukewarm (35° C), stir in the yeast and gradually add the salt and flour. Knead until smooth and shiny, adding a little more water if necessary. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours with no draft.

When raised, knead lightly, transfer to a greased form and set aside for 1 hour to rise again, covering with a damp cloth. Brush with water and bake at 400° F (200o C) for about 1 1/4 hr, brushing now and again with water during the baking.

2. Dark rye bread with yeast:
This rye bread is fast compared with rye bread baked with sourdough. The dough must, however, be given 1 to 2 hours to rise and be baked for about 1 ¾ hours. This amount of dough will fit a 2-liter (2-quart) loaf pan.
50 g (2 oz) yeast
8 dl (3 cups) lukewarm water
900 g (2 lbs.) rye flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. dark syrup
c. 200 g (1 cup) wheat flour


Dissolve the yeast in a little of the water and add the rest. Stir in the rye flour, salt and syrup. Knead the dough with wheat flour until elastic. Put the dough in a greased 2-liter (2-qt.) loaf pan, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. Put the loaf pan at the bottom of a cold oven. Set the temperature at 175 C (350 F) and bake for about 1 ¾ hours. Wrap the bread in a clean dishtowel and cool on a backing rack. It is easiest to slice the bread if you wait until the next day.
3. Dark rye bread with sourdough:
Rye bread baked with sourdough (also called a starter or leaven) stays fresh longer than rye bread baked with yeast. To bake with sourdough, save a little bit of the dough before it is set aside to rise. Then you have the starter for your next loaf. Actually, you only have to make the sourdough once.
Many Danes consider it something of a sport to be able to make bread for years from the same sourdough. It is kept in a glass in the refrigerator and can stay fresh for about 3 weeks. It can be frozen for up to 3 months, taken out 1-2 days before use, and thawed in the refrigerator.

It is easy to bake rye bread once you have learned how, but you must invest a little time in arriving at your own combination of flours, the time needed for the bread to rise, and how long it should be baked.
Sourdough:
125 g (3/4 cup) coarsely ground rye flour
1 dl (2/3 cup) plain yogurt
1 tbsp. coarse salt
Basic dough:
1 portion sourdough
1 litre (1 qt. 2 oz.) lukewarm water
1 tbsp. salt
500 g (3 ¾ cups) whole-wheat flour
500 g (3 ¾ cups) plain wheat flour
Rye-bread dough:
3 1/3 dl (1 1/3 cups) lukewarm water
650 g (5 cups) coarsely ground rye flour
Brush with:
Some oil
Mix together the flour, yogurt, and salt in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 2-3 days until the dough bubbles. To make the basic dough, dilute the sourdough with the water. Add salt, whole-wheat flour, and plain wheat flour. Cover and let the dough rise about 12 hours.
Add the lukewarm water and rye flour to the basic dough. The dough should be so soft that it cannot be kneaded with the hands. (You can take c. 2 dl (1 cup) of the dough as a starter for your next bread.) Pour the dough into a greased 3-liter (3-quart) loaf pan, cover, and let rise for 10-12 hours.
Brush the bread with oil and prick with a fork. Put the loaf pan in a cold oven. Set the temperature at 180 C (350 F) and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Wrap the bread in a clean dishtowel and cool on a backing rack. It is easiest to slice the bread if you wait until the next day. It freezes well.