Seeded Rye Bread

Beautiful to look at and even more satisfying to eat this Seeded Rye Bread recipe has been tested multiple times to ensure you get the most reliable results. With its rustic crust, this artisan bread is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a slightly chewy texture. It tastes nutty, subtly tangy and full of flavor. A hearty and healthy loaf, it’s a perfect balance of rustic and refined.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword artisan bread, rustic bread, rye bread, Seeded Rye Bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Rising Time 2

Total Time 2 55

Servings slices

Calories 213kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

For the rustic bread

2 cups bread flour (312 grams)
1 cup rye flour (140 grams)
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt (10 grams)
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (7 grams)
½ cup mixed seeds (65 grams), we used a combination of pumpkin, sunflower, flax and sesame
2 tablespoons honey (42 grams)
1 ⅓ cups warm water plus 1 tablespoon (325 grams)

For the topping

4 tablespoons mixed seeds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl add the flours, yeast and salt. Mix to combine. Add the mixed seeds and mix again to combine.
Add the honey to the warm water and stir to combine then pour into the mixing bowl. Use a danish whisk or wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together. It will be quite sticky. Use your hands to give the dough a couple of good squeezes if it’s too difficult to mix with a whisk. You are looking to make sure that all the dry ingredients have moistened. Check there is no loose flour at the bottom of the bowl.
Use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl for approximately 5 minutes.
Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave somewhere warm to rise until doubled in size. This will take between 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the temperature. This first rise is called bulk fermentation and it is fine to do at room temperature however, if time allows we recommend putting the bowl into the fridge and allowing to prove overnight as this will greatly improve the flavor of the bread.
When the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 425ºF. Prepare a dutch oven or bread cloche by lining it with lightly floured parchment paper. Alternatively, you can use a large baking sheet if you don’t have a suitable lidded pot.
If your bread has been in the fridge overnight then leave it on the counter for an hour so that it can come to room temperature. Using your hands shape the dough into a tight ball. You can do this by pulling sections of dough from the outside edge up and into the center.
Transfer the dough to the prepared pot/baking sheet. Scatter the 4 tablespoons of mixed seeds over the top of the bread and use your hands to lightly press them on to the dough. Leave to rise for 30 minutes.
Just before baking, use a sharp knife to make a cut about ½ inch deep down the center of the bread.
Put the pot/baking sheet in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. If using a lidded pot remove the lid 5 minutes before the end of baking time as this will ensure you get a lovely golden crust. If baking on a sheet and the bread is browning too quickly you can loosely cover it with some foil. To check for doneness lift the bread up and tap it underneath, if it sounds hollow it is properly baked. If you have a digital thermometer the internal temperature should be between 200–210°F (93–99°C) when it’s fully baked.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 3-4 hours before slicing.

Notes

Instant yeast - also known as rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast does not need to be activated before use. You can mix it directly into the dry ingredients.
A digital scale is a good tool for bread baking. As described above this recipe card, we made (and tested) this recipe several times and precise measurements are needed. We have worked out the quantity in volume (in US cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons) for those that don’t have a scale but if you do we recommend you use the exact measurements provided in grams.
The water amount is a very important component of this recipe: 325g is the same as 325ml since 1g of water is 1ml. This equates to 1 cup + ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon.
Rye flour is low in gluten so we recommend combining it with bread flour as the gluten in bread flour will add structure to the bread. We have not tested this recipe by substituting bread flour with all purpose. Bread flour will definitely produce a better, chewer artisan loaf with the proper texture.

Nutrition