Dark Rye Bread
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Learn how to make your own Dark Rye Bread from scratch with my detailed instructions. With deep and aromatic flavor from caraway seeds and molasses, your kitchen will be smelling heavenly as this loaf bakes. Bring out your inner baker!
Dark Rye Bread
Who is ready for some more homemade bread? I’m always up for a challenge! Today I have a classic dark rye bread recipe made rustic and so easy. Just the incredible smell that comes from your oven will have you craving this recipe every week.
So, what are you planning to do with your freshly baked dark rye bread? This loaf was amazing spread with a pat of butter, but it was out-of-this world when I made these classic Reuben sandwiches. Complete with homemade thousand island dressing, these have to be the best sandwiches I’ve ever made!
- Yeast – I used active dry yeast. You can use instant yeast and just mix it straight in with the dry ingredients.
- Water
- Molasses – Blackstrap works best.
- Cocoa powder – Unsweetened.
- Salt – As much or little as you like.
- Vegetable oil – Canola, safflower, of sunflower oils can be used instead.
- Caraway seeds – Whole seeds to give you that classic rye bread flavor.
- Flour – You’ll need rye flour and all purpose flours.
- Cornmeal – Fine ground.
- Proof the yeast: Add the lukewarm water and yeast to the bowl of your mixer equipped with the dough hook, stir and let it dissolve for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make the dough: To the yeast mixture, add the molasses, cocoa powder, salt, caraway seeds, vegetable oil, rye flour, and 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add in remaining flour and keep mixing until it forms a firm dough (about 5 minutes), the dough should come clean from the side of the bowl.
- 1st rise: Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl, spray the dough as well with cooking spray, cover with a clean damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest until it doubles in size in a warm, draft free environment.
- 2nd rise: Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Sprinkle the cornmeal over the parchment paper. Punch down the dough and stretch it from the center to form a ball. Place the ball onto the prepared parchment paper. Let it rise for another 30 to 40 minutes until doubled in size. Once doubled, sprinkle a bit of flour over the top of the dough and cut a few slashes with a sharp knife.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 425 F°. Place a shallow pan (not glass) on the lower rack in the oven. Transfer the bread with the parchment paper on a baking sheet or into a Dutch oven and place in the oven. Pour 1 cup of water in the shallow pan on the lower rack. Bake for 30 minutes until crusty and golden brown.
Why cocoa powder?
You’ll notice that your rye flour is much lighter in color than you might think if this is your first time using it. Without cocoa powder, your bread will be a lighter shade like this rye bread recipe. To get dark rye, you’ll need cocoa to give you that rich brown color.
Fear not! The addition of cocoa powder will not make your dark rye bread taste chocolatey. It used in such a small amount that it will just complement the richness of the molasses and aroma of caraway.
Troubleshooting your dough
My dough isn’t rising
This will be an issue with your yeast. These are the main reasons the yeast didn’t work properly:
- You need new yeast. Even if it hasn’t passed the expiry date, yeast is a living organism and once it dies it will no longer produce the air bubbles you need for your bread.
- The water’s temperature. If it’s too cold the yeast won’t activate properly, and if it’s too hot the yeast will die. Make sure it’s lukewarm to the touch, like baby formula. If you have a thermometer, you’ll want the water to be around 110F/43C.
- Your environment’s temperature. Make sure the dough has a warm, draft-free place to rise. Preheat your oven to its lower temperature and then turn it off. This is a perfect environment for your dough to rise.
My dough is very sticky
The part of the world you live in can made a difference! Even humidity levels inside your home can impact dough. With higher levels of humidity, you may need a bit more flour than someone who lives in a drier climate. This can also become apparent in the rising steps after the dough has had a chance to soak up moisture from the air.
If you need to add a bit more flour than I used to get the right texture, that is totally fine. Just add a little at a time.
My loaf turned out tough
If your dough rose but the loaf tasted dry, crumbly, or tough, this is usually a result of too much flour. I live in a drier climate, so if anything you may have to add more flour to this recipe rather than subtracting any. You just want the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl while still feeling soft and elastic. It’s better for the dough to be a bit too sticky than too dry.
Storing bread
Store your dark rye bread in a breadbox, airtight container, or sealable bag. You can pre-slice the loaf, however I recommend slicing it as you enjoy the bread to keep it as moist as possible. It will last 2-3 days at room temperature or 5-7 days in the fridge.
Freezing
Make sure your dark rye bread has fully cooled down to room temperature before freezing. In this case, store the bread either pre-sliced or whole. Store it in a large freezer bag, an airtight container, or wrapped well with both plastic wrap and foil. It’ll last 3 months.
Thaw uncovered at room temperature, or use your microwave if you have a bread thawing function.
Looking for more recipes to add to your bread baking list?
- Fast and Easy No Knead Bread
- No Knead Skillet Bread
- Irish Soda Bread
- Soft Buttermilk Rolls
- Rye Bread
- Garlic Parmesan Skillet Rolls
- White Bread Recipe
- 2 Ingredient Dough
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Artisan Bread
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Dark Rye Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups water (lukewarm)
- 3 tablespoon molasses
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups rye flour
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal (for dusting)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Add the lukewarm water and yeast to the bowl of your mixer, stir and let it dissolve for 5 to 10 minutes.
- To the yeast mixture, add the molasses, cocoa powder, salt, caraway seeds, vegetable oil, rye flour, and about 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add in remaining flour and keep mixing until it forms a firm dough (about 5 minutes), the dough should come clean from the side of the bowl.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl, spray the dough as well with cooking spray, cover with a clean damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest until it doubles in size in a warm, draft free environment.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Sprinkle the cornmeal over the parchment paper. Punch down the dough and stretch it from the center to form a ball. Place the ball onto the prepared parchment paper. Let it rise for another 30 to 40 minutes until doubled in size. Once doubled, sprinkle a bit of flour over the top of the dough and cut a few slashes with a sharp knife.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F°. Place a shallow pan (not glass) on the lower rack in the oven. Transfer the bread with the parchment paper on a baking sheet or into a Dutch oven and place in the oven. Pour 1 cup of water in the shallow pan on the lower rack.
- Bake for 30 minutes until crusty and golden brown
Notes
- Store your dark rye bread in a breadbox, airtight container, or sealable bag. You can pre-slice the loaf, however I recommend slicing it as you enjoy the bread to keep it as moist as possible. It will last 2-3 days at room temperature or 5-7 days in the fridge.
- Make sure your dark rye bread has fully cooled down to room temperature before freezing. In this case, store the bread either pre-sliced or whole. Store it in a large freezer bag, an airtight container, or wrapped well with both plastic wrap and foil. It’ll last 3 months.
- Thaw uncovered at room temperature, or use your microwave if you have a bread thawing function.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Fabulous rye bread recipe. I add more caraway because I can’t get enough caraway seed. Thank you for a brilliant rye bread recipe! I make this bread often as gifts.
I’m absolutely delighted to hear you’ve been enjoying the Dark Rye Bread recipe, especially with your own caraway twist! Knowing that you even gift it to others is the highest compliment. Thank you so much for your kind words and happy baking!
Made it today
It looks great!
I used the dough hook not the beater on my mixer. I found 30 minutes a touch too long and will shorten it next time. The grill pan from my cooker was ideal to put the water in.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is so good and easy to make! I used bread flour instead of all purpose and it turned out great!
Hi,
I was wondering how to substitute instant yeast?
The only difference is that you don’t have to dissolve it in water, just add it along with the other ingredients and continue on with the recipe as instructed.
Our new favorite rye bread!
Made this as a craving for a nice reuben sandwich. whole family devoured it,have to make it again tomorrow!
Hi Joanna, I’m going to try this recipe, but I’m wondering if using whole wheat flour instead of all purpose would work? Or if I would need to decrease the amount of flour?
Yes, it will work but yeah you may need to decrease the amount a bit or just add some more water.
Hello Bre
Don’t know what you decided in the end but I stuck exactly to the recipe and the result was superb apart from next time I will shorten the baking to 25 minutes.
This is my 1st time to make this kind of bread and it taste delicious. The problem is the crust didn’t turn crispy.
Next time you make this, you can place a pan with water on the bottom rack as you bake the bread, that should help crisp up the crust.
Excellent recipe. I knead it by hand right in a (big aluminum) bowl and use bread flour instead of all-purpose for more stability and rise. A tip: when adding the liquid ingredients add the oil first then use the same tablespoon measure for the molasses. The molasses will flow right out of the spoon.
Great tip!
I would like to use my Dutch oven. I usually preheat the pan, should I with this recipe? Thanks, can’t wait to try it.
Yes, I would preheat it first.
Approximately how long does that first rise take? Just trying to map out how long it will take me overall. Thank you!
It totally depends on your environment, but it could take anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours.
Absolutely excellent recipe! I’m an experienced baker, and this is the best dark rye bread I’ve ever made. I rushed things b/c we had made a wonderful borscht and wanted dark rye to go with it. Baked it in a Dutch oven (Jim Leahy instructions). Also added two cups of cooked farro. Marvelous results. (Well written recipe.)
So glad you liked it!
Can I use Dark Rye Flour?
For sure!
I used Doves Rye Wholemeal
Followed the directions exactly. My husband is raving about it. Thank you.
So glad you guys liked the bread!
Although I have baked a few tea biscuits , I have never baked bread. I wanted to try a little ‘rye’ bread and this recipe popped in with a quick google search. I spent a lot of ‘pre’ time , read and followed the directions to the letter and NAILED it my first time. Wife even loved it. How good is that .. Thank you very much ..
My pleasure, so glad you liked it!