My first experience with this hearty, dense-in-a-good-way bread was at a party, served open face, piled high with smoked salmon, creamy butter, shaved cucumbers, and dill delicious! I was inspired to create my own version, so this sourdough is made with mostly with rye flour and filled with plenty of crunchy nuts and seeds. I guarantee you’ll be hooked after just one bite. Try a slice with the suggested serving options or with creamy hummus and juicy tomatoes for a delicious, healthy snack.
About the Dough: Rye flour doesn’t contain very much gluten, so this dough will not become soft and springy after mixing or resting. It’s more like thick, gingerbread cake batter. This dough needs to rest for 24 hours, which will give the finished loaf a wonderful tangy flavor. It can be made in the morning and baked the following day.
Ingredients
- 150 g (¾ cup) bubbly, active starter
- 360 g (1½ cups) warm water
- 20 g (1 tbsp) unsulphured molasses
- 210 g (2⅓ cups) white rye flour
- 150 g (1¼ cups) bread flour
- 30 g (¼ cup) pumpernickel flour
- 5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
- 60 g (½ cup) sunflower seeds
- 60 g (½ cup) pumpkin seeds
- 30 g (¼ cup) flaked almonds
- 4 g (¼ cup) golden flax seeds
- 20 g (2 tbsp) sesame seeds
- Oil, for coating the pan
- Extra seeds, for sprinkling
- Smoked salmon
- Cucumbers, thinly sliced
- Red onions, thinly sliced
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh dill
- A few days before baking, feed your starter until bubbly and active. Store at room temperature until ready to use. Make the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk the starter, water, and molasses together. Add the flours and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. The texture will be noticeably wet and stickand will feel like mud. Add the fillings to the bowl and continue to stir until thoroughly incorporated. Replenish your starter with fresh flour and water, and store according to preference. Bulk rise
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 24 hours, about 70°F (21°C). The dough will increase in size, although it may not double, and will look spongy and bubbly on the surface. Assemble
- Lightly coat a 9 × 5-inch (23 × 13-cm) loaf pan with oil. Scoop the dough into the loaf pan, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Smooth out the surface as best you can. Sprinkle with extra seeds for decoration.
- Cover the dough and let rest until it has risen almost to the top of the pan, about 1½ to 2 hours. The dough will still look thick and dense at this stage.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake
- Bake the loaf on the center rack for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. This loaf won’t rise very much, so don’t panic when you peek through the oven door.
- The top will become golden brown and the sides will pull away from the edges of the pan when ready. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. For best texture, transfer the loaf to a wire rack for several hours to cool completely.
- This Danish rye bread will stay fresh up to 1 week, stored at room temperature and covered tightly in plastic wrap.
