Danish Rye Bread

Makes 2 big loaves. You will need to have sourdough starter at the ready.

Day 1, morning:

Feed the starter with water, rye flour, and all-purpose flour to make the leaven. Let it sit at room temperature. The leaven will be ready to use when the leaven is bubbling and smells like beer, after about 8 hours at room temperature. Cover the leaven with a clean towel.

Soak the berries and seeds in water in a large bow (I use 2 bowls because of the big amount). Cover the bowls with large plates. Let them soak at room temperature until the leaven is ready.

Day 1, night:

Set aside 600 grams of the sourdough leaven. Add to the soaked berries and seed. Cover the bowls with large plates. Let the mixture ferment overnight at room temperature .

(Save the leftover leaven and put it in the refrigerator in a sealed container. This will be your sourdough starter for the next batch of bread. It will keep without feeding for about 14 days in the refrigerator. See note below on feeding.)

Day 2, morning:

For the dough, add the salt, coloring and flours to the leaven and seed mixture. Mix thoroughly to make sure all the flour is fully incorporated, Let rise for about 2 hours.

Add the dough to 2 rye bread baking forms. (I use Eva Professionel Rye Bread Tin which holds 3.3 liters).

Let the bread rise for about 1 hour, covered with a clean towel. The longer you let it rise, the more sour the bread becomes.

Poke a few holes with a cake tester or a knitting needle, to prevent the crust from rising and cracking.

Brush the bread with water and sprinkle with your favorite seeds.

Place the baking form in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bread from the baking forms, spray with water on all sides and place them back in the oven directly on the rack for about 1 hour, while the oven cools.

Take the bread out and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. This will help soften the crust. Let bread cool completely. It’s best to wait cutting the bread until the next day.

Enjoy the bread with your favorite deli meat or cheese.

Note: When feeding, discard half of the sourdough/starter and add ½ cup rye flour, ½ cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup water. Mix well, and let ferment for about 8 hours at room temperature.