Scandinavians are known for being big bread lovers!   

Besides our famous open-face sandwiches, our breakfasts and evening snacks often consist of hearty breads topped with a variety of meats, cheeses, jams, and vegetables.

What distinguishes breads from Scandinavia is that most often they’re made with whole grains. Making for darker, denser, and—dare I say—healthier breads with more nutrients than those from the southern parts of Europe, where white flour dominates (baguettes, focaccia, ciabatta, etc.).   

Rye bread is particularly popular in Denmark, but Norwegians also love it!

Today begins a trilogy of posts featuring specific breads from the Nordic countries. I hope you will join me in baking them for your family!

What is the history of rye in Nordic countries?

The Vikings were the first to grow this grain, which arrived early in the Nordic countries, most likely from old Russia. They believed that rye gave them increased strength.

Used in both porridge and bread, it became the most commonly used grain in Norway by the Middle Ages.

For many years, the interest in rye declined and it wasn’t grown or used very much. Today’s research on the health benefits of rye in diets and its role in preventing certain illnesses has restored interest in this grain.

Bread baked with rye won’t ever be as light and airy as those made with regular wheat because ray contains a different type of gluten. Rye bread is compact and rather heavy so some people add regular all-purpose flour to the mix.   

Rye bread keeps very well because the fiber content in rye helps the bread remain moist for a long time.  

Rye bread also has a rounder, richer taste than breads baked using only wheat flour. They also take slightly longer to rise, because the dough is heavier to work with and also a bit more laborious.  

All this aside, it is definitely worth the effort!

I’ve included two different recipes for rye bread below. One contains a mixture of rye and white flour, while the other predominantly uses rye, Danish style. 

True classic Danish rye bread typically uses a sourdough starter, but I’ve shared a recipe that uses regular active dry yeast, making it more user-friendly. 

Of course, should you have a sourdough starter, feel free to use that for the extra “tangy,” familiar taste of Danish rye bread.

Both can be made simultaneously quite easily, so test them out and discover which one you prefer!

Norwegian Rye Bread (Norsk Rugbrød)

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

Step 1

2 cups (5 dl) warm water
1¾ cups (250g) whole rye berries
¼ cup (50g) brown flax seeds

Step 2

1 cup (200g) rye flour
2⅓ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
1½ cups (200g) sunflower seeds
1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon maple syrup or dark syrup
1 tablespoon sea salt
1¼ cups (3 dl) water, room temperature

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in Step 1 in the bowl of a stand mixer, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let sit to soak for at least 5 hours, or overnight.

After soaking transfer the seeds to a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop up the mixture. 

The soaked seeds provide a much nicer, deeper flavor and also bind to the dough better.  

Soaking the seeds also provides a nice texture and prevents the seeds and rye berries from absorbing too much water from the dough during the first rising period. 

Next, add all the ingredients in Step 2 except the water. Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and knead on low speed, then add as much water as you need to get a nice consistency of the dough. 

Increase the speed to medium/medium-low and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough should be somewhat sticky but should keep its shape. 

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, about 1½-2 hours. 

Grease two loaf pans (about 1½ quarts), and divide the dough equally between them using a spatula. 

Generously sprinkle the tops with sunflower seeds, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise until they are almost doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Place the loaves on the middle rack and bake for about 50 minutes, until the tops are golden and they give a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. 

If the loaves start to brown too fast towards the end, cover them with parchment paper to prevent the tops from burning. 

Carefully remove the bread from the loaf pans and let cool on a rack. Wait about 2 hours before slicing. 

Enjoy with your favorite pålegg (topping)!

Notes 

You can find whole rye berries in many health stores and gourmet markets, they’re often found in the bulk goods department. 

If freezing the loaves, make sure to cool completely before packing them away.

Danish Rye Bread (Dansk Rugbrød)

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

Step 1

4 cups (400g) dark rye flour
2½ cups (250g) medium or ‘regular’ rye flour
½ cup (100g) rye flakes (see note)
½ cup (1 dl) golden flax seeds
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
3½ cups (8 dl) water, room temperature

Step 2

1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
⅔ cups (1½ dl) water, room temperature
4 tablespoons dark syrup
1⅔ cups (200g) all-purpose flour

For dressing the loaf pans

Scant 1 cup (2 dl) sunflower seeds

Directions

Start by adding all the ingredients in Step 1 into the bowl of a stand mixer and combine well with a wooden spoon. The dough should be fairly wet. 

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let soak for 4-6 hours, or overnight. 

Once the dough has finished soaking, add all the ingredients from Step 2 except the flour. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook and knead on low speed until the mixture is free of lumps.

Slowly start adding the flour and knead for 5-10 minutes on medium-low speed. The dough should be fairly sticky. 

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let sit to rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. 

Line two loaf pans (about 2 quarts each in size) with parchment paper. Divide the sunflower seeds between each and spread evenly over the bottom. 

Divide the dough evenly between the two loaf pans. Use the back of a spoon moistened with water to smooth the tops.

Sprinkle a generous amount of sunflower seeds on top. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm spot for 45 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).  

Place the loaves on the middle rack and bake for about 1½ hours. Baking time can vary depending on your oven, but make sure the breads are cooked through in the middle. 

Cool the bread on a rack for a couple of hours before slicing. 

Notes

If you can’t find rye flakes, you can substitute with cracked wheat, steel-cut oats, oat bran, or even whole wheat flour or additional rye flour. 

The rye bread requires a long time to bake on medium heat to ensure the middle of the bread doesn’t come out raw. If the tops are turning too dark toward the end, cover them with parchment paper.

This rye bread is perfect for freezing!

More Recipes To Try…

Easy No-Knead Bread Recipe

Norwegian Whole Grain Super Bread

Havrebrød – Norwegian Oat Bread