For those of you who’ve mastered the art of lockdown sourdough, Danish rye bread is an appealing variation on a theme. This dense and distinctive loaf, packed with seeds and grains, is particularly good when used as the basis of smørrebrød, Scandinavia’s pretty open-faced sandwiches. Classic toppings include pickled herring and fresh shrimp, although anything goes from beef and horseradish to cream cheese and jam. Smoked salmon and gravadlax are traditionally served on white bread, but in the current circs no-one’s looking.
Ingredients
- 100 ml natural yogurt
- 100 ml water
- 10g yeast
- 1200g rye Flour
- 350g chopped rye seeds
- 33 cl beer
- 2 tbsp dark syrup
- 125g linseed
- 125g pumpkin seeds
- 125g sunflower seeds
Method
Day 1:
Mix together yogurt, 100 ml water, yeast, 1 tsp salt and 100g rye flour
Leave the dough covered for two days on the kitchen table
Day 3:
Dissolve the sourdough in 1 litre of water in a large bowl
Add 2 tablespoons of salt, chopped rye seeds and 600g of rye flour, and mix the mixture into a smooth dough.
Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and let it rest on the kitchen table for a day
Day 4:
Add the beer, syrup, linseed kernels and 500g of rye flour to the batter and stir
Take 300g sourdough and keep in a container with a tight lid for the next baking. The dough lasts about 3 weeks
Grease two loaf tins with butter and add the dough
Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and let it rest on the kitchen table for 2 hours
Heat the oven to 200 degrees
Brush the surface with a little water and bake the loaves on the lowest setting for 1 hour. Increase the heat to 175 degrees and bake the bread for another two hours
Cover with foil if it starts to look too dark
Leave the loaves to cool for half an hour before placing the breads from the tins on a wire rack for further cooling
