Why it works: Rye and wheat match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 404 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Rye Bread
four medium sized loavesIngredients
Directions
Make the sponge
Into a quart of warm water stir as much wheat flour as will make a batter as for griddle cakes; then add half a cup of homemade yeast and let it rise overnight.
Mix and shape
In the morning put about four quarts of rye flour in a mixing pan and into this pour the sponge set the night before; also add a teaspoonful of salt and half a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a cupful of lukewarm water.
Make into a smooth dough, adding a little warm water if necessary.
Knead it well, cover and let stand in a warm place for about three hours, then knead again and make into four medium sized loaves.
Bake
Bake for one hour in a quick oven.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Rye | 1 slice (32g) | 83 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Wheat | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Rye + wheattop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together404 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Rye + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,320 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + wheattop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rye flour
- Forms the main body of the loaves, giving a dense, hearty crumb.
- Wheat flour
- Adds gluten to the sponge, giving it enough structure to rise and hold together.
- Yeast
- Ferments the sponge overnight, producing gas that leavens the dough.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidity of the sponge to add lift and help the loaves rise.
The step that matters
Knead the dough well and let it rise in a warm place. Rye flour has little gluten, so thorough kneading and a warm rest are needed to develop enough structure and gas for the loaves to rise properly.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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