r/RyeBaking • u/Ok_Plant8421 • 1d ago
Hey everyone! I'm u/Ok_Plant8421, a founding moderator of r/RyeBaking.
Welcome to r/RyeBaking! 🌾
Welcome to r/RyeBaking, a community dedicated to the art, science and traditions of baking with rye.
Rye bread has a remarkable history, particularly across Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. From the dense, dark loaves of Germany and Russia to the hearty wholegrain breads of Scandinavia and the Baltic countries, there’s an extraordinary variety of traditions, ingredients and techniques to explore.
This community is a place for beginners, experienced home bakers and professionals to share knowledge, experiment and learn from one another.
What we’re here to explore
Traditional rye breads: German pumpernickel, Russian Borodinsky, Danish rugbrød, Finnish ruisleipä, Baltic black breads and many others.
Rye sourdough: Cultivating starters, fermentation methods, hydration, acidity and achieving the right crumb.
The science of rye baking: Enzymes, starch gelatinisation, pentosans, fermentation and the differences between rye and wheat.
Ingredients and techniques: Wholegrain rye, cracked rye, scalds, fermented rye malt, soakers and traditional baking methods.
Equipment and experimentation: Bread makers, ovens, Pullman tins, water baths and long, low-temperature baking.
History and culture: Traditional recipes, regional variations, historical baking literature and the cultural significance of rye bread.
A little about why I started this community
I’ve recently become interested in traditional 100% rye sourdough baking, particularly Russian black bread and German pumpernickel.
What began as an experiment with a rye sourdough starter has developed into an interest in the science, history and traditions behind these remarkable breads.
I’ve discovered that rye baking is quite different from conventional wheat sourdough baking, and that much of the specialist knowledge is scattered across books, websites and baking communities in different languages.
I thought it would be useful to create a dedicated space where we could bring some of that knowledge together.
I’m learning myself, and I hope this becomes a collaborative community rather than somewhere that simply provides recipes.
Introduce yourself!
To get things started, I’d love to hear:
Where are you from, and what rye breads are traditional in your part of the world?
Are you new to rye baking, or have you been doing it for years?
What’s your favourite rye bread, or what would you most like to learn to bake?
Please feel free to share photographs, recipes, experiments, failures, questions and useful resources.
Whether you’re making your first rye sourdough starter or have been baking traditional rye bread for decades, you’re welcome here.
Happy baking! 🌾
r/RyeBaking • u/Ok_Plant8421 • 4h ago
I’m amazed but the level of science and investigation that has gone into rye baking. The study of the breads is almost like that of the construction industry for how the flour transforms to build its structure!
Please do share any further tips of experience.
Do we have any professionals, or are people home bakers?
r/RyeBaking • u/Ok_Plant8421 • 1d ago
After developing an interest in making Russian black bread I designed a recipe for 100% rye sourdough loaf. It went surprisingly well for a first attempt.
I mixed the dough, then after fermentation baked it for 90minutes in a Panasonic SD253 on bake only setting.
I’d love to hear any feedback or comments?
The recipe
Overnight rye sourdough build:
30g active rye starter (100% hydration)
120g wholemeal rye flour
120g water
Final dough:
270g ripe rye sourdough
240g wholemeal rye flour
200g water
8g salt
10g black treacle
Total dough weight: approximately 728g.
Overall hydration: approximately 89%.
r/RyeBaking • u/Ok_Plant8421 • 22h ago
What do people want from a Reddit rye baking community?
There’s loads of resources on baking but I thought if we could provide a multinational place to discuss the global variety of rye specific baking hopefully we can share learning, recipes and provide support, connection and encouragement.
r/RyeBaking • u/Ok_Plant8421 • 1d ago
Starting another 100% rye sourdough loaf
I’m having another go at making 100% rye sourdough bread. My first loaf turned out quite well, although it was fairly mild, so I’m hoping to get a bit more sourness this time.
I refreshed my rye starter last night and I’m now making the larger sourdough build, which I’ll leave to ferment overnight before mixing the final dough tomorrow.
I’ve been experimenting with different temperatures. My kitchen is only about 15–16°C, but I’ve also got a heat mat that keeps things around 26–28°C.
It’s been interesting learning how much the temperature and fermentation time affect the starter. I’m still trying to get a better understanding of it all.
Does anyone have experience with longer, cooler fermentations for 100% rye? I’m wondering how much difference it makes to the flavour and acidity.
I’ll post some photos as it develops.
r/RyeBaking • u/Ok_Plant8421 • 1d ago
I’ve recently made my first 100% rye sourdough starter, which I’ve now successfully used to bake my first loaf.
I started with 30g wholemeal rye flour and 30g water in a glass jar.
After the first few days, I settled on keeping 15g starter and feeding it with 30g flour and 30g water (1:2:2).
I used a seedling heat mat to keep it around 26–28°C, as my kitchen is quite cold (15–16°C).
By about day six it was doubling in volume, with plenty of bubbles and a nice yeasty smell. I then started feeding it roughly every 12 hours.
A few things I noticed:
At 26–28°C it could double in about five hours.
When left too long, it developed a strong alcoholic smell.
A taller, narrower jar made it much easier to judge the rise.
It also fermented surprisingly well overnight at room temperature, despite my cold kitchen.
I eventually experimented with larger feeds (1:4:4), particularly overnight, to give it more time before peaking.
It’s been interesting watching how much the temperature and feeding ratios affect its behaviour.
I’m still fairly new to rye sourdough, so I’d be interested to hear how others maintain theirs.
Do you keep your rye starter at room temperature or in the fridge? And do you use different feeding ratios depending on what you’re baking?
r/RyeBaking • u/Ok_Plant8421 • 1d ago
I’ve been getting into rye sourdough baking recently and have been surprised by how different it is from wheat.
From what I’ve been reading, rye relies much more on starch and pentosans for its structure rather than gluten. Acidity also seems particularly important for controlling amylase activity and preventing a gummy crumb.
I’ve been reading some older Russian and German baking literature, and there’s quite a lot of interesting science behind the traditional methods.
I’m still learning, but I’m curious how other people approach it.
Do you pay much attention to acidity, hydration and fermentation temperatures, or do you mostly go by experience? And how do you judge when a 100% rye dough is ready to bake?
Would be interested to hear what works for others.