Danish Rye Bread
Danish Rye Bread is an essential ingredient at a Smorgasborg. It’s quite the process to make it but well worth it in the end.
For The Starter
1 1/2 Cup Rye Flour
1/2 Cup Wheat Flour
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt, divided
1 1/4 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Water
For the Bread
1 Teaspoon Dry Yeast
1 Teaspoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
1 Bottle of Beer
6 1/2 Cups of Rye Flour
All but 3/4 Cup of the starter (reserve the rest for your next batch)
3 Cups of warm water, divided
2 1/2 Cups Cracked Rye
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 Cup Golden Flax Seeds
For The Starter
In a medium bowl mix together: Rye flour, whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon Kosher salt. Slowly add buttermilk and water until well mixed. Place mixture into a clean, small bowl (a cereal bowl works well). Sprinkle the starter with the remaining 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt, then place a paper towel over the top and store in a cool dark area for seven days. This will allow the starter to ferment and start working.
For the Bread
Add the yeast and sugar to a 1/2 cup of very warm water. Stir with a fork to dissolve. Let sit 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook add: The rye flour, honey, beer, Kosher salt, and the starter, mix to combine.
Slowly add 2 1/2 cups of warm water a 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture is well mixed. This will take about 7 minutes and the mixture will feel and look like cement!
With the mixer on low speed add in the cracked rye, sunflower and flax until just combined.
Pour mixture into a 3 liter bread pan and let sit at room temperature for 6 hours before baking.
Bake the bread at 350* for two hours, every half hour spritz water into the oven.
When you take the bread out of the oven, take it out of the pan and spritz with water on all the sides, then turn the oven off and return the bread to the oven to cool. Once cooled wrap in plastic wrap and store for a day before serving.