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A person slicing a loaf of milk rye bread on a wooden cutting board.
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5 / 2 votes

Milk Rye Bread

This milk rye bread, made with rye and bread flours along with milk and molasses and other pantry ingredients, has a subtle rye flavor and is slightly sweet. And it's simple enough for novice bakers. Here's how to make it.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time12 hours 30 minutes
Course: Sides
Cuisine: American
Servings: 32 slices (2 loaves)
Calories: 137

Equipment

  • Two 9-by 5-inch (23-by 8-cm) standard loaf pans or two 9-by 4-inch (23-by 5-cm) Pullman pans

Ingredients

For the sponge

  • 2 1/2 cups medium rye flour*
  • 1 1/4 cups warm water (105°F | 40°C)
  • 7/8 cup Rye Sourdough Starter

For the milk rye dough

  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons unsulphured dark molasses
  • 3 1/3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
  • 3 1/2 cups medium rye flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seed
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • Vegetable shortening or butter, for the pan
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the sponge

  • In a large bowl, mix the sponge ingredients by hand until incorporated, cover, and ferment at room temperature overnight, 10 to 12 hours. The sponge will be very bubbly, have a clean sour smell, and will have doubled in volume.

Make the dough

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sponge, milk, beaten egg, and molasses and mix at medium-low speed until incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flours, yeast, caraway seed, and salt. When the dough starts coming together, after about 2 minutes of mixing, switch to the dough hook and continue mixing until evenly blended, 6 to 8 minutes. Cover and ferment at room temperature until doubled in size, 45 to 90 minutes.
  • Generously butter two 9-by 5-inch (23-by 8-cm) standard loaf pans or two 9-by 4-inch (23-by 5-cm) Pullman pans.
  • Use a plastic dough scraper and floured hands to transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface, taking care not to handle it any more than necessary. Divide the dough into 2 portions, each weighing about 2 pounds (900 grams). Gently shape each piece into an oblong and place each in a loaf pan. Cover and proof at room temperature until the top of the dough rises above the edge of the pan, 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) with the oven rack in the middle position.
  • Bake until the tops of the loaves are a deep golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 198°F (92°C), 30 to 38 minutes. Remove from the pan, move to a rack, and cool completely before slicing.

Notes

*Why is rye good for a sourdough starter?

Whether you're planning to bake rye bread or just adding rye flour to your sourdough starter, you likely know that rye is a top choice for feeding anything that ferments. Rye uniquely attracts many more yeasts than other flours, it becomes particularly active when introduced to sourdough, and ferments much faster. This makes it an easy choice to add to your sourdough to see some activity and rise in a shorter period of time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 229mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g