Merete’s Danish Rye Bread, from Susan Nicholls

SECOND UPDATE TO ORIGINAL POST:

Here is my latest favourite version of this always-delicious bread.

Directions:

Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl:

1000 mL dark rye flour 
100 mL rolled oats

150 mL oat bran

325 mL cracked rye flakes 

100 mL sesame seeds

150 mL whole flax seeds

150 mL raw pumpkin seeds (hulled)
100 mL raw sunflower seeds
100 mL slivered almonds
100 mL toasted walnut pieces
50 mL poppy seeds 

1.5 tsp salt

3 tsps baking soda
2 tbsp sourdough starter (not leaven) (http://richlerrecipes.blogspot.ca/2015/07/my-journey-to-sourdough-part-1.html). This is optional. This bread will taste totally amazing without the starter. The starter just adds depth of flavour and gives it a nice edge.

(And check out this link if you want to take that sourdough starter all the way to sourdough bread: http://richlerrecipes.blogspot.ca/2015/07/my-journey-to-sourdough-part-2.html)

Then add 1 litre buttermilk. Mix well (I use a wooden spoon). If the mix seems stiff you can add an additional ¼ cup 2% milk. I never seem to have to add any extra liquid with this version of the recipe.

Bake in two greased loaf pans (I sprayed them with cooking spray) at 350 degrees F until dark brown (about 40 minutes). Allow loaves to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. 

Once the loaves have cooled, wrap in foil and keep in the fridge. This bread is super when you toast it, as all the nuttiness is enhanced. Yum.

FIRST UPDATE TO ORIGINAL POST:

I make this bread all the time now, and have adjusted the recipe numerous times. I just wanted to share my latest favourite version, so here it is!

Directions:

Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl:

500 mL dark rye flour 
500 mL whole wheat flour

100 mL rolled oats

150 mL oat bran

325 mL cracked rye flakes (I sometimes use spelt flakes if I run out of rye flakes)

100 mL sesame seeds

150 mL whole flax seeds

150 mL raw pumpkin seeds (hulled)
100 mL raw sunflower seeds
100 mL slivered almonds (optional)
50 mL poppy seeds (optional)

1.5 tsp salt

3 tsps baking soda

Then add 1 litre buttermilk. Mix well (I use a wooden spoon). If the mix seems stiff you can add an additional ¼ cup 2% milk. I never seem to have to add any extra liquid with this version of the recipe.

Bake in two greased loaf pans (I sprayed them with cooking spray) at 350 degrees F until dark brown (about 40 minutes). Allow loaves to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. 

Once the loaves have cooled, wrap in foil and keep in the fridge.

I hope you like this version too!

ORIGINAL POST:

It has been SO long since I have had the time to post a blog. I started a new job and there hasn't been much spare time to do anything fun. In fact, I am embarrassed to say that I haven't even been cooking all that much. 

Recently I realized that I had been eating cereal for many of my suppers and then I thought about it and realized that I had been a bit lazy in the food preparation department. Yes, I have a new job and yes, our eldest son has baseball FOUR times a week, and yes, our youngest son has recently decided he wants to play lacrosse AND tennis, and yes, I somehow volunteered to be team Manager for one of the baseball teams, and yes, both boys also take karate, and yes, eldest son decided it would be good to try out for shot put and yes, he made the team...and did I mention I have a new job? 

But all that should not stop me from cooking. It really shouldn't. I mean, everyone has to eat, right? One cannot live on cereal alone...at least I think they can't.

So, a couple of weeks ago I was teaching a spin class and got into a conversation about making bread with one of the participants. She told me about a loaf of bread her Danish friend had made for her and about how easy the recipe turned out to be (no yeast = no rising & no kneading). I asked her to send me the recipe. Instead, she delivered a freshly-baked loaf to me (and sent me the recipe later). Thank you Susan!

I decided to make this loaf on Sunday to test it for the blog. Of course, as often happens with me, I didn’t have some of the ingredients. I ran out to Loblaws to look for dark rye flour and cracked rye flakes. They had neither. So I decided to improvise, MacGyver-style.

It was a risk, of course. Baking is not like cooking – it’s more like chemistry. Usually the measurements need to be precise. However, I soldiered on. Below is the original recipe. My edits are in brackets. I think both versions are delicious. Let me know what you think!

And by the way, this is a yeast-free bread so it takes no time at all to make. Oh, and also by the way, since I didn't have the rye flour nor the rye flakes, this recipe (in brackets) is not really for rye bread. Let's call it quinoa bread instead.

Directions:

Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl:

500 mL (2 cups) dark rye flour (I used 1 ½ cups quinoa flour and ½ cup buckwheat flour)

100 mL rolled oats

150 mL bran

325 mL cracked rye flakes (I used oat bran)

100 mL sesame seeds

150 mL flax seeds

500 mL white flour (I used 300 mL white flour and 200 mL whole wheat flour)

1.5 tsp salt

3 tsps baking soda

Then add 1 litre buttermilk. Mix well (I used a whisk). If the mix seems stiff you can add an additional ¼ cup 2% milk. My batter was a bit runny – I could actually pour it into the pans (see photo).

Bake in two greased loaf pans (I sprayed them with cooking spray) at 350 degrees F until dark brown (about 40 minutes). Allow loaves to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Eat while hot with butter if you want to!

Once the loaves have cooled, wrap in foil and keep in the fridge.

This bread tastes best to me when toasted. I tried it with the following combinations – all were delicious:

-       peanut butter and banana

-       mayo, strong cheddar, avocado, cucumber, red pepper, salt and pepper

-       jam and strong cheddar

-       butter

Enjoy! And send me your favourite combination so I can try that as well.