Yakityak's Deli Rye Bread Recipe
This recipe has been up on this website for oh... at least 20 years. When i wrote the original, I was new to bread baking. I'm no master baker now, by any means, but I've made decades worth of challah and raisin walnut wheat bread, so I have a little more experience. So when I decided to make a rye loaf recently, I looked at the recipe and grew a bit suspicious about it... it did not seem ideal. The version below has been adjusted, and is current as of summer 2026.
It bears mentioning that 1) there are two general categories of rye breads, and that 2) rye itself contains no gluten. The two types of rye: there is a 100% (or nearly so) rye bread, which produces a dense, moist, dark crumbly bread that often includes a sourdough starter. Then there's the type of rye bread you get when you order a "hot pastrami on seeded rye with brown mustard, the way God intended." That sort of rye often has a cornmeal crust, and has quite a bit of wheat flour mixed in with the rye. This is known as a "deli" rye, and that's what this recipe is.
Because rye contains no gluten, but does contain a group of polysaccharides known as pentosans, it works with water very differently than wheat-based flours. When exposed to water, rye flour gets gummy and tacky, and does not have the long-strand structure of gluten to allow it to form air bubbles in the dough. You'll notice that I have you use a 4:1 ratio of wheat bread flour to rye, and I have you adding gluten on top of that. All that wheat and the added gluten allow the rye loaf to rise, while still having the flavor of deli rye. That said, it does not knead at all like an all-wheat dough. It's stiff and dense, and is tiring to knead. If you add water to make it looser, the dough will be a sticky mess, and it will spread sideways instead of rising. That said, it's possible that you may need a tinch more water... if the dough tears instead of kneading or does not come together well, you can add a teaspoon of water after at least 5 minutes of kneading. You can do this 2 more times for a total of 3 extra teaspoons of water, but beyond that, if you add more water, you'll likely make something that looks more like what would happen if a flatbread and a deli rye loaf loved each other very much.
This recipe is for a 1 1/2 lb. loaf.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water + 1 tblsp
- 1 tblsp of either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 tblsp. sugar
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 3 cups bread flour
- 3/4 cup rye flour
- 1 generous tblsp. vital gluten
- 1 packet yeast (proof in some of the water and sugar)
- 1 tblsp. caraway seeds
Method
1. Set aside ¼ cup of the water. Combine remaining water (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) with bread flour and rye flour. Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and allow to autolyse 20–30 minutes.
2. Toast caraway seeds in a dry pan, 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Set aside.
3. Proof yeast in the reserved ¼ cup water with the sugar, 5–10 minutes until foamy.
4. Add proofed yeast mixture, vital gluten, toasted caraway, and 1 tbsp vinegar to the rested dough. Knead a few minutes to bring together.
5. Add salt. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes by hand.
6. First rise: cover or set in a closed oven, let rise until doubled, about 1–1.5 hours. It can be helpful to put a cup of warm water next to the bowl if you are using your oven to rise.
7. Punch down, shape into a log. Brush lightly with water, roll in cornmeal to coat.
8. Second rise: cover or set in a closed oven, let rise until doubled, 45 min–1 hour. It can be helpful to put a cup of warm water next to the bowl if you are using your oven to rise.
9. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. (If the loaf is rising in there, remove the loaf and the cup of water before heating the oven up).
10. Right before baking (not during the rise), use a sharp knife or razor blade to make 2–3 diagonal slashes across the top of the log, about ¼–½ inch deep. Angle the blade slightly rather than going straight down. This prevents cracking during baking.
11. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until internal temp reads ~190°F.