Best Russian Rye Bread Recipes

I was inspired to make this bread by one of my great friends back in the UK. Kristina is an amazing chef and baker and has been seemingly working on baking her way around Eastern Europe from the comfort of her home of late. (She herself is from Lithuania) The photos I keep getting are just amazing! When she shared this Borodinsky bread recipe with me I was intrigued – as I’ve never actually had it before. After a little research, I knew I had to give it a go!

Borodinsky bread is a Russian dark rye bread. It’s a very rich and unusual tasting bread and very dark in colour. The bread is made from rye flour and it seems sometimes wheat flour. This recipe however uses just dark rye flour. As with so many traditional recipes there seem to be various different takes on what is the right and wrong method or ingredients.

There are several legends which explain where this bread was originally invented, several of which point to the battle of Borodino as the source. Not really knowing much about Russian history myself I won’t try and go into them!

Malted Rye Sourdough Bread

You need to prepare in advance to make this as you’ll need to make a ‘starter’ at least 5 days before and maintain it in the run up. While it does need some planning it’s actually fairly straightforward to make (don’t let the long list of instructions fool you). The amount of ‘hands on’ time is actually quite minimal. Well, compared to some breads.

The bread is flavoured with coriander and caraway seeds and molasses is combined into the dough. This gives it an almost ‘sweet and sour’ taste (although stronger on the sour).

This bread is perfect for a savoury snack – simply with some butter smeared over the top. As it’s quite strong you wouldn’t want to eat it as part of a sandwich or similar – as it would really overpower the taste.

Pumpernickel Rye Bread Recipe

Borodinsky bread is often eaten with smoked fish or meats which is something that I’ll definitely be trying the next time I make it.

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Complex, rich & extremely flavoursome – this Russian borodinsky bread is flavoured with molasses, coriander seeds & caraway. A perfect savoury snack smothered with butter or served with smoked fish or meats. 

The Reuben On Abigail's Oven Jewish Rye

Make the rye starter – On day 1 mix together the flour and water. Cover with a tea towel, paper towel or paper napkin secured with an elastic band.

By the fifth day you should notice that the starter is very active and has bubbled and grown in size. Transfer to the fridge and keep in an airtight container until ready to use.

Before using, ‘feed’ the starter with 75g of rye flour and 75g of water and leave at room temperature for at least 8 hours but ideally between 12-24.

Jewish Rye Bread From Eastern Europe To Eastern North America

Mix together 75g of the rye starter (after all the instructions above have been followed) with 140g of cold water and 100g of rye flour.

Grease a loaf tin (around 18cm x 8cm x 6cm or 7 in x 3.5 in x 3 in) and then line with baking paper.

Dust a worktop with more rye flour and then tip the dough onto it. Roll it into the flour and shape into a loaf type form and place in the tin. Dust with some more flour

Nordic Whole Grain Rye Bread Recipe

Leave to rise for 3 hours and preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Once risen scatter the crushed coriander seeds over the top.

Place the tin inside the oven and spray around in the oven with some water to add humidity. If you don’t have a spray bottle you can also fill an oven proof bowl with a little water and leave in the bottom of the oven to steam. 

Bake for 40 minutes and then use a clean tea towel to carefully tip the loaf out of the tin and place back in the oven for a further 5 minutes.This recipe for Russian rye bread is easy because it requires no sourdough starter. But that means it won't have the tang you may have come to know and love about ryes. The recipe has its merits, though, and is great for those watching their fat intake because eggs and oil are not in the ingredient list. It's moist but very dense because all rye flour is used. (Typically, rye breads have a certain quantity of whole-wheat or all-purpose flour to lighten them.) The extra yeast in this recipe, however, keeps it from becoming like a lead balloon. To lighten the loaf and give it a crunchier texture, all-purpose flour and rye meal can replace some of the dark rye flour as indicated below.

Black Russian Pumpernickel Bread Mix

For a lighter loaf, use 3 to 4 cups dark rye flour, 1/2 cup dark rye meal, and 1 cup all-purpose flour.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

I don't like this at all. It's not the worst. Sure, this will do. I'm a fan—would recommend. Amazing! I love it! Thanks for your rating!

Artisan Sourdough Rye Bread

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Rye bread video on my channel. I recently made a Belarusian rye which was nice and soft with a sweet & sour flavour. The method for that bread was quite like this one. Although this one is simpler, but just as good.

Cherniy Hleb Recipe (russian Black Bread)

Russian borodinsky bread is a dark rye bread made with a yeast derived preferment or a leaven. I chose yeast for simplicity this time. It is flavoured with malted rye, caraway, coriander seeds, and dark syrup. A small addition of cocoa gives it an extra rich dark colour.

– The preferment which will give the bread a stronger flavour. It is made by simply mixing part of the rye flour with some water and a tiny amount of yeast and leaving it to ferment for 12 hours.

– The scald which is made up of part rye flour, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, and the malted rye. It is mixed with boiling water to gelatinize the starches in the flour and to maximize the flavour of the other ingredients. Ideally you should keep the scald at 65C for several hours, but I left it at room temperature, and it got the job done. If you have a way of keeping it at a stable temperature for so long, then do it because it will improve the texture of the loaf even further.

How To Make Russian Rye Bread, Borodinsky Loaf Recipe

The key ingredient in this recipe is the malted rye. You simply can not make this bread without it. Well, you could but it would taste nothing like it should. To find the rye malt search for ‘fermented rye malt’ on ebay.

*All my ingredients were at room temperature which was around 25C (77F). If your kitchen is warmer or cooler, then adjust the water temperature in the main dough up or down. To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

Leave it to cool down for at least 3 hours. I know it is hard, but it is well worth it. The loaf is still developing during this time. If you cut it too soon it will be gummy inside. Ideally you should leave it overnight.

Black Russian Rye Bread

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

You can find a couple of regular baguette recipes on my channel. They use the exact same principles as this version, so if you have made baguettes...

Unlike most other breads this Tuscan bread contains

Borodinsky Supreme Old School 100% Rye