Light Caraway Rye Bread For the Bread Machine

Rye Bread for the Bread Maker literally takes 5 minutes to put together and is so much tastier than store bought!

There are several types of rye bread. Each bread is suitable for a different purpose.

This light rye bread is great for sandwiches, toasting and just eating warm out of the oven!

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Look at the gorgeous texture this bread has! It is so firm, yet airy! The crust is nice and crunchy too.

I hate the bread you by at the grocery stores now. It does not even resemble bread. There is no flavor or texture. Just empty calories, in my personal opinion.

This homemade rye bread is great for traditional sandwiches like the Reuben Sandwich or a simple ham and cheese with spicy brown mustard. It’s also fantastic toasted with a slathering of butter on top.

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The Origins of Rye Bread

It may be due to my German heritage that I am crazy for rye bread.

According to the NY times, the quote on the wall outside of the Berlin baker’s guild’s directors office is, “Holy and eternal is bread. It keeps you from hunger and misery. The Creator himself gave it to us. He who dishonors bread dishonors life itself.”

Rye bread, in particular, is beloved in Germany. Light rye, dark rye or pumpernickel, they all have a different flavor and purpose.

What you need for light rye

• water
• vegetable oil or olive oil
• egg
• salt
• white sugar or light brown sugar
• rye flour
• white bread flour
• vital wheat gluten
• caraway seeds
• yeast

What you need for dark rye (pumpernickel)

• water
• vegetable oil
• blackstrap molasses
• salt
• rye flour
• bread flour or substitute all purpose flour
• whole wheat flour
• vital wheat gluten
• dry milk powder
• caraway seeds
• cocoa powder
• yeast

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Making bread without a bread machine isn’t difficult, but using a bread machine frees up your time to do other things.

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Making Rye Bread in a Bread Machine

For dough only

1. Add water to machine insert.
2. Then add oil and eggs.
3. Next salt.
4. and sugar.
5. Then bread flour,
6. rye flour,
7. vital wheat gluten.
8. Finally add yeast. Make an indentation in the flour and add the yeast in the hole. Then set machine on the dough cycle.
9. Let it go until the bread is done kneading and rising.

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Baking bread in oven

• Carefully remove the bread pan from the machine so that you don’t get burned.
• When the dough is finished, remove it to a bowl, coated with oil and roll dough around. Punch dough down. Cut the dough in half and shape into loaves, if doing 2 pounds of dough.
• With the seam side down, place each half in an oiled 5″x 9″ loaf pan. Cover with a dry clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until loaves have risen to the top of the bread pans.
• Let dough rise until doubled. Preheat oven.
• Place bread pans in oven. Bake.
• Once bread is done, (See tips below.) Cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove from bread pans and continue to cool on rack until cool.
• Once bread has risen place in the center of a preheated 350°F oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown and internal temperature is approximately 190°F.

Pro tip: Turn your oven on low heat and place the bread near the vent for the oven. Then cover it and let it rise. Do not place the pan directly under the vent, just near it. Turn the pans around occasionally to get even rising. The bread will rise faster.

I always just run the dough cycle for bread because I don’t like a square bread with a hole in one end from the paddle. You can cook the bread in your machine, if you would prefer.

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Running the bread through a bread cycle

• To bake the bread in your machine, add all of the ingredients in the order given. When adding the yeast, make a small dent in the flour and pour the yeast in the depression.
• Start your machine on the rye bread setting, if your machine has one. If it does not refer to your machine’s owners manual.
• Let the bread machine finish the baking cycle.
• Carefully remove the bread pan from the machine so that you don’t get burned.
• After about 10 minutes, remove bread and the paddle. Cool on wire rack.

Tips for testing bread doneness

• Sight. Is your bread golden brown?
• Rap test. Rap the bread in the center with your knuckle. If the bread sounds hollow, it’s done.
• Temperature. All breads should be cooked to 190°F / 90°C

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If you have a newer bread machine, and you like the shape of the bread, by all means, go ahead and cook it in your bread machine, as well!

To make it by hand or with a stand mixer.

Alternately, you can do this rye bread by hand, or in your mixer, as well.

The mixer with a dough hook will do all of the work that the bread machine will do, except rise and bake the bread.

• Follow the steps above for the bread machine, instead placing ingredients in the mixer bowl.
• With dough hook attached, knead dough about 5 minutes until smooth and soft dough forms.
• Divide dough and shape into loaves.
• With the seam side down, place each half in an oiled 5″x 9″ loaf pan. cover with a dry kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until loaves have risen to the top of the bread pans.
• Once bread has risen place in the center of a preheated 350°F oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown and internal temperature is approximately 190°F.

To make the bread by hand, use the above steps to make it in the mixer except the dough should be kneaded for 15-20 minutes until dough is smooth and silky.

How to store bread

Since fresh homemade bread has no preservatives, it will not last as long as store bought breads.

Always store fresh bread in a close paper bag on the counter at room temperature. Never refrigerate bread. Never store in a plastic bag. That will ruin the crust texture. Bread will store on the counter for 2-3 days.

If bread gets a bit hard, you can lightly sprinkle the crust with water. Wrap in aluminum foil. Heat it in the oven at 250°F / 120 °C for about 5 minutes. It will get nice and soft again.

If bread gets too hard, don’t throw it away. Make homemade croutons.

For longer storage, wrap bread in freezer paper and then place it in a large freezer plastic bag. Can be frozen 2-3 months.

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This fresh, homemade rye bread is one of our favorite breads. If you love the taste of rye, you have to this Knekkebrod. It’s a crispy flatbread with both rye flour and oats and it’s so delicious.

Other Delicious Bread Recipes

• Brioche
• English Muffins
• Honey Cornbread
• Zucchini, Onion Cheese Bread
• Cozonac

Tools I Use to Make Rye Bread

Contains affiliate links, for full disclosure, see FTC Disclosure, here.

• bread machine
• my favorite yeast

Check out the wonderful home made Reuben Sandwiches that we made with this tasty rye!

Also this YouTube Video will take you through the step by step assembly of these great sandwiches!

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Please ask any questions or share your comments in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.

I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.

Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and purchase something. See FTC Disclosure, here.

Originally Published 04/2016 Updated with new content 1/22/2022