Germany has over 3,000 varieties of bread. Some are dense, dark and chewy like pumpernickel, and others are light and airy like the morning Brötchen. Bread is a twice a day staple in Germany. The Germans enjoy their morning bread with butter and jam, and their Abendbrot (evening bread/dinner) with a slice of cheese and meat.
This bread recipe is called Kornbeißer Brot, or grain biter bread. It’s a dark rye bread made with rye berries, rye flour, and a large amount of mixed seeds. Unlike many dark rye breads, this one is a simple version that uses yeast instead of sourdough, so its perfect for a beginner bread baker.
If you’re in the United States like me, you may have a hard time sourcing rye berries. I’ve had luck finding them at specialty food stores and also well-stocked health food stores.
I hope you try out this recipe. It’s perfect for open-faced sandwiches or morning toast.
German Seeded Rye Bread / Kornbeißer Brot
Cuisine: GermanDifficulty: Beginner1
loaf2
hours15
minutes1
hourA dense, seeded rye bread from Germany
Ingredients
250 grams rye berries, coursely ground
250 ml boiling water
40 g molasses
20 g fresh yeast (or 7g active dry yeast)
250 ml lukewarm water
20 g salt
125 g rye flour
250 g mixed seeds (sesame, flax, sunflower, and pumpkin)
handful of old-fashioned rolled oats
Directions
- Coarsely grind the rye berries.
- Combine the boiling water and rye berries in a bowl and then cover and let rest for one hour. The berries will absorb the liquid and become soft. If any liquid remains after one hour, drain before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
- Next add your yeast to a mixer, along with the lukewarm water and molasses. Stir until yeast is dissolved. If using active dry yeast, let sit for 5 minutes until yeast becomes foamy before adding in the other ingredients.
- Add in the rye flour, soaked rye berries, salt, and mixed seeds. Using the dough hook attachment of your mixer, mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Once the ingredients are well combined, mix on medium speed for 8 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and place in a warm spot to rise. This will take about one hour, possibly more or less depending on the temperature of your home.
- While waiting for the dough to rise, oil the loaf pan and sprinkle with old-fashioned rolled oats.
- Once the dough has about doubled in size, pour into the prepared loaf pan. Using a spatula, lightly press the dough into the pan until the dough is compact and smooth on the surface.
- Place on the bottom rack of a 240C/460F preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then reduced the temperature to 200C/400F for 40-50 minutes until golden brown and hollow when tapped. Let cool and then use a bread knife to slice and enjoy. Guten appetit!
Notes
- If your rye berries don’t absorb all of the boiling water, drain before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
Sergio Minelli
February 9, 2022 at 11:58 amVery interesting and healthy bread . I ‘d like to make the same bread using a rye starter. It Is not necessary to presoak the seeee ? Best regards Sergio Minelli
Kristin | Bake Across Europe
April 27, 2022 at 4:00 pmIt is necessary so that they are chewy after baking instead of raw.