When it comes to the kind of bread Finnish people cherish most, nothing compares to Finnish rye bread. It’s more than just food—it’s a living tradition passed down from previous generations, rooted in various soil types across parts of Finland.
Especially in eastern parts of the country and southern Finland, rye has been essential in every home kitchen. I became familiar with it when my neighbor offered me her rye bread to try. Oh my god, it was good for breakfast, but Jeff fell in love with this bread with an egg on top. So here I am today, trying this recipe with you. Let's get started.
This rye bread recipe is based on an original Finnish recipe—simple and rustic, like the story of a poor country building strength from its whole grains. Rye’s deep, dense texture, flavoursome bread time, and amylase enzymes give it new popularity today, especially with rising awareness of new health benefits. If you are curious about trying something beyond wheat bread, this is for you.
The Main Thing: The Dough
Unlike wheat dough, rye dough behaves differently. It’s sticky, wet dough that needs time and care—not much time hands-on, but plenty of patience. That’s why the main thing here is to let the dough rise in a warm place. You can use instant yeast, dry yeast, or fresh yeast, or go fully traditional with your sourdough starter to bring out the true depth of flavor.
Finish Rye Bread
1 ½ cups water
2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon honey or rye malt
1 packet dry yeast
3 cups rye flour
⅔ cup wheat flour and more to dust
Heat the water to a temperature slightly warmer. Add salt, syrup, and the yeast mixed with ½ cup of flour. Leave the mix to sit for 15 minutes in a warm, covered place.
Mix the rye flour with the wheat flour and add the flours to the mix. The dough is very sticky and lacks the typical dough consistency due to the presence of rye flour.
Leave it in a warm place, covered with a towel, for at least 1 hour.
Using a lot of flour (the dough is really loose and tends to stick to your hands otherwise), form a small ball in your hand and then flatten it.
Using your hands, pat back and forth to get a round shape, then pat them more if needed. Place parchment paper onto the pan, then dust with flour. Cover with a towel and let sit for 15 minutes.
Using a fork, prick some holes on top of each bread and then bake the breads for 18-20 minutes at 400º degrees or until the edges begin to brown for a crispy edge.
After Baking
The first thing to do when they’re out of the oven: cut them in half. Wrap in a tea towel or plastic bag and let cool. Enjoy warm with a layer of butter. The following day, they’re even better. Rye stays moist and gets more delicious over a couple of days.
Next Time? Make Your Starter
Next time, why not experiment with your leaven? Rye is incredibly resilient—the rye grain’s adaptability to different parts of Finland and various soil types is part of what made it the perfect choice historically. This same adaptability makes it great for sourdough.
With little flour, little water, and a bit of patience, your starter can be ready in a few days. You'll be baking rye sourdough bread like previous generations in no time.
More Bread Recipes Around the World
Rye Bread Today
From the store shelves of Helsinki to the wood-fired ovens of the countryside, Finnish bread takes many forms. From smaller pieces for snacks to smaller loaves for gifts, rye bread is even great as a last-minute gift. Whether you're honoring the national bread of Finland or simply curious about something heartier than Swedish rye bread or Irish soda bread, this Finnish full-flavoured rye bread is the real deal—a living tradition, baked with love. I hope you enjoyed our journey today with a Finland favorite. Until next time my beautiful friends as my quest for the perfect bite continues. As they say in Finland, Herkullinen!
Finish Rye Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon honey or rye malt
- 1 packet dry yeast
- ½ cup water
- 3 cups rye flour
- ⅔ cup wheat flour more to dust
Instructions
- Heat the water to a temperature slightly warmer. Add salt, syrup, and the yeast mixed with ½ cup of flour. Leave the mix to sit for 15 minutes in a warm, covered place.
- Mix the rye flour with the wheat flour and add the flours to the mix. The dough is very sticky and lacks the typical dough consistency due to the presence of rye flour.
- Leave it in a warm place, covered with a towel, for at least 1 hour.
- Using a lt of flour (the dough is really loose and tends to stick to your hands otherwise), layout the dough on a flour surface and cut into eight slices, then form a small ball.
- Using your hands, pat back and forth to get a round shape, then pat them more if needed. Place parchment paper onto the pan, then dust with flour. Cover with a towel and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Using a fork, prick some holes on top of each bread and then bake the breads for 18-20 minutes at 400º degrees or until the edges begin to brown for a crispy edge.
Notes
- The first thing to do when they’re out of the oven: cut them in half.
- Wrap in a tea towel or plastic bag and let cool. Enjoy warm with a layer of butter.
Connie says
I tried making this, and the dough was very stick,y so I used a little oil on my hands instead.
Lizzy says
Great idea, thanks for sharing. xoxo Lizzy