Swedish Rye Bread

Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Servings: 30
Yield: 30 servings

Description

This hearty Swedish rye bread is slightly sweet and light in texture, thanks to molasses, brown sugar, and bread flour.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
1 ounce compressed fresh yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup melted shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups rye flour
6 cups bread flour

Directions

1 Scald milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble, about 3 minutes. Cool to lukewarm.
2 While milk is cooling, dissolve yeast in warm water in a bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
3 Transfer milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment. Add brown sugar, melted shortening, molasses, and salt; mix until well combined. Mix in yeast mixture. Gradually mix in rye flour, then bread flour until combined; you may need to mix by hand if your stand mixer isn't large enough.
4 Transfer dough to a greased bowl and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5 Punch down dough and transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead until dough is elastic and does not stick to the board. Let rest for 5 minutes. Divide into thirds and shape into loaves. Place each loaf in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes.
6 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
7 Bake loaves in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, 35 to 40 minutes.