Back in November we were in New York City and took stepson Dr.A and his beautiful partner to a special dinner at Aquavit. Funny story here. I admit to having a virtual crush on Marcus Samuelsson the chef behind it. So when Phil surprised me with the news of our upcoming dining adventure, I almost passed out. Would Mr. Samuelsson come to our table to say hello? Would I be able to survive that without making a complete fool of myself? Then, the shock. Marcus has left the restaurant many years ago. I must be living in a cave or something. Well, it’s quite clear that I don’t follow the restaurant scene that closely. The current chef is Emma Bengtsson, a beautiful 33 year-old Swedish chef who is one of only three women to run a restaurant with 2 Michelin stars. Isn’t that super cool? No wonder our meal was memorable! Seriously, the food was spectacular. Absolutely top-notch, one of those evenings to be remembered forever. I include at the end of this post a little slide show. One item I fell in love at first bite was their Danish Rye bread. They brought it in a small basket, three types of bread, the Danish Rye definitely not a heavy contestant for its looks. With no high expectations, I tried a bite. Then I saw Phil’s expression when he took a bite of his little roll. Our eyes locked, and a symphony started to play in our minds… It was moist, it was dense, but not heavy. It had this incredibly sweet/savory complex taste, like nothing I ever had before. I simply had to try and make it at home. Once we flew back, I started obsessively searching for recipes, even wrote the restaurant (no reply, unfortunately), and finally settled on a recipe by Planet Earth’s Baking Goddess Extraordinaire, Karen.
RUGBRØD – DANISH RYE
(from Karen’s Kitchen Stories)
for the Rye Sour – (prepare 12 to 15 hours prior to the final dough)
300 g whole rye flour
245 g water
55 g sourdough starter at 100% hydration
Combine the ingredients in a medium bowl with a dough whisk or large spoon until you have a fully incorporated dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 12 to 15 hours.
for the Levain
103 g bread flour
103 g water
14 g sourdough starter
Combine the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let ferment for 8 to 10 hours.
for the soaker
75 g rye chops
150 g water
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit overnight at room temperature.
for the Final Dough
130 g bread flour
200 g whole rye flour
180 g water
2.5 g instant yeast
16 g salt
All of the soaker
All of the rye sour
All of the levain
15 g black strap molasses
4.5 g whole fennel seeds, coarsely ground
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all of the ingredients with the dough hook on slow for about 4 minutes, then increase the speed to medium, and mix for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. The dough will be very sticky.
Heat the oven to 475 F.
Spray a 13 inch Pullman pan with spray oil, and sprinkle it with rye flour. Scrape the dough into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with whole rye flour. Cover the dough with the lid of the pan, and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until the dough reaches about 1 inch below the top of the pan.
Bake the loaf at 475 F with the lid on for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 F and continue baking for 15 more minutes with the lid on.
Remove the lid and reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. Bake for an additional 45 minutes, until the bread reaches about 205 F internally (check with an instant thermometer).
Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Let the bread sit for 24 to 48 hours to cure before slicing (this is important to avoid a gummy crumb)
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: Danish Rye is the most beloved bread in Denmark, consumed by everyone particularly at breakfast, but pretty much whenever the mood strikes. I suspect if I lived in Denmark I could survive on it alone. Ok, maybe some butter. A little cheese. Some smoked salmon, but the pièce de resistance would be the bread. I realize that it doesn’t look like much. A brownish, tight crumbed, dense-looking loaf of bread. Looks can be so deceiving! This is the kind of bread that speaks to your soul, each bite a little different, it plays with your taste buds in magical ways. Trust me, you need to bring it to your life if you’ve never tried it. Plus, it’s pretty straightforward to make. You do not need the special pan with the lid, actually. Many recipes will bake it in a regular loaf type pan, and the bread will end up with a little crack on top. Nothing wrong with that. Make sure to plan ahead, Danish Rye must sit for at least 24 hours before slicing. Rye is a temperamental flour, with a tendency to develop a gummy texture.
The important question is – did it match the Aquavit concoction? Let’s say it’s pretty close, close enough to make me thrilled about this baking project. I still would love to have their recipe, but so far, no cigar. So my plan is to continue assembling examples in books and blogs, and try a few more. The bread freezes beautifully in thin slices, by the way. Removing from the freezer, in a few minutes it can go into a low oven to bring it back to life. It is quite simply put, a fantastic loaf of bread. Phil went nuts for it, in fact he now insists that at any given time we must have at least 4 slices in the freezer. Just in case. And of course, I am more than happy to make sure he is happy!
One very tasty lunch!
I am submitting this post to Bread Box Round Up,
hosted by Karen, the Bread Baking Goddess.
For those interested, a little slide show of the great evening we spent at Aquavit, NYC
November 2016
ONE YEAR AGO: The Best Sourdough Recipe
TWO YEARS AGO: Mini-Quiches with Duxelles and Baby Broccoli
THREE YEARS AGO: Quinoa and Sweet Potato Cakes
FOUR YEARS AGO: Pumpkin Bolo de Fuba’ Cremoso
FIVE YEARS AGO: Citrus-crusted Tilapia Filets
SIX YEARS AGO: Bran Muffins, not just for Hippies
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Flourless Chocolate Cake
The bread looks amazing, and I know how much you love it 🙂 I love your determination to recreate great foods that you’ve eaten!
I had to look up ‘rye chops’, I think we’d call them rye berries?
LikeLiked by 1 person
yeap, the same thing! I am sure you can find it! actually the chops are coarsely chopped rye berries
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aha, okay, thank you xx
LikeLike
I’ve never made rye bread but I’d like to try it one day. Is it possible the term should be rye HOPS?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am not sure… could not find a specific definition of rye hops – it’s all pretty convoluted! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see hops are used along with rye when making beer but I’m not familiar with specific references to the form of rye used in making the bread.
LikeLike
I edited my post to include a link to exact product I used – I hope it helps… It’s essetiallly the rye berry, cracked up coarsely
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t wait to try this! I love this style of bread, and my husband does, too—it’s his favorite in fact! Did you see the NYTimes food section a few weeks ago all about rye?! https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/dining/rye-grain-bread.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny that you added that link – that recipe at the end (the Nordic one) is the one I want to make next… 😉
LikeLike
You were in NYC and I didn’t know? Darn. I could have taken you to my favorite fromagerie, “Artisanal”, so you could have brought back some of the best cheeses in the world for that amazing looking bread. (BTW, I use my Pullman loaf pan a fair amount, even once for your “bolo de fuba” recipe, which I make regularly…although I think it’s better in a ring mold.) Glad you had a great time in the City, and thanks for another terrific recipe! Tom
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually this time we could not have brought anything with us – from New York we flew to Brazil, but as they say, there’s always next time! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
C’mon you could have snuck it in inside one of those soccer balls you Brazilians always carry around with you! Oh well. Yeah, next time 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, what a meal! I love when chefs are at their own restaurants! His story is so great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed. His life is amazing, reversal of fortune, going back to his roots, and doing it all with such great talent! (Plus he is super handsome to boot… sigh)
LikeLiked by 1 person
And his parents seem really wonderful!
LikeLike
The rye bread looks pretty perfect. Lovely consistency to it. I hate when the years slip by in decades rather than months. It’s not fair.
Best,
C
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hear you… how did I get here? letting the days go by… water flowing underground… 😉
LikeLike
I have never had the fortune to eat this kind of bread, nor the fortune to live where a Michelin-starred restaurant exists. However, I could never bake this bread (lack of baking skills and high altitude) so I’ll just enjoy yours virtually and be on the lookout for it at any specialty stores. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You REALLY need to try this bread. I swear it is life-changing. Well, almost 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awwww. Thanks for the kind words! Inspired by you, I’m going to try this bread again, with the recipe from The Rye Baker, a new book by Stanley Ginsberg. It’s a little different, so I’ll keep you posted! P.S. That meal looks amazing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My question for you is… did you do a happy dance????? did you? did you? If so, my mission is accomplished! 😉
(BTW I caved. Ordered the book. MC twisted my arm really bad. She is dangerous)
LikeLike
Total happy dance!!! xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Must buy rye chops!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Go for it…. you will love this bread!
LikeLike
This sounds delicious! I would love to try it, but sadly, I would never find rye hops in my little corner of the world. When I go back to the U.S. I may try it though on a cheat day of being gluten free.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately it is really a very important component of the bread… I hope you get a chance to try it! so delicious!
LikeLike
This looks amazing. My mom used to make fresh bread each week. I wish I had the same motivation… it’s SO good! Maybe that’ll be my project this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love baking bread, but it’s more a once a month thing for me, sometimes even less. Just the two of us at home, a loaf ends up sitting in the freezer for a while… 😉
LikeLike
Hi! Just wanted to stop by to tell you that I nominated you for an award! Please check out the link to participate although it’s totally optional: https://bernbakes.wordpress.com/2017/01/27/mystery-blogger-award-2/
🙂🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your welcome!
LikeLike
Oh no, I’m sorry you missed out on meeting your crush but yes, utterly cool about the Michelin status; I didn’t realize there were only 3 women currently holding that title; I know Alice Waters and Nancy Oakes in these parts both earned stars but they may have slipped away, kind of stressful how it shifts from year to year but also exciting I guess. Your rye bread looks so good and I’m especially drawn to that delicious lunch you shared.
LikeLike