Latvian Rupjmaize Bread (Printable)

Dense rye loaf with caraway seeds, offering a robust crust and moist crumb, ideal for toasting or hearty meals.

# What you need:

→ Bread Dough

01 - 4 cups dark rye flour
02 - 3/4 cup bread flour
03 - 1 packet (7 g) active dry yeast
04 - 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 105°F)
05 - 2 tablespoons molasses or dark honey
06 - 2 teaspoons salt
07 - 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
08 - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

→ For Baking

09 - Additional rye flour for dusting

# Directions:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, molasses or honey, and yeast. Stir gently and let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.
02 - Add dark rye flour, bread flour, salt, and caraway seeds to the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough is formed.
03 - Drizzle in vegetable oil and knead by hand or with a dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic, though remaining sticky.
04 - Shape the dough into a ball, lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough inside, cover, and allow to rise at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours until doubled in size.
05 - Punch down the dough, transfer to a floured surface, shape into a round or oval loaf, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet or greased loaf pan.
06 - Cover the loaf and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes until puffy.
07 - Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
08 - Dust the top of the loaf with rye flour and optionally score the surface with a sharp knife.
09 - Bake the loaf in the center of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes until deeply browned and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom.
10 - Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Slice and toast before serving for optimal flavor.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • It's the kind of bread that gets better with age, developing deeper flavor as it sits in your bread box.
  • One loaf creates enough satisfying slices to last days, making it worth the long rise time.
  • Caraway seeds give you that distinctive Latvian character without needing anything fancy or hard to find.
02 -
  • The long overnight rise isn't optional—it's where the magic lives; rushing this bread into a 2-hour schedule defeats the entire point.
  • Rye dough will always feel stickier than wheat dough, and adding more flour to fix this is a trap; trust the original proportions.
  • Toasting the caraway seeds before adding them elevates the entire bread from good to the kind of thing people ask you to make again.
03 -
  • The overnight rise isn't just convenient—it's essential to the flavor development and digestibility that makes this bread special.
  • If your kitchen is cold, the dough will rise more slowly, and that's fine; cold fermentation actually improves the flavor, so embrace it rather than fight it.
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