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No-knead rye bread just got even better with this Dutch oven method! This hearty, flavorful loaf combines bread, rye, and whole-wheat flours with a touch of molasses and caraway for a classic taste.
All it takes is a little mixing, a few hours of rise time, and your Dutch oven to create a rustic loaf with a crackling crust. No need to knead. Just simple, hands-off baking that’s as easy as it is satisfying.
There’s nothing like the smell of fresh-baked bread filling the house, and this rye loaf brings it to a whole new level! I love slicing it up for savory toast topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese for breakfast. And I’ll be saving a few slices for dinner tonight with a warm bowl of soup.
Here is Why This No-Knead Bread Recipe Works
Hands-off and hassle-free: No kneading, no fuss! Just mix, let it rise, and your Dutch oven does the heavy lifting. No knead bread at its best.
Rustic, bakery-style crust: That Dutch oven traps steam, giving you the perfect crisp, crusty top that’s hard to beat.
Rich, classic flavor: Rye flour, whole wheat, and caraway seeds bring an earthy, nostalgic taste that’ll transport you to an old-school bakery.
Big, beautiful rise: This loaf bakes up tall and airy, with a texture that’s as soft inside as it is golden on the outside.
The Ingredients
- Pantry: Bread flour, rye flour, whole-wheat flour, molasses
- Pantry Seasonings: Caraway seeds, salt
- Baking Essentials: Instant yeast
To use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, dissolve the active dry yeast in the warm water and let it sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy, then proceed with the recipe as usual.
Variations
Dill Rye Bread: Add 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill along with the caraway seeds for a subtle, herbaceous twist.
Seeded Rye Bread: Mix in 2 tablespoons each of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds for extra crunch and nuttiness.
Honey Oat Rye Bread: Replace the molasses with 3 tablespoons of honey and fold in 1/4 cup of rolled oats for a slightly sweet, wholesome loaf.
If you like this recipe, you will want to check out our no knead rosemary bread and cranberry walnut bread.
Tips for Success
- Use warm water, not hot water. Aim for a temperature between 115°F and 125°F to help the yeast activate without killing it.
- Adjust rise time for your kitchen. Warmer kitchens may need less than 3 hours, while cooler ones may need more time to proof.
- Preheat the Dutch oven. This creates an environment for steam to burst over the loaf right away, giving your bread a lofty rise and crisp crust.
- Score the dough before baking. A quick slash on top allows the bread to expand without cracking in unexpected places.
- Check doneness with a thump test. Tap the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, you’re good to go. For extra accuracy, aim for an internal temperature of 205°F.
- Serve it with a bread dip like garlic butter sauce or some herbed olive oil.
- Rye flour has lower gluten content than wheat flour, making it denser and more compact. Combining it with bread flour can help give it a lighter loaf.
- Rye flour can go rancid more quickly than other flours. Store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or refrigerate for longer shelf life.
Storage
Room Temperature: Wrap the bread in a clean kitchen towel or place it in a bread bag to keep the crust crisp. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezing: For longer storage, slice the bread and wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Place the slices in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: To enjoy from frozen, thaw slices at room temperature, then reheat in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes or in a toaster for a warm, crisp result.
Homemade Rye Boule
With this easy Dutch oven rye bread, you get the best of everything. Minimal effort, maximum flavor, and that bakery-style crust that makes homemade bread so satisfying.
Plus, it’s an easy, hands-off recipe that fills your kitchen with the warm, earthy aroma of fresh bread. So mix up this rustic loaf, and let it work its magic.
More Recipes You Will Love
- Dutch Oven Bread: Make this artisan-style, Quick Dutch Oven Bread in only 2-hours!
- Sprouted Rye Bread: Our sprouted rye bread is soft, fine textured with a distinctive rye flavor and a sprinkling of caraway seeds.
- Sourdough Banana Bread: Banana bread made with sourdough discard is ultra-tender and moist. This foolproof recipe has the best flavor and texture of any banana bread ever.
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No-Knead Rye Bread
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360 grams) Bread flour
- ½ cup (60 grams) rye flour
- ½ cup (60 grams) whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1-¾ cups warm water, 115°F to 125°F
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, rye flour, whole-wheat flour, caraway seeds, salt, and the yeast.
- Combine the molasses with the warm water and add to the flour mixture. Stir with a spoon until well combined.
- Scrape the dough into another large bowl that has been coated with oil spray. Cover the bowl with either a damp light cloth or a sheet of plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free area for 3 hours.
- Coat a large piece of parchment paper with cooking spray and set it aside.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and using a bench scraper or oiled hands, fold the dough over several times and shape into a large mound.
- Lift the mound of dough and place it on the center of the parchment paper, seam side down. Using the parchment paper as a sling, transfer the dough and set it, and the parchment paper into a large bowl to retain its shape while rising.
- Cover the bowl and return it to the draft-free area and let rise for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, place a 4 to 6-quart Dutch oven into the oven and set the oven temperature at 450°F.
- Remove the heated Dutch oven and remove the lid.
- Using a sharp knife, scissors (or a razor blade or lame), score the bread dough on the top with a slash, (see Notes).
- Lift the dough, together with the parchment paper, and carefully set it into the hot Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and return to the oven.
- Bake the bread for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake the bread an additional 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
- Transfer the bread to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- We use bread flour for this recipe as it has more gluten than all-purpose flour. The higher gluten compensates for the low gluten in the whole wheat and rye flours.
- All-purpose flour may be substituted for the bread flour, but the water should be reduced by 2 to 4 tablespoons.
- 1-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast can be subbed for the instant yeast. If you use active dry yeast, dissolve it in water first.
- Caraway seeds are optional but they add great flavor that compliments the rye.
- For extra flavor, grind an additional tablespoon of the caraway seeds in a spice mill and incorporate with the flours.
- Scoring the bread dough on the top is not mandatory but doing so will allow the bread to expand and give it more height. It also adds a nice decorative touch to the finished loaf.
- Bread baked in a Dutch oven works because it holds the steam in and helps the bread rise better. This produces a lofty loaf with a crackling crust. Don’t leave the lid on for the entire bake time. Remove the lid after the first 35 minutes so the crust does not get too thick.
- To determine that the bread is cooked completely, tilt the bread on its side and thump the bottom. It should sound hollow. You can further check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer when done it will register 205°F when inserted into the bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This was amazing. Followed the recipe 1st run. Did not match pics, but OMG still fab just a little too dense. Making again now to compensate for the colder temps in my house during rise times and so far spot on. I added 2.5 tsp quick yeast, an extra 1/4 cup water, cut bread flour by 1/2 cup, and added caraway because I love it! Living in Buffalo NY, hard to get a good room temp. Next project… sourdough! Suggestions welcome
Glad you enjoyed it! Proofing bread in cold weather can be fussy. Sometimes I use my food dehydrator but if you don’t have a dehydrator you can run your dryer in the laundry room with the doors closed. That will usually warm the room up pretty well. Another trick is to run the dryer for just a couple of minutes then turn it off and place the bread dough inside the slightly warm dryer. If you like working with different kinds of flour, we have a spelt sourdough and an einkorn sourdough that you may enjoy,
Can I use 1 cup of rye flour and omit the wheat flour? Also can the caraway seeds be left whole?
You can, but the bread will be a bit heavier and denser. You can leave the caraway seeds whole.
Can it be done without molasses or any sweetener?
Yes, you can leave the sweetener out if you prefer.
I only have Blackstrap molasses, will that work or will it be too strong?
Thanks
Oh, I would think it might be too strong and overpowering. Honey would probably make a better substitute.
Hello
Is there a time adjustment to bake two in Dutch ovens at the same time?
I haven’t tried it yet. It might change a bit but I wouldn’t expect a substantial change. There may be some uneven cooking since you won’t be able to place the Dutch ovens in the center of the oven.
This rye bread is fantastic. I used about 1/2 water and 1/2 pickle juice, I left the liquids cool so that I could do the first rise overnight on the counter. I bashed up a tablespoon of caraway seeds and added them to the flour along with 1T of vital wheat gluten since I had it. While baking I made an error and took the lid off after only 10 min but I thought the crust was perfect. So glad to have found this recipe, it’s easy to follow and I appreciate the extra notes!
Hi, Anna….I am so pleased that this rye bread recipe worked for you! Your creative idea with the pickle juice sounds awesome! This is one of my favorite bread recipe and the next time I make it I am going to add some pickle juice. Thank you for your great review!
OMG this tastes great and smells awesome too. Although mine doubled plus in size and tastes great, it doesn’t have the height I would expect. Should my second rise be longer?
Rye flour does not have gluten so bread made with rye will not rise as much. If you let it rise too much then it will “deflate” and collapse down. The bread flour in the recipe will help the bread rise much better but if you want it to rise higher then I would recommend adding a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to the mix.
. If I want to do a slower rise for example overnight for the no knead rye bread would I adjust the yeast to 1/4 tsp? Would you suggest any other adjustment ?
I would keep the yeast measurement the same and let the dough rise in the fridge. The fridge will slow the proof down. Sometimes the fridge slows the proof too much. When that happens I just let it sit on the counter until it looks proofed and ready.
I love how you describe caraway as technically optional – and I agree with you – but to many people, to include it or not is a matter of life and death! Great recipe, thanks!
Thank you Jeff, this is really a great rye bread recipe even without adding the caraway seeds. Personally, I love it with a dose of the caraway in it.
I adore rye bread! And no knead makes it even better. Yours has a great crust.
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Thank you, Angie….this is delicious!