Seeded rye bread that still slices

Rye flour has almost no gluten. A loaf made from rye alone bakes into a dense brick that crumbles when you try to make a sandwich. This one is half rye and half bread flour, so you get the rye taste and a crumb that holds together.

212 g of rye flour is 2 cups. Rye is lighter than wheat. A scooped cup of all-purpose flour is the wrong number here. Use the rye flour chart. 240 g of bread flour is 2 cups on the bread flour chart. Bread flour, not all-purpose, is what keeps the loaf from sinking as it cools.

Mix, then stop waiting for a double

The dough stays tacky. Extra flour on the counter makes the crumb tight and dry. A light dusting is enough. Knead until it stops tearing, about 8 minutes by hand. It will not feel as smooth as a white dough, and that is normal.

Rise it until it has grown by about half, usually 70 to 80 minutes in a warm kitchen. Rye dough that you leave until it doubles often collapses in the oven. The second rise in the pan is 40 minutes. The top should clear the rim by a centimeter, not dome like a balloon.

Bake and wait to cut

190°C for about 40 minutes. If the seeds brown hard in the first 25 minutes, tent the loaf with foil. An instant-read thermometer in the center should show about 96°C. Color alone lies: a dark rye crust can look done while the middle is still gummy.

Cool a full hour. Slicing hot rye smears the crumb into paste. The loaf keeps 3 days in a bag. Toast day-old slices. They make better toast than they did fresh, because the crumb has set.