This recipe is for a traditional Danish spiced rye bread (sigtebrod) made easy with a bread machine. (It can be made using traditional methods, of course.) The bread is highly spiced, so it is a perfect accompaniment for Danish open-faced sandwiches (smorebrod) and is usually served on a Christmas holiday table. Perfect for those people who like a spiced twist to their daily bread.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup light molasses
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fennel seed
- 1 tablespoon anise seed
- 1 tablespoon caraway seed
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups rye flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Steps
- Heat milk in a medium saucepan until scalding, small bubbles form around edges, and just before reaches a boil; remove pan from heat. Stir in 1 cup water, molasses, sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, orange zest, anise seed, caraway seed, cardamom, and salt; steep and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Stir yeast into 1/4 cup warm water in a bread machine; let sit for 5 minutes. Add cooled milk-spice mixture to yeast mixture, then add all-purpose and rye flours. Run dough cycle according manufacturer’s instructions.
- Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans. When dough cycle complete, remove dough from machine; divide in half. Form into 2 loaves; place in the prepared loaf pans. Cover and allow to rise until your finger leaves a small dent when loaves poked, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bake in the preheated oven until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. Brush hot loaves with 3 tablespoons melted butter; cool before serving.
