Guides
Rye sourdough bread (100% rye, no kneading)
Rye is sourdough's natural home: no kneading, baked in a tin, dense and moist with a deep tang that keeps for days.
Build the rye sour
Mix Anstellgut, rye flour and lukewarm water into a thick paste. Cover and leave warm (26 to 28 C) for 12 to 16 hours, until risen, bubbly and pleasantly sour.
Mix the main dough
Stir the sour with the rye flour, warm water, salt and spice into a uniform, sticky paste. Do not knead - rye has no gluten to develop. Wet your spoon to handle it.
Short bulk rest
Cover and rest 1 to 2 hours at room temperature; it will puff slightly.
Into the tin
Scrape the dough into a greased loaf tin and smooth the top with a wet spoon, doming it slightly.
Proof until it cracks
Cover loosely and proof 1 to 3 hours, until fine cracks appear across the surface - that's rye's tell that it's ready.
Bake hot, then lower
Bake at 250 C with steam for 10 minutes, then drop to 210 C and bake 45 to 55 minutes more. It's done when it sounds hollow. Rest 24 hours before slicing.
Why rye loves sourdough
Rye has almost no gluten, so you don't knead it and you can't shape it like a wheat dough - it behaves like a thick, sticky paste. Sourdough is essential here: the acidity is what lets rye hold structure and rise at all. The reward is a dense, moist, intensely flavoured loaf that stays fresh far longer than wheat bread.
What you need
Makes one tin loaf (about 1 kg). Weigh everything - rye is all about the water-to-flour balance.
Notes and swaps
Use wholegrain rye for a darker, heartier loaf (add a splash more water). The single most important rule: let the baked loaf rest at least 24 hours before slicing - rye finishes setting as it cools, and cutting early gives you a gummy crumb. See which flour to use and why bread types are defined by grain in our bread additives guide.
FAQ
Frequently asked
Try Sourdough Tracker
Free plan, no credit card. We host in Germany. You can export and delete everything self-serve.
Written by
Julia Yukovich
Co-Founder + CEO
Julia is one of the Co-Founders. She handles design, development, product direction, and most of the support replies that arrive in the morning.
Read next
German mixed sourdough bread (Mischbrot, rye & wheat)
The classic German rye-wheat Mischbrot: sour for flavour, wheat for a sliceable crumb.
Read
Farmhouse sourdough bread (Bauernbrot, rye & wheat)
Rustic free-form rye-wheat sourdough with a thick dark crust - the classic Bauernbrot.
Read
The Complete Sourdough Starter Feeding Guide: Ratios, Timing, and Temperature
Feeding ratios, timing, and temperature explained in one place.
Read