Here’s a little tidbit not everyone knows: that distinctive rye bread flavor in traditional rye bread isn’t rye! It’s the caraway seeds.
This is good news for those who love rye bread, but have had to give it up because rye contains gluten. You can approximate the flavor with a gluten-free bread simply by adding caraway seeds.
(It won’t be exactly the same, of course. The rye does contribute to the bread’s flavor. But it isn’t the defining flavor note.)
The amounts vary from recipe to recipe, but a good starting point seems to be about 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds for each regular loaf. Increase or decrease to taste. (I’ve seen as little as just over a teaspoon and as much as two tablespoons.)
SO TRUE about how what we (Americans) were taught was rye bread really was not (and most have wheat flour added). I learned over 30 years ago how to make an unusual bread which I NOW realize was a sourdough, but my friend and teacher never said that word and never made the connection until now that she was making sourdough. She did not mill her flour but did use whole wheat flour and rye flour from her local food co-op. Anyhow, she ALWAYS used 40% rye flour and 60% wheat flour — one of the FEW things I remember from what she taught, except that I remember the bubbles from ferment and saving some of the dough each time for the next loaf.
I LOVED that bread, but after losing touch with her and moving to another state I totally forgot how to make it, so when I started making bread again (before milling and before even knowing about that) I always used 40% rye flour. I just loved how it came out and tasted. Now I use a little less, more like 30%.
HOWEVER, my housemate of many years is from a “very German” family and grew up eating (real) pumpernickel, which was 100% rye and no caraway or other seeds. I made some for the first time — (using my sourdough starter) — and it was super simple to make and I was actually CERTAIN that it was no good. It didn’t really seem to rise (surprise, surprise) and I had not even measured when I added water to the freshly milled rye flour. I felt like I was “pretending” to make bread, if you know what I mean. I let it sit maybe 4 hours and then baked it. Here is the part that still amazes me: my housemate tried it and LOVED it, saying it tasted just like what her mother used to get for them. And then her sister came over and I gave her some and SHE loved it. Well, that really floored me. Like my other bread, I wait until it cools and then slice it and freeze in freezer bags to keep the bread fresh (though often thaw out overnight in a dry ziplock partially open for air in the breadbox). My honey wheat bread can last several days easily in the breadbox like that, but not so with the rye. It got white mold on it within 2 days. Well, I don’t know what that’s all about, but I love that rye is super high in fiber even compared to other “bread” grains.
Rye used to be noticeably less expensive than wheat — but now it is about the same price or higher and getting hard to find as a whole grain at even that price. I wonder why?