This light rye bread recipe is one of the first rye bread recipes that I made. The bread is filled with the flavor of caraway. The texture is firm and a little springy. It’s great for sandwiches!

Note that this light rye bread recipe was most recently tested with a Zojirushi BB-PAC20.  (Learn more about what bread machines I own and recommend.)  I’ve made this bread at sea level and at an elevation of 3,700 feet.  It worked out fine at both locations.  If you live at a higher elevation check out my tips for making bread at higher altitudes. 

Featured Comment:

Thank you for the recipe, I finally got a good rye bread, because of you! ~ Mercedes

Every year The Man of the House (TMOTH) and I make corned beef and cabbage for Saint Patrick’s Day.  The next day TMOTH makes sandwiches using the leftover corned beef.  

As I grew in my bread-making abilities, I realized that I could make rye bread to go with the leftovers.  That’s how I came to try this recipe.  

I wasn’t familiar with rye bread, so I started making light rye bread initially. This loaf is filled with the flavor of caraway. The texture is firm, but a little springy too.  It’s great for sandwiches!

We’ve now gone all-in with our love of rye bread.  Check out my entire collection of rye bread recipes. 

White Rye Flour or Light Rye Flour

In the past, I made this bread using “light rye flour”. However, when I made it most recently, I could only find white rye flour.  

What’s the difference?

According to King Arthur flour, white rye flour and light rye flour are the same thing. 

White rye flour, as the name implies, is the lightest version of rye flour. It’s also sometimes referred to as “light rye.”

However, The Rye Baker says that they’re different grades of rye flour.  They state that white rye flour has a slightly lower ash and protein content than light rye flour.

I’ve made this recipe with both types of flour and it’s worked fine.  My opinion is that either one will work fine and that they can be used interchangeably. 

Vital Wheat Gluten

Note that this recipe calls for vital wheat gluten.

Gluten is a type of protein found in flour.  It adds strength to the flour and allows the bread to rise.

While vital wheat gluten looks like flour, it’s not.  Instead, it’s basically powdered gluten. It helps the bread rise.

In the past, I found vital wheat gluten in the Bob’s Red Mill area of my grocery store.  Now it’s more difficult to find.  Recently I’ve ordered vital wheat gluten online from Amazon.

How to Make Light Rye Bread

This makes a two pound loaf of bread.  Use the basic or white setting of your bread machine with medium crust.

Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first.   With my Zo, I add the liquid first. (Learn more about what bread machines I own and recommend.) 

Check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading.

Pop the top of the bread machine and see how the dough is doing. 

It should be a smooth, round ball.  If it’s too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right.  If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.

Use the basic/white setting of your bread machine. 

Here’s how this light rye bread looked coming out of the machine.

Light Rye Bread Recipe

Again, this makes a two pound loaf of bread.  Use the basic or white setting of your bread machine with medium crust.

1 1/2 Cups water
2 1/2 Cups bread flour
1 1/2 Cups light rye flour (white rye flour is fine too)
3 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 Tablespoons caraway seeds
1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this bread machine recipe for light rye bread.

Light Rye Bread Recipe

This light rye bread recipe is one of the first rye bread recipes that I made. The bread is filled with the flavor of caraway. The texture is firm and a little springy. It’s great for sandwiches!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Bread Machine Recipes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: rye

Yield: 14 slices per two-pound loaf of bread

Calories: 154kcal

Recommended Equipment

Zojirushi Bread Machine

Bread Knife

Measuring Cup

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (354.88 ml) water
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 g) bread flour
• 1 1/2 cup (153 g) light rye flour (white rye flour is fine too)
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
• 2 Tablespoons caraway Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten
• 2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

Instructions

• This makes a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the basic or white setting with medium crust.
• Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the machine first. With my bread machine, as with many others, you add the liquid first.
• Make sure you check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. Open the bread machine and look at the dough. It should be a smooth, round ball. If it’s too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.

Notes

This makes a two-pound loaf of bread.  Use the basic or white setting with medium crust.

This recipe was developed and tested using US customary measurements. Metric measurements are calculated automatically.

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 336mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

 

All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.