How to cook rye

Information for rye in our free cooking ingredients collection.

Rye

Rye belongs to the same botanical family as wheat and barley. The plant is indigenous to Europe and Asia. The plant itself is often bushy at the base and stands 5 to 8 feet high. Rye grows well in areas where the soil is too poor and the climate too cool for wheat.

Rye grains have the same elongated shape as wheat grains. The color ranges from buff to gray. The husks are removed during milling, but usually much of the germ and bran remain, which enhances the nutritional value of rye products. The grains may be used whole, cracked, or rolled like oats, but they are generally ground into flour.

Rye flour comes in several different varieties. Light rye flour has most of the bran removed. Dark rye flour retains most of the bran and germ and is a source of magnesium, trace minerals, folic acid, thiamin, and niacin.

Dark rye flour is traditionally used to make the dark, strongly flavored German bread called pumpernickel. Rye also is used in many alcoholic beverages, including whiskey and some types of vodka.

Like most grain products, rye should be stored in airtight containers to retard spoilage.

How to cook rye

Whole rye grains are often cooked in the same way as rice, that is, simmered in water until they are tender. However, rye grains should be pre-soaked in water several hours to speed up cooking. Rye flour has little gluten, and therefore breads in which it is the main flour are denser because they do not rise as well. However, rye contains several long-chained 5-carbon sugars (pentosans), which have a high water-binding capacity. This trait helps rye bread retain moisture better than wheat bread.

Serving suggestions

Use dark rye flour to make your own pumpernickel bread. Also, substitute dark rye flour in place of some of the other flour in baked goods to add a nutty flavor.

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