Caraway-Honey Rye Squares | The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?

These rye squares are the best thing since sliced bread because there is no need to slice them at all. They come out the oven pre-sliced. Even better still you can trim the edges and tear the squares apart into two pieces which can then be used to make closed sandwiches. Two in one, now that’s an efficient recipe!

As ever they are super easy to make and don’t take a long time either. You can swap the honey for some other sweet syrup like treacle or maple syrup. Swap the caraway for cumin, anise, or fennel. Toast the seeds and grind them up to make a seasoning powder. It’s all up to you.

This recipe makes 7 rye squares. To make more simply multiply all the ingredients. If you are going to double the recipe, I would suggest splitting the dough in 2 when rolling it out to make it easier to work with.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

250g (8.8oz) wholegrain (dark) rye flour

5g (0.17oz) salt

6g (0.21oz) toasted caraway seed

3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.12oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.31oz) fresh yeast

40g (1.4oz) dark honey

185g (6.5oz) warm water*

*To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.

If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.

Method

1. In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, salt, honey, and toasted seeds. Mix well to dissolve the salt completely.
2. Add the flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 28C (82F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation times accordingly.
3. Cover and ferment for 60 – 75 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Dust the dough with flour generously and tip out on the table. Make sure the whole dough is covered in flour.
5. Press it to a rectangle shape using your hands and then roll it out to a thin rectangle around 30cm x 20cm (12in x 8in).
6. Trim the edges and cut into 6 equal portions. Press the trimmings together to make one more piece.
7. Place the squares on a non-stick paper lined baking tray. Dock the surface using a fork or a docking wheel. If you have a docking wheel, I’d suggest using it before you place the squares on the tray.
8. Cover and proof for 60 – 75 minutes or until noticeably puffed up. During this time pre-heat the oven to 220C (430F) fan off or 200C (390F) fan on.
9. Bake the squares for 12 minutes.
10. Leave to cool down slightly and enjoy!

You can wrap them in plastic after cooling down to make them last longer. I kept a couple pieces like that for 5 days and they were still nice and moist.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.