Growing up, Russian Black Bread was something that my mom served. I gerw up enjoying eastern Euorpean fare and black bread with borscht, for example, was sometimes on the menu. It’s funny, but its been in the back of my mind to make a russiand black bread since I started making bread regularly. The recipe is very different from regular bread making. It’s a no kneed bread with a very wet flour. Russian black bread is deep, slightly sour, mildly sweet, and intensely rye-flavored. The classic version is Borodinsky bread, made mostly with rye flour, molasses, and coriander seeds. Since I’ve been working with sourdough,I chose to make a naturally fermented version, which is closest to the real thing.
Ingredients
Rye Sour Build (8–12 hrs before)
- 50 g sourdough starter
- 100 g dark rye flour
- 100 g warm water
Mix and let ferment overnight.
Dough
- All of the rye sour
- 300 g dark rye flour
- 50 g bread flour (optional but helps structure)
- 280 g warm water
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder (traditional for color, not chocolate flavor)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds (for topping)
- 1 tsp instant yeast (optional but traditional for lift)
Instructions
1. Mix
Combine everything except the topping seeds.
Important:
Rye dough will feel more like thick batter than wheat dough. That’s normal.
No kneading required.
2. First Rise
Cover and ferment:
- 2–3 hours at ~75°F
It will rise some but not double.
3. Pan It
This bread must be baked in a loaf pan.
- Grease a pan
- Scrape dough in
- Smooth top with wet spatula
- Sprinkle whole coriander seeds
4. Final Proof
Let rise until slightly puffy:
45–60 minutes
5. Bake
Bake at:
375°F / 190°C
For 45–55 minutes
Internal temp should reach about 205°F.
6. The Hard Part: Wait 😄
Wrap the bread in a towel and let it rest 12–24 hours before slicing.
This allows the crumb to set properly, otherwise it can be gummy.
It turned out perfectly. It was deliciously sour and has that beautiful fragrance of teh coriander and lovely rye flavor. Heather when tasting it said, “THAT is Russian Black Bread.”
My Life: A Memoir 