This hearty, nutritious rye bread is delicious sliced thin and topped with cheese, spreads, smoked meats and pickled vegetables. Because of its density, it doesn’t go stale as quickly as wheat bread, so you can keep it on hand for a healthy snack. It’s very common across eastern Europe, as rye is better suited to those climates than wheat. Dark, tense and tangy, with complex earthy flavors, whole rye breads are quite different than wheat breads, both in the making and the final result. Rye is very high in Amylase enzymes, which causes it to ferment much faster, reducing bulk or primary fermentations by 75% compared to its wheat counterparts. Because the balance of gluten proteins is different than wheat, it has a significantly less structure to trap gas and therefore rises less. Rye dough is actually more like a very thick pancake batter. The rye chops (cracked rye) are mixed with water, some of the flour and starter 24 hours before mixing the dough. The bake starts hot but then goes low to let the heat penetrate to its center without overbaking the outside.