Baking with Rye: A Delicious Way to be Climate Friendly
As a pastry chef, who was eager to switch the main ingredient in my baked goods for a local, more sustainable option, not finding local sources was a massive obstacle. Since then, flour made from locally grown grains, including rye and many other wheat varieties, have fortunately become more available from local millers and bakers.
Apple Sauce Muffin with Crisp Topping by Paula Thomas
July 18th, 2024
By Paula Thomas (CGC Community Member)
I started using rye flour in 2012 when the artisanal flour boom was getting going around the country. At that time, I could not find locally-grown and milled flour in Colorado. As a pastry chef, who was eager to switch the main ingredient in my baked goods for a local, more sustainable option, not finding local sources was a massive obstacle. Since then, flour made from locally grown grains, including rye and many other wheat varieties, have fortunately become more available from local millers and bakers who love working with rye and want to share their experience. There’s even a whole project dedicated to stewarding high alpine rye, The Rye Resurgence Project, due to its positive impact on the environment.
I started using rye flour in 2012 when the artisanal flour boom was getting going around the country. At that time, I could not find locally-grown and milled flour in Colorado. As a pastry chef, who was eager to switch the main ingredient in my baked goods for a local, more sustainable option, not finding local sources was a massive obstacle. Since then, flour made from locally grown grains, including rye and many other wheat varieties, have fortunately become more available from local millers and bakers who love working with rye and want to share their experience. There’s even a whole project dedicated to stewarding high alpine rye, The Rye Resurgence Project, due to its positive impact on the environment.
Rye behaves differently than wheat, even though they are technically cousins. Rye has less gluten, so breads made with a heavy dose of rye do not rise much. Rye is also higher in sugar which adds an underlying nutty sweetness to any baked good; and in terms of sourdough baked goods it aids in fermentation by providing extra food for the yeast allowing for a robust and rich dough.
Flavor
Rye flour is a powerhouse of flavor, and any baked good, from muffins to a loaf of sourdough bread is enhanced by a little shot of rye. This is the main reason why Hannah Rossman from Blue Grouse Bread, a wholesale, organic bread bakery in Norwood, CO, uses rye. Blue Grouse supplies hearth baked breads to the Western Slope. One popular item is their Scandinavian rye bread, which can be enjoyed as a perfect companion for an arduous hike in the backcountry or for breakfast simply slathered with butter and jam.
Chris Sullivan from Mountain Oven, an organic bakery and millhouse in Paonia, CO, agrees “...Rye is super flavorful and that is the primary reason we use it.” Chris also mentioned the wide range of breads and other baked goods that can be made with rye to allow the grain’s sweet and nutty flavor to shine, aside from the well-known combination of rye with caraway seeds, which can overpower the delicate taste of rye. Mountain Oven offers a few varieties of sourdough rye breads including a New York deli rye, marble rye, pumpernickel, and seeded Rugbrod.
“We use rye in our pastry production as well. We have a rye flour chocolate chunk cookie (one of our most popular cookies) and use rye flour in many cakes as well (again, to add depth of flavor),” Chris shares.
Home bakers can also benefit from swapping a portion of their wheat flour with rye flour. Both Hannah and Chris suggest substituting between 10-15% of wheat flour for rye flour in any of your favorite recipes–including pancakes and waffles–to take advantage of rye’s delicious earthy flavor while keeping the integrity of the baked goods. “We love experimenting with rye,” Hannah says, "one of my favorites is a rye shortbread using 50% rye and 50% wheat in the recipe.”
Rye berries are also delicious. If you are fortunate to find some, then you are in for a treat. With their earthy nutty flavor and pleasant toothsome texture they are a great addition to any salad for a simple summer supper or to soups and stews during the winter months.
Soil Health and Water
Rye is not only a delicious addition to any pantry, it is a climate-friendly grain to grow. The Rye Resurgence Project, in the San Luis Valley, is “championing high alpine rye as an ally for a sustainable future due to its complex flavor and versatility,” as stated on their site. Historically, rye thrived in the harsh, cold weather of Scandinavia making it an ideal winter grain to grow in Colorado.
In the fall, farmers such as Jones Farms Organics, in the San Luis Valley - the highest alpine valley in the world - sow rye seeds as a cover crop. Rye’s tolerance for cold weather allows it to grow rapidly, extending a massive root system that helps reduce erosion, absorb water from winter snow and promote better percolation during the spring. It also replenishes nitrogen into the soil and keeps competing plants like pigweed off the fields. The Rye Resurgence Project requires all of its rye to be grown with minimal water usage, which dramatically reduces reliance on groundwater and preserves the depleted Aquifer in the Rio Grande Basin.
Building Community
The Rye Resurgence Project aims to provide a sustainable product for bakers, at home or at the bakery; millers and bakers are vital for this project to succeed. As consumers of agricultural products, we have the capacity to support a food system focused on water conservation, soil health and community well-being. Therefore, grain–and all that it takes to produce it–has to be part of the conversation.
“Grain has been left behind in the local food movement for very understandable reasons - the necessary equipment and infrastructure to grow, clean, process, store, and mill small batch grains is very capital intensive. That said, it is a vital part of our diets and a staple nourishing food. In our business, we are well positioned to help revitalize a regional grain economy in Western Colorado,” Chris of Mountain Oven says.
For Hannah at Blue Grouse Bread having transparency is a core value of their business. “We can buy directly from farmers and be linked in with the local economy around us and know what’s going on in their businesses,” she says, “plus, the special relationships we built over the years helped us create a trustworthy supply chain.”
Where to Buy Rye
In the Front Range, you can find rye flour at Dry Storage and Moxie Bread, as well as in a variety of baked goods incorporating rye. The Colorado Grain Chain’s marketplace offers a broader list of producers across the state, including Roaring Fork Mill, Mountain Mama Milling, and Mountain Oven Organic Bakery & Mill.
As a former pastry chef and now an avid homebaker, I’m ecstatic to have local rye in my lineup of flavorful and nutritious flours. I’m constantly testing and adjusting recipes using different local flours, including rye. Taking some of my trusted recipes–which I have adjusted to high altitude and drastically reduced the sugar–and adding rye flour for a satisfying just-sweet-enough taste. These carrot muffins are simple to make, not too sweet and allow rye to shine.
Carrot-Rye Muffins
Makes 18 muffins
Baking temperature 375 F
1 ½ cups white sonora flour
½ cup rye flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp each, ground cloves and grated nutmeg
4 eggs
½ cup sugar, organic fair trade
½ cup oil
¼ cup yogurt (for a dairy-free version substitute for oil)
1 tsp freshly ground ginger
3 cups grated carrots
Set oven at 375 F. Oil muffin tins (makes 18 muffins). Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. Whisk the eggs and sugar until frothy. Continue whisking as you add the oil, followed by the yogurt. Add the flour mixture and mix lightly, add the carrots and ginger and fold, scraping the bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate all the ingredients. Scoop into oiled muffin molds. Reduce oven temperature to 365F and bake muffins for 15-18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.