Our Finnish rye bread
The national food.
Rye bread in Finland
It’s a dark, flat sourdough bread made from a few very simple ingredients. The tradition of the rye bread started over 2000 years ago when Finnish agriculture was not yet fully developed, and the climate restricted farmers to growing only crops that are able to ripen fast. Rye grains were perfect for that!
For the sourdough leaven of the bread, only water and rye flour are used, but the process requires a lot of time and patience. In the old times, many Finnish households had their own “roots of bread”, which were passed from generation to generation. Different regions of Finland developed their own slightly different versions of the rye bread, but without any doubt, this is the most famous and beloved type of bread all over the country. In 2017, Finland is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and rye bread was voted the country’s national food!
Rye has a very high fiber content and it’s famous for its many health benefits. More about the benefits and the history of the Finnish bread can be found from the very interesting article, “The Root of Finnish Rye Bread.”
Our rye bread
Our rye bread comes in our popular single-serving size "buns." By request, we can also make the traditional round shape (reikäleipä, lit. "bread with a hole").
Each "loaf" provides 12 individual rolls with a total weight of approximately 2.4 lbs (1100g). These single-serving portions are perfect for quick sandwiches and have been highly praised by customers for how easily they freeze and defrost.
In 2022, we refined our recipe to better serve our customers' needs. Now, we offer not just exceptional flavor and wholesome ingredients, but also the convenience of easy-to-handle portions. It is a dark brown bread, topped with a naturally achieved rye flour pattern resembling giraffe spots. It is less dense than our previous recipe and made from 100% organic whole dark rye flour. While the process of making it is even more laborious and time-consuming, the result is well worth it.
We pay careful attention to every detail of the baking process, so you can experience the freshest and most traditional Finnish rye bread in the Bay Area! When baking our bread, we use:
- Our own sourdough leaven, which we meticiously maintain every day.
- The finest premium quality 100% organic whole dark rye flour, which is also Kosher and Non-GMO.
- Purified water.
- Optional add-ins: By request, we can also add caraway or organic cracked rye.