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 the traditional round shape (reikäleipä, lit. "bread with a hole") or smaller single serving size "buns."
Each bread weighs roughly 1lbs (~450g) and has a diameter of a tad under 10 inches (~25cm). Single serving "buns" are available in bags of 12 pieces. The single-serving size makes them great for a quick sandwich anytime during the day!
Our new 2022 recipe makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about rye bread! It's a dark brown bread, topped with a naturally achieved rye flour pattern resembling giraffe spots. It is less dense than bread from our older recipe. It's made from 100% organic rye flour, and the process of making it is even more laborious and time-consuming.
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 the bread, we use:
- Our own sourdough leaven, which we meticiously maintain every day,
- The finest premium quality organic rye flour,
- Purified water,
- and by request, we can also add caraway or organic cracked rye.