Marble Rye Bread

A soft, marble rye bread recipe that is easy enough for beginners! It has a light rye flavor and tender texture. Step-by-step instructions with photos on how to braid light and dark rye doughs for the perfect sandwich bread! 

Nothing compares to home-baked rye bread, and if it’s marbled (or in this case, braided), all the better. The combination of light and dark rye flavors can’t be beat. I love it with eggs, grilled cheese, and sandwich bread! It is particularly lovely with tuna or egg salad.

This marble rye bread recipe makes a lower hydration dough, very similar in stiffness to my pumpernickel bread, which means it can be a challenge for stand mixers to knead. Rye flour is partially to blame for this because it hydrates differently than white wheat flour, so what seems like a perfect dough during mixing, would become unmanageable and sticky after proofing.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Rye Flour: The original recipe calls for light rye flour, but I prefer the taste and texture of medium rye flour.  
• Bread Flour: I use bread flour in combination with rye flour because of the added gluten. Rye flour only contains the gluten protein gliadin and not glutenin. Glutenin is the protein that creates the elasticity in dough. Both proteins weave together to form a network that is elastic and will trap the gas produced by yeast. Rye flour, though high in gluten, will not produce this network without wheat flour.
• Active Dry Yeast: I prefer active dry yeast in this recipe for a slower, more consistent rise. You could substitute instant yeast, but watch the proofing at each stage because it will be twice as fast.
• Molasses: Molasses adds a hint of sweetness and also softens the bread, but there is not nearly as much as steakhouse-style pumpernickel bread.
• Butter: Softened, unsalted butter or shortening soften the crust and crumb, making this a delightful sandwich bread! You could also use vegetable oil.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Half of the dough is colored with cocoa powder mixed with water, but you could also use 1 tablespoon liquid caramel coloring instead.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• No braid, no problem: While this recipe is for marbled rye, you could also bake each loaf separately like my white sandwich bread recipe and rye bread recipe, or just make 2 loaves without the additional cocoa powder.
• Add caraway seeds: If you enjoy the anise flavor of caraway seeds, add up to 2 tablespoons to the dough before incorporation. You could also add additional mix-ins like dried fruit and nuts like I do in this raisin walnut pumpernickel bread.
• Swirl the dough instead of braiding. When it comes to bread, “marbled” really means “swirled.” If you would like to swirl this recipe then simply divide the dark and light dough into halves, and roll out each piece (4 total) using a rolling pin until they are approximately 5 inches by 8 inches. Stack the dark on top of the light (2 pieces per loaf) and roll up tightly like cinnamon swirl bread. Place in greased loaf pans and proceed with the recipe as written.

 Pro Tips for Braided Rye Bread

• You really need to listen to your mixer, and if it is struggling, just let the dough develop gluten while it proofs. My 5 quart Kitchen Aid was unable to knead the combined recipe, but was able to develop half at a time.
• This is a low hydration dough and every brand of rye flour is different. This means your dough might be stickier than mine or it might be more stiff. All you can do is your best at this juncture and then try a small tweak next time. But don’t kill your mixer in the process! When in doubt, stop.
• Unlike braided challah bread, I do not pre-shape the strands before rolling. This dough is too stiff and it is unnecessary. I simply divided it into quarters and then rolled each one out.
• Don’t let the strands get too long. Remember that you are going to be placing this loaf in a standard loaf pan, so short and fat is better than long and skinny. My first test of the original recipe was too long and I had to fold it under to fit it in the pan.

How to Make Marble Rye Bread

Use these instructions to make soft marble rye bread! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Make both the light and the dark rye dough together:

Step 1: Bloom yeast. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together molasses, yeast and water. Let sit until foamy (photos 1 & 2).

Step 2: Mix dough. Add rye flour, bread flour, butter (or shortening) and salt to the yeast mixture, stir to incorporate either with a wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment in a stand mixer on low speed (photos 3, 4, & 5).

Divide the dough in half, leaving ½ in the stand mixer. Increase the speed to medium (or as close to medium as your mixer will tolerate with a stiff dough), and knead with the dough hook attachment until the dough is smooth and elastic and tacky but not sticky, about 3-4 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Set aside to proof.

To knead by hand: place dough on an unfloured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic and tacky but not sticky, about 5-6 minutes.

Step 3: Place the other half of the dough in the stand mixer. Add the cocoa powder dissolved in water, mix on the medium-low speed to incorporate the cocoa powder mix and develop gluten at the same time. I just took my dough out after the cocoa powder had mixed in: It took 4 minutes. It will eventually incorporate; some streaks are fine. Place in a separate, lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic (photo 6).

Think of this as a take on the “doppio impasto” technique where you add additional water after the gluten has developed like in my sourdough focaccia recipe.

Step 4: Proof the doughs. Let rise until doubled, about 1 ½  hours (photos 7 & 8).

Step 5: Shape. When both doughs are risen, punch doughs down gently to degas, remove from bowls and place on an unfloured surface. Divide each piece equally into fourths; roll out each piece into a 10-inch log (photos 9 & 10).

Step 6: Braid.  Connect 4 strands of alternating colors (1 light, 1 dark, 1 light, 1 dark) at one end with the sealed end away from you and the strands separated out in front of you.

Number the strands from left to right — 1, 2, 3, 4 — then follow this pattern: 3 over 2, 1 over 3, 2 over 3, and 4 over 2 until you run out of dough. You can follow the pictures, or if you would prefer, follow the sequence instead, and renumber the strands. Pinch the other ends together and place the braid in a lightly greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough to form 2 loaves (photos 11-20).

Step 7: Final rise. Lightly mist the tops of loaves with cooking spray in the baking pans and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour (photos 21 & 22).

Step 8: Bake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When loaves have doubled, brush lightly with beaten egg and bake on center rack of oven until golden brown and baked through, about 45 minutes, rotating loaves 180 degrees halfway through baking (photo 23).

Step 9: Cool and slice. Remove loaves from the oven and loaf pans and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing (photo 24).

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this braided rye bread recipe. Check out our other perfect sandwich bread recipes for more lunch and dinner time inspiration!