As wheat is getting harder to come by, now is the ideal time to try out lesser used grains. 

This loaf of Treacle Rye is dense, flavoursome and deeply satisfying. Delicious cut fine and toasted with cream cheese and lox, or enjoy in a hunk with walnuts and blue. 

I make a small loaf when baking with rye as the dough tends to be more wet than with yeast. The tin I used here is for a 500g loaf. Plus! This is a slow dough due to the low gluten content. Be sure to allow enough time for an overnight prove. It makes the difference.

Source

250g rye flour, plus extra to knead

5g salt

5g instant yeast

1tbsp treacle

175g water

Oats to dress.

Action

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl, adding the water slowly and knead into a tacky dough.  You may find that you don't need all the water - the goal is tacky, not sticky.

Cover your dough and place in the fridge to prove overnight.

When you're ready, oil a small bread tin. Tip a little oil onto your work surface. Using a dough scraper, shape the dough into a rectangle of a similar shape to your tin. Have a look at my IGTV video for a visual reference here. Dress the shaped loaf on all sides with oats and drop into the tin.

Cover loosely with a foil hood, clean tea cloth or shower cap and place somewhere warm to prove for around 2 hours. During this time, the dough will become more voluminous, pushing up to the edge of your tin.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200-220c. Bread loves to bake hot.

Bake for around 30 minutes. Allow to 'set' 5-10 minutes in the tin and then tip out onto a wired rack. Cool completely - if you can, we couldn't! - before cutting.