I grew up near a bakery that made a dark, dense rye I've spent twenty years trying to recreate. Fresh-milled whole-grain rye finally got me there.

Rye is the serious one

It ferments fast, it's sticky, and it makes a crumb that stays moist for a week. But that mineral, almost smoky flavor — that only comes from whole rye, milled fresh.

The bake

Twenty percent rye, 85% hydration, and a full forty-eight hours from mix to oven. When it came out, it smelled like the bakery of my childhood. I'm not too proud to say I cried.