Great River Organic Milling Organic Dark Rye Flour | Whole Grain, Non-GMO, Kosher, Unbromated | Earthy Flavor for Rye Bread, Sourdough Starter, Bagels, Crackers & Artisan Baking | 25 LbUSDA Organic

I just realized this is the 10th bag I purchased of 25 lb of dark rye organic flour. I think it deserves a review. I started making my own sourdough rye bread in 2017 after our German bakery closed. For months the results were a bit disappointing but certainly edible. I read a lot of recipes and watched a youtube video. Rye flour is dense and has less gluten than wheat flour so it helps to use recipes specifically for rye flour. King Arthur's website has some good recipes that call for adding a small portion of rye flour which I thik helps you learn to use this whole grain healthy flour. However, this flour really benefits from the addition of sourdough a long slow rise or preferment. Over the years I have gradually increased the amount of rye flour I use so the only white flour in my bread is the amount in 1 cup of my white sourdough starter. The German bakery told me they had to use some yeast to their bread dough but wouldn't tell me how much so I experimented and I use 2 tsp instant yeast. Here's my recipe if you want it.1 cup white sourdough starter1 cup rye sourdough starter1 c water( I use spring water because our city water has chlorine and flouride which retard yeast)2 c dark rye flourI mix this together and cover with plastic and leave for 12 to 24 hours at room tempIt's bubbly and double in size after the 12 to 24 hoursI add 1 Tbsp caraway( optional or use a different seed)3 cups rye flour2 tsp instant yeast1 cup apple or orange juice1 Tbsp molasses1 tsp salt( we are on low sodium diet)Mix on setting 2 on my kitchen aid mixer for 6 to 7 minutes scraping bowl to incorporate all of the flour although for years I kneaded it by handI pour this into an oiled 3.5 quart dutch ovenLet rise about 2 hours till it comes almost to the top of the potCarefully place in oven on a large cast iron skillet, pizza stone or pan so it doesn't burn the bottomcover with lid or tented aluminum foil if it's risen too muchBake at 425 for 30 minutes then reduce temp to 375 for 15 to 25 minutes till internal temp 210 F(important to invest a few dollars in an instant read thermometer)Remove from oven. Turn pot upside down while cooling. Store in a paper bagThis dense bread is best the next day and for about a week though I put the paper bag in a plastic bag after a day or two and if it's still around after 4 days I store it in the fridge or slice and freezeI believe every recipe is flexible so make adjustments as desired. I have for the last 5 years!

This is a great product. Great grown rye, milled into great, evenly high quality baking flour. We buy this every year, as we use rye in out bread mixes at our home.

I love rye bread and Fred Meyers near my home stopped selling it from their bulk bins a few years ago. I could sometimes find Bob's Red mill organic rye at the market, but it is much more expensive in the small 24 ounce bags. I was glad to buy Great River Organic Rye again in bulk at a reasonable price and I will continue to bake rye bread at least once a month (I have the big, 7 quart Kitchen Aid stand mixer and usually make 3 or 4 loaves at a time). Obviously, I'm happy with Great River's Organic Rye, I get great results consistently with it, and I heartily recommend it. Last year thru this summer I baked mostly Swedish Limpa, sometimes Danish Rye with Caraway seeds, and now the last three times I've baked Danish Dill Rye Bread. I also used the rye flour to make a sour dough starter and it was ready for use in about 5 days. For the Swedish Limpa, I use ground Cardamon, Anise seed, and orange zest (or, I substitute orange extract for the zest). For the Danish Dill, I use both dill seeds and dill weed. I love to bake. I also love tuna salad on toasted rye bread! Most of the store bought rye, especially the lower cost stuff, is too fluffy and will not stand up to an open face sandwich. You can moderate the density of the crumb by adding some dry non-fat milk powder. For four loaves (16 ounces of flour by weight per loaf) I usually use 3 or 4 tablespoons of canola oil and 2 tablespoons of milk powder if I want to soften the crumb a little. Though the Great River Rye is not coarse ground, it can be used for pumpernickel bread, add either molasses or dark brown sugar if the molasses flavor is too strong for your tastes.

Good quality

The bag arrived promptly and in good condition. I sent this as a thank you gift after feeding my benefactors (no joke) bread and water when they visited. It worked up a nice dough with only bread flour. I needed no extra gluten to support the loaf. It is a beautiful deep color and a strong flavor.

My wife as made 4 amazing loaves of bread.

First let me say that because my old standby rye flour is no longer available, (hodgson) I started shopping around, pricebeing important. This rye is the cheapest around. Second, it is fresh. Now for the personal dislike. It is grounded finerthan I like. It is also a light rye, lighter than my old standby. Does not have that strong rye flavor I am use to. The flourdid make a very soft loaf that make good sandwich bread. With 25lbs I am going to have this flour a long time. Stored inVac-Pak bags in freezer. I am going buy a small bag of rye berries and add a cup of sprouted rye to my recipes. Hope to get a courser crumb with more rye flavor. Gave it a four because of freshness and cost.

Bakes pretty good rye bread. Chewy, moist, and flavorful. I was using a coarser rye flour before so at first I wasn't sure what kind of results I'd see. I'm a newbie, btw, with sour dough and rye. I think the finer grind allows me to use 100% rye, instead of needing to incorporate white wheat for structural gluten-y purposes. Ideally though I'd probably want to use a combo of finer (for structure) and coarser grind (for a hearty texture) for an ideal rye bread.I'm not a fan of using it for feeding my starter as the increased surface area makes the starter explode (all over my fridge) then die out rather than allowing the yeasts to slowly feed. I'll stick with Hodgson Mills rye for feeding my starter.Love the price and big bag. Will probably stick with this flour for baking. Recommend.One image has both Hodgson Mills rye (left) and Great River (right) side-by-side. You can see how fine Great River is, almost like white flour. Might be good for desserts or pancakes.