3. Rye Absorbs a Lot of Water!
Rye will absorb a lot of water as compared with other types of flour it will absorb lots of water! That’s because the rye itself is very dry, and this process is part of what makes the resulting bread so dense.
This can come as a little bit of a surprise to someone who is fairly new to cooking rye bread – so don’t let it catch you out! What you’re going to need to do is to keep on adding more water as you knead and to play it a little by the gut.
Don’t be surprised if your rye bread dries out then and if you aren’t getting the texture right away – keep adding water and don’t be afraid to use your instincts to get it to the nice smooth and stretchy point where you know that it is ready!