Nothing brings back memories of the Czech Republic like the smell of freshly baked bread! This is a recipe for wheat rye bread made with yeast and spiced with caraway. Let’s dive into a world of real flavor and get baking!
➜ What is Czech rye bread
Bohemian bread is a staple in many Czech families, used for breakfast, snacks and light dinners. The classic bread loaf is either round or oblong in shape. It is characterized by a soft crumb and a crispy, golden-brown crust.
It is usually baked with a combination of wheat and rye flour, often with the addition of crushed caraway seeds, which make the bread smell amazing. Simple breads have a yeast dough base, while more complex breads require sourdough.
The bread in my recipe is made with yeast dough in two stages. First the yeast starter is prepared, then the complex dough. Expect the bread to take about half a day to prepare, with most of that time spent rising the dough and then baking the bread in the oven!
How do you say bread in Czech? The Czech name for Bohemian rye bread is chléb or chleba.
➜ Bread ingredients
To make homemade Czech bread from scratch, you will need:
1st bread dough (yeast starter):
- Warm water; 105°-115°F
- Rye flour; I used fine wholemeal rye flour
- Active dry yeast
- Honey; The original recipe calls for malt syrup, but honey works well too. If you don't have honey, use granulated sugar.
According to professional bakers, malt is the best sugar to feed yeast because it contains a wide range of nutrients, including a high amount of simple sugars that yeast requires to reproduce and ferment the dough.
2nd bread dough:
- Lukewarm water
- All-purpose flour (wheat flour)
- Caraway seeds; crushed. If you can only get whole caraway seeds, crush them with a mortar and pestle, or use this method: How to grind spices by hand
- Boiled potatoes; mashed potato puree. The potatoes make the bread keep longer and be softer. One boiled potato or two tablespoons of mashed potatoes is enough for one loaf of bread.
- Salt
✅ You will find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.
➜ How to make Czech bread
STEP 1: First, prepare the yeast starter. Sift the rye flour into a bowl and mix it with the dry yeast. Dissolve the honey or sugar in lukewarm water and pour it into the bowl of flour. Use a wooden spoon to make a thick dough.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 60 minutes.
TIP: I let the dough rise in the oven with a pot of hot water in the bottom.
STEP 2: Add all-purpose flour, crushed caraway seeds, salt, shredded boiled potato (or mashed potato puree), and lukewarm water to the fermented starter.
Stir with a wooden spoon, then turn the mass onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough well by hand.
Be warned! The dough is quite sticky, so expect to end up with some dough on your hands.
STEP 3: Return the dough to the bowl and let it rise for another 45–60 minutes. I put the dough back in the oven to proof.
STEP 4: Prepare a round bowl and a clean tea towel. Dust the cloth evenly with flour and line the bowl with it. Carefully transfer the raised dough to a bowl lined with a floured tea towel. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.
TIP: In this case, I don't put the dough in the oven to rise because it needs to be preheated before the bread is baked, including the container in which you are going to make the bread.
STEP 5: About half an hour before the bread is proofed, turn the oven to 450°F (230°C). Place the Dutch oven, including the lid, in the preheated oven and let it heat up.
TIP: If the dish in which you bake the bread is not heated sufficiently beforehand, the bread will stick to the sides of the dish and cannot be tipped out after baking.
STEP 6: Prepare a cooling rack and heat-resistant oven gloves on the table next to the oven. Open the oven and, if it has telescopic rails, slide them and the pre-heated dish out. With gloves on, carefully remove the lid and place it on the cooling rack.
Put the raised bread into the pot. Cover it with the lid, slide the rails back in, and close the oven door.
Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid, reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C), and bake for another 10 minutes or until a crusty skin forms.
STEP 7: Turn out the bread and place it on a cooling rack. Leave to cool for at least two hours before slicing with a knife.
➜ Serving
Bohemian rye bread is the staple of Czech cuisine. It is usually eaten sliced, spread with butter and jam, with honey, or topped with ham, salami, or cheese.
Enjoy a slice of fresh, buttered bread for breakfast, a snack, or dinner. Bread is also a great accompaniment to soups; this combo makes a great light lunch.
Ways to use stale bread: Pan fry the slices of bread on both sides until golden brown and you will get a popular Czech snack called "Topinka." Or cut it into cubes and make crispy bread croutons for soup.
➜ Storage
Like any homemade bread, this tastes best when fresh. However, adding a little shredded potato to the dough will extend its life by a day or two.
Wrap the bread in a clean tea towel and store in a bread bin. When completely cooled, the bread can be stored in a plastic bag.
➜ Can I freeze the bread?
Czech bread freezes great! Freeze it as soon as it cools after baking. I recommend cutting it into slices beforehand. That way you don't have to defrost the whole loaf when you want a slice for breakfast or a snack.
Let the bread thaw at room temperature or, if you're in a hurry, bake it in the oven. When thawed, it tastes just like fresh bread.
Bread will keep in the freezer for at least three months.
➜ What wessel should I use to bake bread?
I baked my bread in a 12-inch (28 cm) diameter Dutch oven, which is suitable for baking at high temperatures in the oven.
Dutch ovens are heavy pots typically made of cast iron and have lids that can tightly seal the bread dough inside, creating an environment perfect for baking bread.
Baking bread in a dutch oven produces a crusty, golden-brown exterior and a soft, fluffy interior. The Dutch oven's thick walls and lid trap heat and moisture during the baking process, encouraging the formation of steam inside the pot and resulting in an even better crust. Furthermore, the Dutch oven's heavy lid creates a humid environment that keeps the dough from drying out too quickly while baking.
If you don't have a Dutch oven, put your bread in a clay pot, casserole dish, or any large oven-safe pot with a well-fitting lid. A round baking dish made of oven-proof cooking glass with a lid is also a good choice.
➜ Useful tips
- In this recipe, I describe how to make bread by hand, without any special equipment. If you have a bread machine and are used to working with it, grab it, it will save you labor!
- In the recipe, I combine two types of flour: finely ground whole-wheat rye flour and all-purpose flour. If you are comfortable with the basic recipe, feel free to play around with combining other flours or adjusting the ratio. The more rye flour, the less fluffy and dense the bread will be, with a more intense flavor.
- The Czech bread is a mainstay of the Czech diet and an important part of the country's culinary heritage. Its exceptional taste and texture make it a beloved food for people in the Czech Republic and around the world.
More Czech bread recipes:
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Czech Rye Bread (Chleba)
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
1st dough (yeast starter):
- 1 cup rye flour
- ⅔ cup lukewarm water 110-115°F (40°C)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
2nd dough (add to the starter):
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup lukewarm water
- 3 teaspoons caraway seeds crushed or roughly ground
- 1 small potato boiled, shredded; or 2 Tbsp mashed potatoes
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
1st bread dough (yeast starter):
- Sift 1 cup rye flour into a bowl and mix it with 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast. Dissolve 1 teaspoon honey or sugar in ⅔ cup lukewarm water, then pour it into the bowl with the flour. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture into a thick dough. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 60 minutes – I suggest placing the dough in your oven with a pot of hot water at the bottom.
2nd bread dough (add to the starter):
- Add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons caraway seeds (crushed), 2 teaspoons salt, 1 small potato (boiled, cooled and shredded), and ⅔ cup lukewarm water to the fermented starter.
- Stir with a wooden spoon, then turn the mass onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough well by hand. The dough is quite sticky, so expect to end up with some dough on your hands.
- Return the dough to the bowl and let it rise for another 45–60 minutes. I put the dough back in the oven to proof.
- Prepare a round, deep bowl and a clean tea towel. Dust the cloth evenly with flour and line the bowl with it. Carefully transfer the raised dough to a bowl lined with a floured tea towel. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- About half an hour before the bread is proofed, turn the oven to
450 °F. Place the Dutch oven, including the lid, in the preheated oven and let it heat up. - Prepare a cooling rack and heat-resistant oven gloves, placing them next to the oven. Open the oven and, if it has telescopic rails, slide them and the pre-heated dish out. With gloves on, carefully remove the lid and place it on the cooling rack.
- Put the risen bread into the pot. Cover it with the lid, slide the rails back in, and close the oven door. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid, reduce the temperature to380 °F, and bake for another 10 minutes or until a crusty skin forms.
- Turn out the bread and place it on a cooling rack. Leave to cool for at least two hours before slicing with a knife.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 1 round loaf 9 inches (22 cm), weighing 28 ounces (800 g), about 15-18 slices.
- SERVING: Bohemian rye bread is the staple of Czech cuisine. It is usually eaten sliced, spread with butter and jam, with honey, or topped with ham, salami, or cheese. Enjoy a slice of fresh, buttered bread for breakfast, a snack, or dinner. Bread is also a great accompaniment to soups; this combo makes a great light lunch.
- Wrap the bread in a clean tea towel and store in a bread bin. When completely cooled, the bread can be stored in a plastic bag.
- FREEZING: Czech bread freezes great! Freeze it as soon as it cools after baking. I recommend cutting it into slices beforehand. That way you don't have to defrost the whole loaf when you want a slice for breakfast or a snack.
- In the recipe, I combine two types of flour: finely ground whole-wheat rye flour and all-purpose flour. Once you are comfortable with the basic recipe, feel free to experiment with other types of flour or adjusting the ratio. Keep in mind that the more rye flour you use, the denser and less fluffy the bread will be, resulting in a more intense flavor.
Eva Phillips says
Vyborny chleb jako dela maminka! Ja bydlim v Americe (ve statu New Jersey) a ted ho zrovna pecu a karsne voni. Bohuzel nekdy je tady tezko najit hodne hladkou zitnou mouku, ale v Ruskem obchodu Netcost se najde. Dekuji za recept a zdravim vas z USA!
Petra Kupská says
Evi, thank you very much for your feedback and tips on the rye flour! Greetings from the Czech Republic, Petra
Wayne says
This is what I wanted to hear. I have never made bread but wanted to make rye bread as it is not available here in the UK. I worked in CZ for some time and love the food. Also need a good bread to make Croutons for Petra's garlic soup recipe. my sister has loaned me her bread maker, now I can confidently have a go at making it. Thankyou and thank you Petra for the great recipes.
Petra | Cook Like Czechs says
That's fantastic! I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job with the bread maker. Let me know how it turns out and best of luck.
Wayne says
It came out perfect. Not sure if I got lucky or have a bit of a skill for tipping everything in the breadmaker and pressing play. Thanks to Markětá Kahnt for saying that was a good option.
Wayne says
It came out perfect. Not sure if I got lucky or have a bit of a skill for tipping everything in the breadmaker and pressing play. Thanks to Markětá Kahnt for saying that was a good option.
Petra | Cook Like Czechs says
I’m so glad to hear it turned out perfect! Either you’ve got some serious baking skills or the breadmaker is doing all the work—but hey, if it works, it works! Keep those perfect loaves coming!
Anastasia Knoblochova says
Hi can I ask what is going to happen if I skip potato?
Spencer says
Do you have version of this recipe that uses a sourdough starter?
Petra Kupská says
Hi, Spencer, I'm sorry, but I don't. I haven't had enough practice making bread of a sourdough starter yet. I believe that will change in time!
Zlatka T says
Petro, ja bych Ti chtela podekovat a take tvemu synovi za peknou praci s touto webowou strankou. Mas tu opravdu vsechno. Ja take ziju v USA (Maryland) a tu a tam varim, pecu ceska jidla. Narodila jsem se v CZ (Ceska Lipa). Co me tu moc chybi je poctive pecivo. Ten chleba jsem upekla a moc se povedl, vsichni jsme si pochutnali. Moje holky uz breci ze chteji rohliky...tak budou brzo. Myslim, ze tvoje prace moc pomaha lidem v zahranici, protoze to mas prelozene do AJ, mas prelozene metricke miry, coz hodne pomuze, ale taky mas vychytane co se da nahradit cim. Ja jsem napriklad az ted po tolika letech pochopila, ze nas cesky kmin je caraway seed a ne cummin. MOC DEKUJI za krasne recepty a tvoji praci.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Zdravim Zlatko, dekuji Vam za krasny komentar a mila slova - moc si jich vazim. Je skvele, ze jste si v receptech nasla to svoje. Rada slysim, ze se Vam chleb vydaril a ze se dockal uspechu! At se dari i nadale. Dejte pak urcite vedet, jestli byly Vase holky spokojene i s rohliky. Pozdravy ze severnich Cech, do Ceske Lipy to nemame daleko 🙂
Zlatka says
Anicko, bylo by mozne udelat dvojitou davku a upect jako vetsi bochnik? Uz jste to nekdy zkusila? Asi by bylo treba prodlouzit dobu peceni. Co myslite??
Petra Kupská says
Zlatko, bochník by určitě větší upéct šel, zvýšila bych dávku o polovinu (t.j. přepočítat ingredience x1,5). Chléb je dělaný v litinovém hrnci o pr. 20 cm, pokud by se dávka zdvojnásobila, mohl by chléb být dost vysoký.
Katka says
Zlatko, já jsem také z České Lípy!! 🙂 Ale teď ziji u Vancouveru v Kanade. Na Vánoce přiletí rodina, tak se chystám na pečení a čtu tvůj komentář:) A díky za ten kmín, protože já myslela, že cumin je namlete caraway seed😅
Mila Vapenik says
Vrele diky za pekny a dokonaly popis na zitny chleba. Ja ho uz pecu nespocitatelnych let, ale nikdy jsem nepouzila brambor do testa. Sama si delam sourdough kvasek. Ten zabere nekolik dni. Taky pridam do testa trosku olivoveho oleje. Testo neni lepkave a dobre se s nim dela.Bydlim v Kanade a je mi 82 let.Moc dekuji a zkusim vas recept.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Zdravim, Milo, dekuji Vam za komentar a zpetnou vazbu. Dejte pak urcite vedet jak chleba dopadl! Pozdravy z Ceske republiky.
Markětá Kahnt says
A local restaurant, run by a couple of Czech chefs, used to include slices of chleba with every dish. As great as the various dishes on their menu were, it was the bread that people raved about. They used to sell the bread in the market for the equivalent of 80 Kc a loaf back when Tesco in Prague sold it for 9 Kc.
In 2006, I traveled to Prague, and my host gave me a slice of bread and said "You not know this" - I recognised it to her shock.
I bake my own bread for 30 years with a breadmaker. I have made chleba separately in the oven with a different recipe, but always had trouble with it not raising properly. I took this recipe, combined it all into the breadmaker, used some thoroughly mashed potatoes, and it came out of the Basic cycle perfectly. It will be a regular choice going forward.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Dobry den, thank you for your lovely comment and feedback, Marketa.
Greetings from the Czech Republic.
Wayne says
My earlier comment was aimed at you. Thanks for the breadmaker info.
Ulrike says
I just finished the kneading cycle (9 min Dough) in my Breadmaker - from there on it goes into the bowl to rise and finish in Dutch oven . I like the crust a bit crispier and spray it with water the last 10 min in the oven . Crunchy crusty - don’t slice until the next day - perfection
Gen says
Made my first bread following your recipe and it came out PERFECT! My czech husband loved it ❤️ thank you so much!
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for your comment, Gen. Happy to hear the recipe was such a success!
Jana says
Ahoj Petro,
V prvni rade Vam moc dekuji za skvele recepty!
Ano pokud zijete v zahranici tak jsou ceske recepty nad zlato.
Chci se zeptat? Mam troubu jen 200 a max, a chci upect tento chleb, kolik mam dat?
Moc dekuji Jana
Jirina says
jestli je ta trouba na Celsius, tak 200 je fajn.
Audrey says
I'm so glad I found this site, I LOVE Czech food.
I baked this bread yesterday, the kitchen smelled insanely good.
I did convert the recipe to be able to use sourdough instead of yeast:
active starter: 100g
rye flour: 120g
AP flour: 330g
water: 270ml
All other ingredients stayed the same. I mixed it all together and left it to autolyse before kneading.
Of course the rising times were longer because sourdough is not a quick process. It turned out absolutely divine.
Díky!!!!
Petra Kupská says
Sourdough must have added such a rich, deep flavor to the bread. 😊 Great idea to adjust the recipe, and it’s always so rewarding when something turns out 'divine' like that.
I am happy that you found this site too!
Díky for sharing your experience.
Philip J. Verzal says
I love bohemian food as i am descended from bohemian on my father's side. I make the garlic soup more than regularly as it is most excellent. I did not however have good fortune with the czech rye bread recipe. I followed the instructions except for adding the potato. My bread came out very dry and crumbled. Might you be able to help me miss petra? Thank you
Jim moller says
Petra………always wonderful!