Recipe of the week: Danish rye bread

Smørrebrød (pronounced “smuhr-broht“) translates from the Danish as simply “butter on bread”, but it means so much more than that, says Trine Hahnemann. The open sandwich on rye bread has been the traditional Danish lunch since at least the Middle Ages; these days popular toppings include fish, meat, eggs, vegetables, cheese and even fruit. Here’s my classic rye bread recipe. I always have it in my bread basket and eat it every day.

Makes 1 large loaf For the rye sourdough starter: 300ml buttermilk 300g wholegrain stone-ground rye flour For the rye bread Day 1: 1 new rye sourdough starter or 3 tbsps rye sourdough starter (see method below) 850ml lukewarm water 3 tbsps sea salt flakes 750g wholegrain stone-ground rye flour Day 2: 500g cracked rye 250ml cold water a little flavourless oil, for the loaf tin

• For the rye sourdough starter: mix the buttermilk and rye flour well in a bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature for 3 days. It’s important that it doesn’t turn mouldy, but starts bubbling; a room temperature of 23°C-25°C is ideal for this.

• Day 1: if making your first loaf from the starter, dissolve all the starter in the lukewarm water in a large bowl. (For the next loaf use just 3 tbsps of the starter, which you will reserve on day 2; the whole quantity of starter is just for the first attempt and the loaf will be a little bigger).

• Stir in the salt and flour, cover the bowl with a towel and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

• Day 2: add the cracked rye and cold water to the dough mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. It will be too runny to knead with your hands.

• Remove 3 tbsps of the dough mixture, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate; this will become your starter for the next loaf you make (it needs to rest for at least 3 days before use, and will last for up to 8 weeks).

• Lightly oil a large loaf tin, measuring about 30cm x 10cm, and 10cm deep. Pour in the dough, cover with a damp towel and leave to rise for 3-6 hours until the dough has almost reached the top of the tin.

• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the loaf for 1 hour 45 minutes, then immediately turn it out onto a wire rack to cool.

• This is great just out of the oven, but because it’s difficult to cut, it’s even better the next day… if you can wait!

Taken from Open Sandwiches: 70 smørrebrød ideas for morning, noon and night by Trine Hahnemann, published by Quadrille at £12.99. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £11.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit www.theweek.co.uk/bookshop.