Rye flour brings surprising lightness to chocolate tea loaf

When we think of rye flour, we tend to think of hearty dark rye bread, pumpernickel or maybe even dense rye bagels. But rye flour can add a dimension of lightness to baked goods.

Like wheat, rye flour is milled from rye berries. But rye flour has a different composition than wheat flour, and produces much less gluten than wheat flours. This lends itself to a much lighter bread or pastry than those made with regular wheat flours.

Rye flours are not all created equal. Just like there are varying degrees to wheat flours, rye flour comes in a spectrum of blends that will contribute more or less heartiness to the finished product. For pastry, it is preferable to use light or medium rye flour. In addition, sourcing a high-quality rye from a trusted miller like Lindley Mills or Carolina Ground (both companies sell their flours online) will result in a finished product with more flavor, texture and nutrition than one made with rye flour sold at supermarkets.

Finally, rye flour loves to be paired with chocolate. In this recipe, the two combine for a flavorful, light, tea loaf that is delicious with a morning cup of coffee or an evening glass of red wine. Although not included in the recipe below, a chocolate glaze or drippy chocolate sauce utilizing high-quality chocolate from Atlanta’s Xocolatl Small Batch Chocolate or Athen’s Condor Chocolates would be a fun addition to this tea loaf.

Sarah Dodge is an Atlanta-based bread baker, pastry chef and baking instructor. She is the owner of Bread is Good, which offers bread subscriptions to the general public and wholesale baked goods to local markets and restaurants.