I'm very sorry, but this recipe has nearly nothing in common with a german rye bread. For the traditional german bread you need nothing but flour, water and salt.
If you're looking for a great rye bread, this is not it. I felt the sweetness and the absence of caraway detracted from any rye flavour that was meant to be.The rye flavour was definitely missing. I was disappointed because I was looking for a flavourful rye. NOTE TO SCRUFFY: Just halve this recipe and you can do it in your bread machine. Its better if you take the loaf out of the machine after the second rise and shape it into a round. Bake at 190 degrees for 33-35 minutes.
It has a nice colour, and it smells really good when it's baking. It was also fairly easy to make, as homemade bread goes. I would definitely try it again sometime.
Yum! There's something so comforting knowing that you've just made your own bread. My yeast may not have been fresh, as my dough didn't rise, however, it didn't seem to affect the taste at all. I added about 4 tbsp of honey to the dough along with some caraway. Before baking, I brushed the tops of the bread with egg white and sprinkled on more caraway. This was wonderful, well done and thanks!