This high altitude tested Icelandic rye bread has a dense, tight crumb with a moist, chewy texture and sweet flavor. It’s baked in a perfectly square loaf by using a lidded pullman pan, and is traditionally served in thin slices with butter and smoked, cured or pickled foods.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for no knead rye sandwich bread, simple Irish brown bread, and cheese and herbs buttermilk quick bread.

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What is Icelandic Rye Bread?
Icelandic rye bread, also known as rúgbrauð, hverabrauð, lava bread, geiser bread, thunder bread, hot spring bread and volcano bread, is a straight rye bread originating in Iceland. The bread is traditionally baked or steamed underground in a special pot or cask for up to 24 hours, naturally heated by geothermal springs (volcanic hot springs).
The texture of this bread is dense, with a moist, tight crumb. Its flavor is slightly sweet, sweetened by honey or golden syrup and a bit of molasses. I originally tested this recipe with more molasses for a darker color, but too much molasses can really overpower the flavor and make it bitter, so I prefer it with less molasses.
Icelandic bread is typically sliced thinly, then spread with generous amounts of butter or topped with foods like smoked salmon or trout, pickled herring and hard boiled eggs. I sampled a slice with some of my own homemade strawberry rhubarb jam.
If you’re looking for a soft, fluffy rye bread that tastes like caraway seeds, this one isn’t it, and you’d likely prefer my no knead rye sandwich bread recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy. You’ll have the batter for the dough mixed up by hand in 5-10 minutes, and then your bread will be ready to bake.
No Yeast, No Kneading. This is a quick bread, meaning it’s leavened with a chemical leavener such as baking soda or baking powder, rather than yeast.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Flour. You’ll be using just rye flour for today’s recipe, without any all purpose flour or bread flour. Using straight rye flour will give the bread a much more dense texture and nutty flavor.
- Leaveners. Instead of yeast, this recipe uses chemical leaveners (baking powder and baking soda) to give it rise.
- Buttermilk. Use buttermilk if you have it, but if not, combining whole milk with vinegar will also do the trick.
- Sweeteners. Icelandic rye bread is supposed to be sweeter than most breads. To sweeten the bread, you’ll need molasses (original, not black strap) and golden syrup or honey. You may even be able to use pure maple syrup. You might even try using dark brown sugar instead, to give the bread a darker color.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Prepare your 9-inch pullman pan by brushing the bottom and sides with the softened butter. Be sure to grease the inside of the lid, too. If you don’t have a lid, see the recipe notes below.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the buttermilk, golden syrup/honey and molasses, and stir together with a spatula into a smooth, sticky batter.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and secure the lid.
- Bake the bread for about 80-90 minutes. Remove the lid to check the temperature – the bread is done when the internal temperature reads 195 F with a digital instant read meat thermometer.
- Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack. Let cool for about an hour, then slice thinly and serve warm or at room temperature.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover sliced bread in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. Leftovers are great toasted.
For today’s recipe, you’ll need the “small” pullman loaf pan (which is 9x4x4) with a lid. If you already own this pan, but don’t have the lid, you may not be able to buy the lid separately. I bought my USA Bakeware pullman pan several years ago without a lid, and they don’t sell it separately. So instead of using a lid, simply spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick baking spray and wrap it over the top of the pan. When you place the pan in the oven to bake the bread, set a heavy baking sheet on top of the pan to weigh down the foil. This will work exactly the same as the lid.
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High Altitude Icelandic Rye Bread (Rúgbrauð)
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 9-Inch Pullman Loaf Pan with Lid (see recipe notes)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ¾ cups (540 grams) rye flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 ⅓ cups buttermilk (see recipe notes)
- ⅓ cup golden syrup or honey
- 2 tbsp original molasses (not black strap)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Prepare your 9-inch pullman pan by brushing the bottom and sides with the softened butter. Be sure to grease the inside of the lid, too. If you don't have a lid, see the recipe notes below.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the buttermilk, golden syrup/honey and molasses, and stir together with a spatula into a smooth, sticky batter.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and secure the lid.
- Bake the bread for about 80-90 minutes. Remove the lid to check the temperature – the bread is done when the internal temperature reads 195 F with a digital instant read meat thermometer.
- Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack. Let cool for about an hour, then slice thinly and serve warm or at room temperature.
It’s a snowy day in colorado and I was so in the mood to bake… I just made this beautiful loaf of bread! The house smells amazing and we all can’t wait to dig into it!
I made this today while in our current Polar Vortex here in Colorado. Great recipe, easy and delicious. Tastes just like I remember the bread when we visited Iceland. Thank you!
Such a nice compliment, thank you!