Traditional German bread.

When the Bakehouse first unleashed the Vollkornbrot, the response was surprising. We had high hopes, of course, that this very traditional, very dense and chewy German bread would find an audience, but we had no idea it would gather such a quick following.

Some folks tried it out of curiosity. Some were transplanted Germans who longed for a bread as good as the ones they left behind. Some were drawn to the fact that it’s made with organic rye grown in Michigan and freshly ground into whole grain flour at our Bakehouse on our own stone mill.

That flour gets mixed with rye chops, sunflower seeds, sea salt and a bit of water. It’s naturally leavened, and after a long fermentation period to coax out huge, tangy rye flavor, the loaves get a long, slow bake. After coming out of the oven, they “cure” for at least 24 hours before we slice into them. This is one bread that really gets better with age—unlike every other bread we sell, we recommend keeping this one in plastic in the fridge, cutting a slice when you’re ready to eat it. It will keep that way for a couple of weeks, easily.

The Vollkornbrot is moist and chewy, earthy, with a pleasant sour kick to balance the sweet, nutty flavors of the grain.