Corn Rye

Despite the name, there’s no corn in a corn rye. The term comes from the Yiddish “korn," meaning grain, and what you’re really making here is a traditional New York-style Jewish deli sour rye with a deeply tangy flavor and a chewy crust.

The overnight rye sour is the character builder. A chopped onion wrapped in cheesecloth steeps into the flour-and-water slurry, lending a subtle aromatic base and kick-starting fermentation. You pull the onion in the morning, its job already done.

Two cups of bread flour get worked in alongside the rye sour to provide the gluten strength rye alone can’t. This is what lets the loaf rise high instead of baking up as a dense brick.

Caraway seeds go in both the sour and on top. Doubling down like this is what gives authentic corn rye its signature savory-fragrant hit.

Kitchen Tips

• The rye sour should smell yeasty and slightly sour in the morning, not alcoholic or off. If it smells wrong, start over.
• Add the final ¼ cup of water slowly. Rye absorbs unpredictably and too much makes a sticky dough that won’t shape.
• Slash the top deep and on a sharp bias. Rye dough is denser than wheat and needs those vents to rise without splitting sideways.
• Brush the egg wash thin. Pooled wash turns leathery and rubbery instead of glossy.

Variations

• Stir a tablespoon of molasses into the rye sour for a darker, sweeter crumb closer to pumpernickel.
• Swap caraway for fennel seed for a less assertive, lightly anise-scented loaf.
• Brush the baked loaf with a light cornstarch-water glaze for the classic bakery shine.