Organic Dark Rye Flour

I use the dark rye flower and the bread flower as well as the cracked rye when baking Danish style pumpernickel. I used other manufactures in the past until I found Janie's Mills. Their flowers are superior and my pumpernickel turns out fantastic, dense and very tasty. I used the dark rye flower to start and maintain the starter. I am very happy with their products and results of using their flour.

I have used the dark rye in my loaves of sourdough bread - usually in a 50/50 mix with whole wheat along with some caraway seeds. Wonderful flavor and texture. I use a nice long sourdough rising with the flours and with the whole wheat/rye mix it has a nice rising and not overly dense. I love this flour.

While I have great respect for JM and its wheat offerings, I cannot say the same for the rye. Rye is a much lesser grain in the eyes of bakers in the West; in Asia and the East near Russia, where rye is more common, apart from Germany it has a much different place. Rye is harder to bake with in making bread because it does not have gluten in the same way that wheat flour does thus it is harder to craft a loaf that is not dense and without loft. One can do it, but it is more difficult. What I object to is not the 100% extraction or the organic nature of the two rye varieties in this offering but its lack of flavour. Bono and ND Dylan are both quite similar in that they provide high yields without tillering and a resistance to ergot infestation - for the farmer these characteristics are genuine attractions. However, the flavour of this rye is rather bland. Most of the reason I esteem the wheat flours chosen by JM is that they are old cultivars, landrace heirloom varieties that have lesser yield, perhaps, but are more flavourful and easy to bake bread with compared with commercial high-yield wheat flours chosen by corporate farms. Granted, rye flour is not something everyone wishes to use but having used rye flour in Europe and Asia, I would want something with more flavour, which would be more in keeping with the remit of JM it would seem to me. My taste too would be for a bit coarser grind, not quite like that of a pumpernickel but a bit inbetween.

With all that said, I am grateful that JM exists near Chicago, and that one can buy organic freshly milled flour using stones rather than cylinders. But for the rye cognocente, this blend of bono and nd dylan is not supreme.

Haven’t used the rye flour yet but hope to soon.
I never worry about the quality of JM flour.
Everything I have ever purchased has been
wonderful in quality, taste and a phenomenal customer service with fast delivery. Will always and only buy from Janies Mill

It was fresh and made wonderful pumpernickel bread