Schwarzbrot Also Known As:   Rheinische Schwarzbrot, Roggenvollkornbrot, Dark Rye Bread        Photo: © © yamix - Fotolia.com      Schwarzbrot is a whole grain bread, made with at least 90% whole rye grain. Traditionally, the Schwarzbrot is baked slowly (for 24 hours) to allow the sugars in the bread to caramalize. This gives the bread its dark brown color and its sweet taste. Many commercial bakeries replace the long, slow baking period with ingredients that both add color and sweetness to the bread. Bread Category:  Whole Grain Breads Main Ingredients Coarsely ground whole rye grain, natural sourdough. Schwarzbrot is also often made with additional ingredients, such as hazelnuts, oatmeal, or sunflower seeds. Bread Characteristics Strongly flavored, very dark brown, crumb is moist, chewy and a bit crumbly. Great source of many vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Serving Suggestions Schwarzbrot is very versatile. It goes well with wurst and cheese slices and it also taste great with just some butter. It also goes great with fried or scrambled eggs. It can also be cut into cubes, roasted in a pan, and enjoyed over soups and salads. It's best to purchase a whole or half, unsliced Schwarzbrot loaf instead of just some bread slices, as it is often packaged. The shelf life of sliced bread is very short and the bread dries out quickly and loses its aroma. A whole or half loaf allows you to cut slices as you need them, keeping the bread fresher. If a whole loaf is too much, cut the bread into slices yourself and freeze the slices. This way you will always have fresh Schwarzbrot slices available. Defrost bread slices overnight in the refrigerator.