You’ll love this bread machine recipe for sour milk rye bread. It’s moist and has a tang similar to sourdough thanks to the sour milk.
Last Updated on May 24, 2026 – Originally posted on November 13, 2017
This version of the sour milk bread recipe was suggested by a reader, NoMercy. I tested it and it’s a keeper.
The loaf is tender and slightly tangy from the sour milk. It isn’t strongly rye-flavored, but the rye adds a subtle heartiness that makes the bread ideal for sandwiches.
Sour Milk
Traditionally, sour milk recipes were a practical way to use milk that had begun to sour in the fridge but was still safe for baking. If you prefer, you can also use fresh milk—this recipe works well with regular milk.
To mimic the tang of naturally soured milk, stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar (white or apple cider) into 1 cup of room-temperature milk and let it sit about 5 minutes. For this recipe I added 1.5 tablespoons of vinegar to 1.5 cups of milk, stirred, waited five minutes, then adjusted the volume so the recipe had 1.5 cups of sour milk.
Type of Milk
I’ve used both 2% and whole milk successfully. Fat content can affect the loaf’s rise, so higher-fat milk like whole milk generally yields a slightly better rise than lower-fat milk.
This Sour Milk Rye Bread is a variation of my Sour Milk Bread recipe, which I usually make with 2% milk. Curious whether milk fat made a difference, I tested the recipe with 2% and with whole milk using the quick cycle and rapid-rise yeast. The only change between loaves was the milk: the loaf made with whole milk rose slightly better.
Rye Flour
A Field of Rye
This recipe includes rye flour. Rye is a whole-grain cereal that adds fiber and a pleasant, earthy character. You can use either light or dark rye flour depending on the depth of flavor you prefer.
Making Sour Milk Rye Bread
This makes a two-pound loaf. Use your bread machine’s basic setting with a medium crust.
Follow the ingredient order recommended by your bread machine manual. With many machines, including mine, you add the liquids first, then dry ingredients, and yeast last.
Check the dough during the first kneading, about five to ten minutes in. Open the lid and inspect the dough: it should form a smooth, round ball. If it seems too dry, add liquid a teaspoon at a time; if too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough has a smooth, elastic surface.
Sour Milk Rye Bread Recipe
Makes one two-pound loaf. Use the basic setting with medium crust.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sour milk (regular milk works too)
3 cups bread flour
1 cup light or dark rye flour
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
Metric measurements are provided below in the ingredient list for convenience.
Sour Milk Rye Bread
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (354.9 ml) sour milk Regular (not soured) milk works fine too
- 3 cups (375 g) bread flour
- 1 cup (102 g) light rye flour Dark rye flour works fine too
- 1 ¼ teaspoon (1.2 teaspoon) salt
- 4 Tablespoons (3.9 Tablespoons) sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons (1.5 Tablespoons) olive oil
- 1 ¾ teaspoons (1.7 teaspoons) active dry yeast
Instructions
-
This makes a two-pound loaf. Use the basic setting with medium crust.
-
Add ingredients to the bread pan following your machine’s recommended order—typically liquids first, then dry ingredients, and yeast last.
-
After five to ten minutes of kneading, check the dough. It should be a smooth, round ball. Adjust with small amounts of liquid or flour as needed so the dough is neither sticky nor dry.
Notes
To make sour milk: add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup room-temperature milk, stir, and wait about 5 minutes before using.
This recipe was developed using US customary measurements; metric values are provided for convenience.
Nutrition
All information on this site is for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist; nutritional values are estimates and should be used as general guidance.