Rye, a nutritious, winter-hardy crop, has a multitude of uses in the kitchen in addition to being a bit of a wunderkind for growing, thanks to minimal water needs, pest resistance, and ability to improve soil health. A staple in northern reaches of Europe once it made its way from western Asia, this ancient grain has a rich, complex flavor. It offers many types of dishes flavor profiles from spicy to sweet, and rye breads alone can differ vastly in both flavor and structure. Another plus: rye’s low gluten content makes it more easily digestible than wheat.

Join chef Scott Graden, owner of the New Scenic Café, to dive into the wonders of rye as class makes rye breads - caraway, swedish, crostini, and chocolate rye bread. Additionally explore wort bread, an aromatic rye bread with a soft crumb often served at Christmas time in Sweden. What’s wort? Wort is the liquid extracted from the mashing process during brewing. Continue the rye bread adventure with rye rusks, a thick, rustic bread, twice baked to a delightful crispy crunch.

No rye class is complete without smørrebrød–artfully arranged open-faced sandwiches built upon a thin layer of dense sourdough rye bread. From there, linger in Northern Europe and make delectable Swedish meatballs and top it all off with samples of rye whiskey.

This class menu contains alcohol. Students should be 21+. 

On day two, the class will culminate with a shared meal at around 4pm. Students may bring a guest to the meal.

Required Tools

• Assorted containers for bringing food home
• A basket or box for those containers
• Beverage for communal meal