Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Most people associate the flavor of rye flour with Jewish deli rye bread. While deli rye is wonderful stuff, its distinctive anise-y flavor and aroma comes not from the rye flour itself but from the caraway seed it is studded with. On its own, rye has a quieter, more earthy character, with subtle aromas reminiscent of baked potatoes, mushrooms and caramel, and a mild, sweet flavor paired with just a hint of bitterness. All of which makes rye a far more versatile baking ingredient than its association with deli rye would suggest.

Rye flour is used to make all manner of other breads beyond deli rye, including German volkornbrot and pumpernickel and Danish rugbrød. Rye tends to be much lower in gluten than wheat, so breads made from 100% rye flour lack the structure of wheat-based breads, which accounts for their signature compact crumb and heft. It also makes these breads a challenge to make well.

Rye does contain loads of starch, however, which means it works wonderfully in place of wheat flour for the sorts of baked goods that rely on starch and not gluten for structure. Like cookies, for example—which is what inspired these three recipes.

The first is a rye biscoff cookie. Biscoff—aka speculoos—cookies are a cinnamon-scented spiced Belgian treat, but are most familiar to Americans as the cookies given away as a snack on Delta Air Lines flights. Next up is a rye-tahini shortbread; the slightly bitter edge of both rye flour and tahini means they work beautifully together in a savory-sweet cookie. Finally, I’ve got a rye “earthquake" cookie—a crackled, ultra-moist brownie-style cookie in which the usual confectioners’ sugar coating is swapped out with rye flour. (Rye and chocolate make for another excellent bitter-sweet matchup.)

Rye flours come in several different grades or styles, although oftentimes labeling on packages can be confusing or vague—in many cases, a flour is simply sold as “rye”, without any indication as to its type. Pumpernickel or dark rye flour are two names for 100% whole-grain, unsifted rye flour. Medium and light rye refer to sifted rye flours, the latter more refined than the former, though most brands only sell one or the other style; sifting removes some of the bran, the hard, coarse-textured seedcoat of the rye berry.

While any style of rye flour will work in these cookie recipes, in certain instances one grade is preferable. Sometimes the texture is improved by the presence of a high amount of bran—it enhances the short, sandy texture of the tahini shortbread cookies, for example— while in others it is slightly too coarse. (The good news is that you can make a version of sifted rye flour yourself by passing whole-rye flour through a fine-mesh sieve before you measure it.) I’ve indicated in each recipe which grade you should try to use.

And as with any whole-grain recipe, freshly milled flour is preferable, or at least flour from a freshly opened package, when its flavor will be most intense. And most pleasant: Whole-grain flours, because they contain the oil-rich bran and germ, are prone to turning rancid within a month or two of opening, particularly when stored at room temperature. Be sure to use yours up as quickly as possible, and store any unused flour in a tightly sealed container, in the fridge or freezer if possible.

Here in New England, both Maine Grains and Ground Up Grain sell freshly milled rye flours; Maine Grains only stocks whole rye flour, while Ground Up sells both whole (dark) and sifted (light) rye.

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