Black Rooster Rye Bread - 5 lb loaf

I tried every bread in the stores for Kvas and only this one is superior to all others tried in the U.S. general grocery stores in my area. Many sold as "russian rye" or "rye pumpernicle" or a few "old world rye" but they have some wheat in them. Black Rooster has very rich flavor. It is tough and chewy, not fluffy and airy like wheat breads. You need to chew it up more than 20 times chewing to enjoy it. Keep munching and savor it. Don't think of this like some factory bread you use to hold a sandwich meat. Black Rooster home page says these type loaves kept for weeks in Latvian ships so I tried keeping it on the counter in the plastic bag. I did not seal the bag and it was been about 5 weeks that I just sliced the last parts today for another batch of Kvas. It has no preservatives and yet not any hint of bread mold at all. It is more like a cracker in that effect. I eat a slice many days in between with fruit and butter or some cheese. You a sharp knife and a cutting board that will not move around. I put 4 star in value for money just because it is a bit costly, and I would not want anyone to think they could find this amazing bread like the cost of some store bread online. Maybe if you are near the bakery or can get to a local distribution store it could be the best value. Consider this one worth every penny though, because u have to shell out the premium for this best product to get it online.For Kvas, cut bread 1/4in or 5mm thick and measure 1/2 slice for each liter u plan to drink. Burn it in the toaster until smoke just begins wafting up from the toaster. Then leave the burnt slices on the counter to get very stale over night. Boil the number of liters water you plan to drink plus some extra for evaporation. (I put 1 liter extra for 8 liters product, so 9l to get 8l kvas.) Turn off the flame and put the bread in the water just after it boils and let it steep there like tea for 10 hours. Filter it into a container with spout like the lemonade mixer at parties. Prepare 1/4 cup (50g) sugars for each liter that you will drink. Highly recommend Dark Muscovado sugar that you can buy on Amazon too. Also consider Date and Beet sugars for a little unique flavor. Use standard brown sugar only as the very last resort. Melt sugar into bowl and make sure all is disintegrated then mix it to the strained bread tea. After well mixed shake in 1/4 teaspoon bread yeast for each liter that you plan to drink. Leave this concoction on the counter with a cloth cover over the top for 24 hours. There should be some foamy yeast bubbling on the top of the mixture. Put 5 raisins in each bottle then siphon or use the lemonade spout to fill up the bottles. There may be a little left over in the lemonade jar. Leave the bottles on the counter for another 8 hours and then move them to the refrigerator. (Yes, it has now been about 56 hours since you burned the bread in the toaster.) Wait another 2 or 3 days to begin drinking. (Yes, about 5-6 days since you burned the bread.) Normal serving about 250-300ml of kvas per day. 8l can last 3 or 4 weeks in the refrigerator but u must use sterilized bottles for best practice.

This rue bread is wonderful! The bread itself is solid and worth every penny.

Bread was too dense to cut, and breaks apart. We were hoping for a much better product, giving the price is pretty expensive.

I would have given 5 stars if it had been precut. It was really hard to cut. The taste was so good, reminded me of Easter bread I got in Scandinavia. This is not like German ryebread, this is sweeter, but really good taste.

We can all quibble about subtlties of taste, but if dark Latvian rye bread is what you want, this is it.Some in this review thread complain about how dense and heavy it is. Yes! It is. Which is how it should be. Easily sliceable to less than an eighth of an inch, and a loaf lasts forever without turning on you.A tremendous loaf, and the bakery is doing Dievs' work making it available. Paldies!

This is belly- and soul-filling bread. I bet you could live on it alone. One slice toasted or fried in butter will sustain you for hours. We've been trekking to Zabar's for quarter loaves -- happy to find the full-size one here.

Agree with many others who say this is nothing as expected. Was expecting something closer to a good dark dense pumpernickel. Should have read reviews before ordering.

We are very happy to find this bread. We have lived in the Baltics and the bread is authentic. It lasts for a long time. As longer time goes by the better it tastes. It is supposed to be hard to slice. It is very dense. It tastes great with butter, meats, pate etc.