exceeded rye for the first time only in 1957.
Rye has unusual carbohydrates and
proteins, and as a result produces a distinctive
kind of bread. It’s described in the next
chapter (p. 545).
Rye Carbohydrates Rye contains a large
quantity, up to 7% of its weight, of
carbohydrates called pentosans (an old term;
the new one is arabinoxylans). These are
medium-sized aggregates of sugars that have
the very useful property of absorbing large
amounts of water and producing a thick,
viscous, sticky consistency. Thanks to its
pentosans, rye flour absorbs eight times its
weight in water, while wheat flour absorbs
two. Unlike starch, the pentosans don’t
retrograde and harden after being cooked and
cooled. So they provide a soft, moist texture
that helps gives rye breads a shelf life of
weeks. Rye pentosans also help control
appetite; the dried carbohydrates in rye crisps