One of the problems with bread machines is that the density of whole grain or rye breads can approach that of neutron star material. So after experimenting with a number of variable I have a never-fail lighter, aromatic rye bread recipe that is great for slicing and sandwich making. I use a Hitachi Hb-B201+ bread machine. [Michael]

After the dough has kneaded for about 5 min I make sure that its composition is a solid twirling ball. If the dough looks overly sticky or is smearing around in the bread pan I add bread flour in 1 tablespoon amounts until the dough firms up. This will prevent the collapse of the center of the loaf during the second rise. The bread machine is set to the "bread" menu and the bread color setting is set to medium.