Sourdough rye bread (IV)
Rye bread was one of the main foods for people until the Middle Ages in Europe. Nowadays it is still common in many countries including Estonia, Finland, Russia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Austria, Israel and also in some other regions. This is also somewhat widespread in North America, the United States, and Canada, especially the types of rye bread originated from Israel. Bread made from rye flour does not form such a strong gluten network compared to wheat flour and making bread loaf, it is not necessary to knead it into a smooth and tough dough. Rather, if the dough is left more liquid results in a more fluffy structure to the baked bread. Rye bread is darker than wheat flour bread, it is denser and slightly chewy. Dark color is also given by the caramelized sugar, which is often added to the bread.
I made a rye bread using the starter, which I “switched” to the rye flour 3 days before the bread making. For that, I added rye flour to the starter instead of the wheat flour – that emerges the flour exchange very well.
Classical rye wheat bread is not containing different seeds but I added pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Preparation time: 20 min batter preparation, 3h first dough rise. 10 min loaf forming, 3h to overnight (fridge), 30-50 min baking
Level: Average
Quantity: Two loaves
Ingredients:
1 kg of rye flour (I used the “Loodusvägi” organic whole grain flour)
720 g of water
700 g of starter
75 g bread syrup (Dansukker)
10 g of sea salt
100 g of pumpkin seeds
100 g of sunflower seeds
Preparation:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
2. Mix the dough with your hand in the bowl until the dough is evenly mixed.
3. Smooth the surface of the dough, shake it over a little bit of flour, cover it and put it to rise for 3 hours.
4. Cut the dough into two equal parts, using a knife or a dough scraper, pour on the work surface, make your hands oily and form two balls of dough.
5. Place the clean kitchen towel in a bowl as big as your bread will eventually come. The bread will be too flat if the wide bowl is used. You can use special dough baskets, baking molds, boxes or whatever to form the bread loaf. Sprinkle the kitchen towel generously with the flour, place the dough on the towel, cover it and let the dough rise for 3 hours in the room operation or place for 12-16 hours in the refrigerator. Wake up in the morning, warm up the oven, and bake fresh bread for the family or friends for the morning breakfast.
6. After lifting, carefully tilt the dough into a baking sheet of about 25 cm wide. Carefully remove the kitchen towel, cut the pattern with a very sharp thin knife or better with a razor-sharp in bread for a bakery symbol and decoration.
9. There are several different options for baking. Take the oven to 230-250 degrees to heat. Place to the oven water path but do not fill it. Another option is to use a cast-iron oven pot. I made bread with the cast-iron pot. Lift the bread loaf from the edges of the baking paper, lifting the oven pot, sprinkle the water in the pot, close the lid and bake. Without cast-iron pot, slide the bread to the oven using a thin wooden cutting board, pour hot water into a water bath to create plenty of steam, sprinkle more water in the oven and bake.
10. Bake in a pot for 25 minutes with a lid (lifting) and 25 minutes without a lid (crusting). If not using pot, cook for 45 minutes.
11. Leave the bread to cool for at least an hour before eating.
Ready!!
