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Sourdough Rye Bread

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Sourdough Rye Bread

Cuisine:World

Course:Bread

0s prep 1h 0m cook 1h 0m ready

A hearty sourdough rye bread with caraway seeds, yielding two loaves. The dough is fermented with a sourdough starter for a tangy flavor and baked until the crust is set.

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Ingredients

Servings:
½× 1× 1½× 2× 3×
Units:
As Written US Metric
  • 1
    • 4 cups (525g) whole wheat flour
    • 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup (175g) lukewarm (80° to 90°F) water
    • 1 ¼ cups (160g) whole wheat/all-purpose flour blend, from above
    • ¾ cup (175g) water
    • 1 ¾ cups (225g) whole wheat/all-purpose flour blend, from above
    • 1 cup (235g) lukewarm (80° to 90°F) water
    • 2 ½ cups (305g) whole wheat/all-purpose flour blend, from above
    • ⅔ cup (155g) lukewarm (80° to 90°F) water
    Sub-recipe steps
    1. Whisk together well in a large bowl: 4 cups (525g) whole wheat flour; 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
    2. Transfer to a bag or an airtight container. This is the flour blend you will use to feed your starter. Measure 1 ¼ cups of this flour blend into a medium container such as a quart jar or a plastic container with about a 4-cup capacity. Add to the flour: ¾ cup (175g) lukewarm (80° to 90°F) water
    3. Stir together until smooth. Cover with a piece of thin, clean kitchen towel or fabric, and secure the fabric with a rubber band. Let the starter sit at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for several days. Check it daily. You should start to see bubbles after 3 to 5 days. If a crust forms on top, that’s okay. If the starter smells cheesy, yeasty, or nose-tinglingly sharp, your starter is alive. The only thing to look out for is mold. If any mold grows on the starter, discard it and start again.
    4. When you see signs of fermentation, the starter is ready to be fed. It will need several more days—maybe even a week or more—of consistent feedings before it is ready to make bread.
    5. To feed the sourdough starter, every day at roughly the same time, discard all but about ¼ cup of the starter (or see Using Discarded Starter). Add to the remaining ¼ cup starter in the container: 1 ¼ cups (160g) whole wheat/all-purpose flour blend, from above; ¾ cup (175g) water
    6. Adding a precise amount of flour and water is not as important as feeding the starter regularly: As long as most of the previous day’s starter is discarded and enough flour and water are added to make a thick paste, you’re doing it right. Once you get a feel for it, you may choose not to measure the flour and water at all.
    7. As you feed the starter, try to get a sense of its behavior. It should increase in volume for several hours after being fed. At some point it will start to deflate. The smell of the starter will also change—right after feeding, it should smell mild. As the starter approaches the time for its next feeding, it will smell sharper and more acidic. Sometimes it may even smell like nail polish remover.
    8. The starter is ready for baking when it rises and falls consistently for a few days. At least 12 hours before you plan to start making bread, discard all but about 1 tablespoon of the starter (the starter clinging to the sides and bottom of the container will be enough).
    9. For a liquid starter, stir in: 1 ¾ cups (225g) whole wheat/all-purpose flour blend, from above; 1 cup (235g) lukewarm (80° to 90°F) water
    10. For a stiff starter, use: 2 ½ cups (305g) whole wheat/all-purpose flour blend, from above; ⅔ cup (155g) lukewarm (80° to 90°F) water
    11. Cover and let sit until the starter has increased in volume, 8 to 12 hours. To test for readiness, drop a spoonful of starter in a cup of water. It should float. If the starter does not float, cover it and wait until it is ready. In very warm conditions, the starter may have already peaked and deflated at 8 hours. In cool conditions, it may take longer (in this case, try to place the starter in a warm location). Working with a starter is all about learning how to read its signs. This is a skill you will pick up over time.
    12. When the starter is ready, proceed with one of the recipes below or any sourdough recipe calling for a liquid starter (for those calling for a stiff starter, see Converting a Starter).
  • 1 ½ cups (180g) dark rye flour
  • 1 ¼ cups (295g) water
  • 1 ¾ cups (210g) dark rye flour
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ cups (155 to 220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (235g) water
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt

Let's Prepare

Collect

Gather these ingredients - no prep needed yet.

  • 1 ⅓ cup active Sourdough Starter
  • 1 ½ cups (180g) dark rye flour
  • 1 ¼ cups (295g) water
  • 1 ¾ cups (210g) dark rye flour
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ cups (155 to 220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (235g) water
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt

Let's Cook

  1. Step 1.

    Place in a medium bowl: ⅓ cup active Sourdough Starter

  2. Step 2.

    Feed the starter with: 1 ½ cups (180g) dark rye flour; 1 ¼ cups (295g) water

  3. Step 3.

    Stir until smooth. Combine and sprinkle over the top of the starter: 1 ¾ cups (210g) dark rye flour; 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour

  4. Step 4.

    Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let ferment until the starter has risen and created a network of cracks in the flour sprinkled over it, 4 to 5 hours.

  5. Step 5.

    Mix until smooth and then stir in: 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ cups (155 to 220g) all-purpose flour; 1 cup (235g) water; 1 tablespoon caraway seeds; 1 ½ teaspoons salt

  6. Step 6.

    The dough should be neither very dry nor very wet. If necessary, add a little more flour or water to adjust the consistency. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and pliable, working in more all-purpose flour if it is too sticky (the dough will be tacky, but it should not stick aggressively to your hands). Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, and shape into rounds. Place the loaves on a greased baking sheet, cover loosely with a cloth, and let rise until increased but not doubled in bulk. A fingertip pressed gently into the dough should leave an imprint that does not spring back right away. This should take 3 to 4 hours.

  7. Step 7.

    Position racks in the center and lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a metal baking pan or cast-iron skillet on the lower rack.

  8. Step 8.

    Score the loaves if desired, place on the center rack in the oven, and immediately pour 1 cup hot water into the baking pan or skillet. Bake until the internal temperature of the loaves reaches at least 110°F, 50 to 60 minutes. To further set the crust, turn the oven off and let the loaves remain in the oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

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