{100% Rye} | sprouted whole grain flour & toasted cracked rye
I can truly say that rye sourdough changed my life! I love, love, love it!
The dominant favor of rye is on the very low end of the sweet spectrum as a grain; it's dominant grain-spectrum flavor is bitter. So, we'll call rye bittersweet. This is a great "everyday" bread choice. Enjoy a slice or two with a warm soup, or sautéed/braised winter greens in the cooler months. In the summer, try pairing with a cup of gazpacho, or borscht served at room temperature, or a light sauté of green beans, snap peas, radicchio topped with a handful of blackberries . And, of course, this bread is always good with a little sauerkraut!
Kitchen Tools
Mason Jars | 16 oz and 32 oz
Glass mixing bowls with lids (Pyrex for instance)
9x5 loaf pan or a cast iron dutch oven
Silicone spatula
Kitchen scale
Parchment paper
Sourdough Starter Recipe
This is where I learned
* Don't get discouraged or give up on your stater! It took me about 10 days to really get mine going.
* I keep a 150g starter at a 1:1:1 ratio. So when it's feeding time, I keep 150g starter and add 150g flour and 150g filter room temp water)
{100% Rye Bread Recipe}
Ingredients
100g 100% rye starter
480g sprouted rye flour
1 cup sprouted rye berries
1 teaspoon sea salt or pink himalayan salt
1 1/2 teaspoon anise seed
filtered water
2 tablespoons raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Day 1 | Preparing the Sourdough
In a medium bowl, combine 100g rye sourdough starter, 220g wholemeal rye flour and 220g room temperature filtered water (or lukewarm water if you live in a cooler climate).
Cover and place somewhere warm at a cozy room temperature (70°F - 75°F) for about 16 – 24 hours.
Watch to make sure your sourdough is rising. You can mark the bowl with a piece of tape to be sure. You should start to see air bubbles.
In a dry skillet, dry toast 1 cup of sprouted rye berries until their color deepens and you start to hear a little popping. Transfer 1/2 cup of these to your clean coffee grinder, and press the grind button 5 times for about 5-10 seconds each round. Transfer all of the toasted whole and cracked rye berries to a small bowl, cover with filtered water, add 2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar, stir, cover and let soak for 8 hours or overnight.
Day 2 | Mixing & Resting Your Bread Dough
Transfer all of yesterday's mix to a large bowl and add 260g rye flour, 200g room temperature filtered water (or lukewarm water if you live in a cooler climate), all of the cracked and soaked rye berries from yesterday (drain and rinse before adding), and 1 teaspoon salt. * I add 1 1/2 teaspoons anise seed to mine. * see note below.
Mix thoroughly, cover and rest for about 30 minutes.
Get your cast iron dutch oven or loaf tin(s) out and well oil the bottom and sides with extra virgin olive oil. Line the bottom with a piece parchment paper brushed with a little more olive oil.
To transfer the dough from the bowl to your baking vessel, this is best done with wet hands and and a silicone spatula. Try to make a ball in your hands. * have a bowl of water for rewetting your hands nearby. Don't worry if your dough won't hold it's shape in a ball. If your dough is too wet for shaping, proceed by "pouring" the dough into your loaf tin aided by a spatula. If you are able to form a ball, drop your shaped dough into your dutch oven or 9x5 loaf pan.
Sprinkle a little very cracked rye flour and anise seed on top, then place the lid on your dutch oven or cover your loaf pan with aluminum foil. Let rest overnight, up to 24 hours.
Note: I have yet to achieve the exact same consistency for each batch of bread; i'm still exploring. However, they have all turned out "good" and felt good in my belly without creating any system imbalance. I notice that a wetter dough will rise a bit more. So, follow the basic ingredients instructions, and if you want a wetter or dryer dough add 1 tablespoon of water or 1 tablespoon of rye flour at a time to achieve the consistency you desire or want to experiment with.
Day 3 | Baking Your Bread
The dough should have noticeably risen overnight, hopefully doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 475°F.
Bake at 475°F for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 425°F and bake for another 35-45 minutes or so. If in any doubt, give it a little longer in the oven – rye loaves hold a lot of water.
Peel off the parchment paper and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Once completely cooled, wrap in parchment paper or a kitchen towel and leave to rest for a day. The flavor of the loaf will mature in that time and the crumb will improve. Try not to cut right into it! If you do, it will be a bit sticky still, but delicious none the less.