Rye bread
Description
My classic rye bread, which I have baked since the late 1980s. For me, a rye bread needs to be dense and have bit of sour flavour. IMPORTANT: READ THE WHOLE RECIPE BEFORE YOU GET GOING, SO YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROCES.
Ingredients
For the rye sourdough starter
Making rye bread dough - Day 1
Making rye bread dough - Day 2
Instructions
For the rye sourdough starter
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Before you start, you need to make a sourdough starter. I have had a lot of mails and texts about how to get started. If you can get buttermilk where you live, then you can start on water. So, for the first bread you use a really big portion of sourdough starter, but that is only that one time. Going forward, for your next bread and the next and the next, you use 3 tablespoons of sourdough starter.
To make the rye sourdough starter, mix the buttermilk and rye flour well in a bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature for 3 days. It’s important that it doesn’t turn mouldy, but starts bubbling, a temperature of 23–25°C (73–77°F) is ideal for this, if too cold it will mould before the bacteria starts to develop.
Making rye bread dough - Day 1
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If making your first loaf from the starter, dissolve all the starter in the lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl (for the next loaf you use just 3 tbsp of the starter that you will reserve on Day 2; the whole quantity of starter is just for the first attempt, and the loaf will be a little bigger). Stir in the salt and rye flour, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave at room temperature for 12–24 hours.
Making rye bread dough - Day 2
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Add the cracked rye and water to the dough mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. It will be too runny to knead with your hands.
Now take 3 tbsp of the rye bread dough after you’ve mixed in the cracked rye, place it in an airtight container and leave in refrigerator; this is your sourdough starter for the next loaf of rye bread you’ll make (it will need to rest for at least 3 days before you use it, and will last up to 8 weeks).
Lightly oil a large loaf tin, about 30 x 10 cm (12 x 4 in) and 10 cm (4 in) deep. Pour in the dough, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 3–6 hours, or until the dough has almost reached the top of the tin.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to fan 175°C/350°F/gas mark 5.
Bake the loaf for 1 hour 45 minutes, then immediately turn it out on to a wire rack to cool. This is great to eat just out of the oven, but as it’s difficult to cut, it’s better the next day... if you can wait!