Rye sourdough bread

Mon, 8 September, 2014

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Rye sourdough bread

Servings: 1 large loafTime: 24 hours

INGREDIENTS

For the sour starter:
150g dark rye flour
250g warm water
For the levain:
50g sourdough starter
150g dark rye flour
300g warm water
For the main dough:
350g levain
150g light rye flour
100g wholemeal flour
200g strong white flour
10g caraway seeds
5g salt
200g water

METHOD

1. To make the sourdough rye starter: in a large jar or a plastic tub with a lid mix 25g dark rye flour with 50g very warm water (at 40C, basically very warm to the touch). Keep in the warmest place in the house you can find (airing cupboard does well).

2. For four days every 24 hours add another 25g of rye flour and 50 g of warm water. You should get a bubbly starter – bubbles are the sign of life here, it doesn’t significantly expand.

3. Levain: about 18 – 24 hours before making the bread mix 50g of the starter with 150g of dark rye flour and 300g warm water. This should bubble like a dream!

4. For the main dough: mix everything together and knead for a while (it will be awfully sticky; standing mixer with a dough hook is the solution), then leave for an hour or two to prove – it won’t rise an awful lot.

5. Turn it out onto a floured surface and fold several times on itself from various angles, so it becomes a bit tighter.

6. Dip thoroughly in wholemeal flour and place in a well floured proofing basket or bowl lined with a floured cloth. Put in a plastic bag inflated a bit so it doesn’t touch the dough (just blow into it and tie the end!) and leave for about 40 minutes.

7. Halfway through that time start preheating a cast iron casserole dish or Dutch oven in the middle of the oven at 220C/425F/gas 7.

8. The dough will not rise much but that’s good – I’ve found that with sourdough short proofing time works better if you bake it in Dutch oven. When ready, just plonk the dough from the proofing basket swiftly as you can, put the lid on and into the oven.

9. Bake with the lid on for 20 minutes, and for another 20 minutes with the lid off. Rye bread is best when cooled completely and sliced quite thinly.