Crusty Sourdough Rye Bread

Submitted by Debs Recipes

"Rye bread is a hearty staple in German homes. This recipe makes a delicious rustic loaf with a thick, crunchy crust and soft, flavorsome interior. I've given easy directions for making it using a KitchenAid stand mixer. Adapted from a recipe by Sunset Breads (1995)"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 55mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 1 loaf
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 236.59 ml sourdough starter, at room temperature
• 354.88 ml rye flour
• 295.73 ml warm water
• 11.09 ml packet active dry yeast
• 236.59 ml whole wheat flour
• 414.03 ml all-purpose flour, plus
• 118.29 ml all-purpose flour
• 4.92 ml salt
• 14.79 ml sugar
• 36.97 ml caraway seeds

directions

1. Combine starter, rye flour, and one cup of the water in a large bowl; stir to blend; if you'd like an extra-sour flavor, cover mixture with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place 6-24 hours (I let mine go six hours) until bubbly and sour, even boozy, smelling.
2. Combine yeast and remaining water in small bowl; let stand about 5 minutes until foamy; stir into sourdough mixture; add whole-wheat flour, 1 3/4 cups of the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, and caraway seeds; stir (in KitchenAid stand mixer on low speed) until dough comes together.
3. Knead 9-10 minutes (in KitchenAid stand mixer on speed #2) until dough is smooth and springy; add more all-purpose flour, a tablespoon or two at a time during the kneading process as necessary to reduce excess stickiness (this particular dough will remain somewhat sticky); cover and let rise about 1 - 1 1/2 hours in a warm place until doubled.
4. Punch down dough and knead a few strokes to release air; shape into a round loaf and place on a baking stone or a greasing baking sheet; cover loaf lightly and allow to rise about 30 minutes until almost doubled.
5. Cut a couple small slashes about 3/4" deep on top of loaf; spray loaf with water and bake at 425° for 9 minutes, spraying loaf after 3, 6, and 9 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 400° and bake another 20-25 minutes until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom; transfer finished loaf to cooling rack.
6. NOTE: If you opt to let your starter and rye combination stand for several hours, you can get by without the additional yeast ~ Just plan on increased rising times.

Reviews

[a Canadian cook]

Excellent rye bread. I tweaked the flavorings slightly and added instant espresso, onion powder, cocoa, and molasses because I wanted a dark rye, but followed the recipe for the core ingredients. The sourdough taste comes through. The crumb is moist and tender. It makes great sandwiches. I used instant yeast instead of active, so added the full 1 1/4 cups water when mixing my unfed starter with the rye flour. I added the instant yeast to the remaining ingredients and kneaded the dough for about 5 minutes in my KA, and by hand for about 8 minutes. I didn't have to add any additional flour. The dough was soft and slightly tacky and handled nicely. I proofed the dough in a cloth-lined colander in the fridge overnight and baked first thing in the morning, taking the dough straight from the fridge to the oven. As a few others have noted, there wasn't much of an oven spring, but my dough kept its round shape from the colander and didn't spread. This is a very dense bread and I had to bake it much longer than the recipe indicated to get it to an internal temperature of 205°.

 

[Calicat]

OMG Great sour dough rye flavor. I did not have any wheat flour so I just used white & rye. I let the rye & starter proof over night and still added the yeast. We are at 4000 ft elevation so I let the dough rise 3 times. I love this bread. I want to try in in a loaf pan for easier slicing for sandwiches. But the basic recipe is wonderful!!!

 

[Katzen]

Absolutely delicious! I made it as directed, allowing the rye/sourdough starter to steep for 12 hours. I was using my new clay baker, and I love the way the crust came out in it! Next time I make it, I will skip the dry yeast and allow it to rise for a longer time. Admittedly, I should have let it rise longer, but I was so eager to try it! Thanks, Deb, this is fantastic bread, and I'll definately make it again soon!!

 

[Gatorbek]

This was amazing! I chose to make it in a loaf pan so that I could more easily make sandwiches with it. My kids were eating it warm with just butter for their afternoon snack! This had a very good rye flavor, but combined with the sourdough, this will probably be gone tomorrow! I had proofed my starter the night before, so I didn't add the extra yeast and it turned out just fine. Thanks!

 

[Queen Roachie]

Wonderful directions and balance of flavor with the rye flour and sourdough starter. I used a whole grain white flour for all but the rye, and did add yeast. I found my round loaf spread a bit more than I would have liked, so I'm going to try this in a round cake pan next time to get more loft out of it. I'll cut back a bit on the caraway as well... Might have had a really fresh pungent seed, but 2 1/2 T was a touch too strong for us. Thanks for sharing.