While I’m continuing to perfect my all rye Pumpernickel, I also tried my hand at a free form rye loaf. I wanted it to be primarily rye, with a nice crust, and significantly less dense than the Pumpernickel.
What I came up with is an 80% rye / 20% white wheat sour dough. The addition of wheat gives the loaf a little bit more cohesion, but it’s still a super sticky dough. Don’t even think about kneading this dough; and shaping is best accomplished with wet hands on a wet surface. Hence the coating of oat flakes: they help to prevent the dough from sticking to the banneton.
I’m very pleased with how it turned out. The crumb has an excellent structure – moist and chewy, without any stickiness. The flavor is nutty and only mildly sour. Next time I might bake it just a tad longer for a darker crust.
80/20 Rye Sourdough
Starter
- 1 tbsp ripe rye sourdough
- 300 g whole rye flour
- 300 ml water
- Ferment 6-8 hours or overnight.
Main Dough
Starter- 650 g whole rye flour
- 250 g bread flour (refined, high gluten wheat)
- 25 g salt
- water
- Combine all ingredients and mix briefly. Proof about 2-3 hours. Shape with wet hands, roll in oat flakes, and place in bannetons to proof another 1-2 hours.
- Bake in a hot oven
- Wait at least 12 hours before cutting
YeastSpotting submission #5
