There are many ways to make rye bread, but very few versions contain 100 percent rye flour. Rye has so little of its unique type of gluten (6 to 8 percent) that it is hard to develop the structure and lift necessary for a decent crumb without the addition of a fair amount of high-gluten wheat flour. However, there are many people who love dense rye bread, and there are others who eat it because they can tolerate the gluten of this bread but not the gluten in wheat breads. A lot of drama goes on inside a sourdough rye bread. Rye flour is high in natural sugars and dextrins and contains pentosan, a gum protein that causes the dough to become gummy if it is mixed as long as wheat breads. Also, the wild-yeast starter creates an acidic environment that slows down the enzymatic release of sugar during the mixing cycle, but at the same time allows for the sugars to emerge from the grain during the fermentation cycle as the enzyme activity kicks in. If properly mixed and fermented, the result is a sweet, creamy, yet chewy texture quite unlike that of any other bread.

　　

Ingredients

makes two 1-pound loaves

　　

Firm Rye Starter

1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) barm (page 230) or rye barm (see Commentary)

　　1 cup (4.5 ounces) white rye flour

　　About 1/4 cup (2 ounces) water, at room temperature

　　

Soaker

1/2 cup (2 ounces) coarse whole-rye (pumpernickel-grind) flour, rye meal, or rye chops (cracked rye)

　　1/2 cup (4 ounces) water, at room temperature

　　

Final Dough

3 cups (13.5 ounces) white rye flour

　　1 1/2 teaspoons (.38 ounce) salt

　　2 tablespoons (.5 ounce) caraway or other seeds (optional)

　　3/4 to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) water, lukewarm (90° to 100°F)

　　

Step 1

The day before making the dough, make the rye starter. Mix together the barm and rye flour in a bowl, adding only enough water to form a ball. It should be firm and a little tacky but not sticky or spongelike. Work quickly. It is not necessary to develop the gluten, only to hydrate all the flour and form a shaggy but firm dough. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the starter to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it lightly with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

　　

Step 2

Ferment at room temperature for 4 hours or longer, or until the dough doubles in size (it will become softer and stickier as it rises). Refrigerate overnight.

　　

Step 3

Also on the day before making the final dough, make the soaker. Combine the coarse rye flour and water in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature overnight.

　　

Step 4

The following day, remove the rye starter from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. Cut the starter into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper or serrated knife. Mist with spray oil, cover the pieces with a towel or plastic wrap, and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.

　　

Step 5

To make the final dough, stir together the rye flour, salt, and seeds in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the soaker and the starter pieces. With a large metal spoon, stir in enough lukewarm water to bring everything together to form a ball (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment).

　　

Step 6

Sprinkle rye flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Sprinkle the dough with more rye flour and gently knead the dough until all the pieces of starter are assimilated into the dough and the dough forms a very tacky ball (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook). This will take 5 to 6 minutes by hand (4 minutes by machine). Add flour as needed (or small amounts of water if the dough is tight). Let the dough rest on the counter for 5 minutes, and then give it a few more turns to complete the kneading. It should register 77° to 81°F. (This dough will not make a good windowpane when stretched because of the low gluten content.) Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

　　

Step 7

Ferment for approximately 4 hours, or until the dough nearly doubles in size.

　　

Step 8

Sprinkle rye flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter, being careful to degas it as little as possible. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, sprinkle them with rye flour, and gently shape them into bâtards. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment and sprinkle the parchment with coarse rye flour, semolina flour, or cornmeal. Place the loaves on the pan at least 4 inches apart. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

　　

Step 9

Either proof the dough for 2 hours at room temperature or slip the entire pan into a food-grade plastic bag and immediately refrigerate overnight. If you are holding the dough overnight, remove the pan from the refrigerator 4 hours before baking and proof the dough at room temperature, or until about 1 1/2 times its original size. It will have spread sideways as well as upward.

　　

Step 10

Prepare the oven for hearth baking as described on pages 91–94, making sure to have a steam pan in place. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Remove the pan from the bag or lift off the plastic, and let the dough sit exposed for 5 minutes, then score it.

　　

Step 11

If you are baking on a stone, slide the parchment and dough onto the back of a sheet pan or onto a peel and then transfer it to the stone (or bake the bread directly in the sheet pan on which it was rising). Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan and close the door. After 30 seconds, mist the oven walls with water and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals. After the final spray, lower the oven setting to 425°F and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the loaves 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until done. The internal temperature should register approximately 200°F and the crust should be hard and somewhat coarse (it will soften as the bread cools).

　　

Step 12

Transfer the breads to a rack and let them cool for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.

　　

BREAD PROFILE

Step 13

Lean, standard dough; indirect method; wild yeast

　　

DAYS TO MAKE: 2 or 3

Step 14

Day 1: 4 to 5 hours firm rye starter and soaker

　　

Step 15

Day 2: 1 hour to de-chill starter; 6 minutes mixing; 6 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 25 to 30 minutes baking

　　

Commentary

Step 16

The bread is best when made with a variety of grinds, from fine white rye to coarse pumpernickel or even rye chops (cracked rye kernels). This version uses a blend and also utilizes the soaker method to condition the grain and develop enzyme activity.

　　

Step 17

If you make rye bread regularly, you can keep a rye barm on hand in addition to your regular barm. Otherwise, you can use your regular barm starter and turn it into a rye starter, but it will contain a proportion of wheat. To make a pure rye-only starter, consult the Commentary on page 229.

　　

Step 18

Allow 3 days to make this bread (or start early on the second day to bake it around dinnertime). Because it is low in gluten, the bread will have a fairly tight crumb, not large and irregular as with standard hearth breads. The dough is slightly softer than French bread, but not as wet as ciabatta and other rustic doughs. This added hydration provides some physical leavening (steam) in support of the biological (wild-yeast) leavening provided by the starter. The result is a relatively dense loaf with a long shelf life.

　　

Step 19

This same formula also can be used for making spelt bread, another wheat relative that is lower in gluten (mainly it is lower in gliaden, which is the offensive half of gluten to those with sensitivities). Just substitute spelt for rye and follow the same directions.

　　

Step 20

As always with rye breads, the use of caraway, anise, or other seeds is optional. This bread is delicious with or without them.

　　

BAKER’S PERCENTAGE FORMULA

Step 21

100% Sourdough Rye Bread %

　　

Step 22

(FIRM RYE STARTER)

　　

Step 23

Barm: 77.8%

　　

Step 24

White rye flour: 100%

　　

Step 25

Water (approx.): 44.4%

　　

Step 26

Total: 222.2%

　　

Step 27

(SOAKER)

　　

Step 28

Coarse rye flour: 100%

　　

Step 29

Water: 200%

　　

Step 30

Total: 300%

　　

Step 31

(FINAL DOUGH)

　　

Step 32

White rye flour: 100%

　　

Step 33

Firm rye starter: 74.1%

　　

Step 34

Soaker: 44.4%

　　

Step 35

Salt: 2.8%

　　

Step 36

Caraway seeds: 3.7%

　　

Step 37

Water (approx.): 51.9%

　　

Step 38

Total 276.9

　　The Bread Baker's Apprentice