Sourdough Rye
May 23, 2013Posted by Forno Bravo
This came out pretty good. My first attempt at sourdough rye with my new starter was made in two stages (three if you include building the starter). This is a 500-gram loaf with 70% hydration.
Stage 1. I added 160 grams of whole wheat flour, 160 grams of dark rye flour, 250 grams of water and 10 grams of salt to 180 grams of my starter — which contained 80 grams of white flour and 100 grams of water. Which means that my overnight pre-fermentation contained 400 grams of the flour and all of the water and salt. The overnight rise was good (yes! my starter is very active).
Stage 2. I added the final 100 grams of flour (50 grams of whole wheat and 50 grams of dark rye), and 30 grams each of honey and olive oil. After a multi-hour bulk fermentation, I folded the dough and shaped a boule, let that rise in a baneton for 90 minutes (it was very springy and ready to go into the oven), scored and baked.
The rye flour has a very distinctive flavor that I like, and I think I can get an even stronger sourdough tang before it becomes too strong. The crumb is moist and very light — particularly considering that it is mostly dark rye and whole wheat flour. As a quick side note, beware of store sourdough rye. It is typically about 85% white flour, with just a little rye. It’s rarely the real thing.
Good stuff.
