Rye Bread With Starter

Składniki

For the dough:

160g risen starter (as above) 180g dark rye flour, plus extra for dusting

5g salt

160ml tepid water

1⁄2 tsp caraway or fennel seeds (optional)

Sprinkle of porridge oats, for dusting (optional)

Wskazówki

You will need:

Large mixing bowl

Large plate or bowl cover

Wooden fork or spoon

Digital weighing scales

Bench scraper 1 x 450g (1lb) loaf tin, lightly greased with butter or lard or brushed with Lining Paste (page 86)

Cooling rack

TIP

If you don't decide to make another loaf of rye bread-don't discard the starter dough-pop it into your usual bread-making recipe for an extra layer of flavour and nutritious hit.

The next day, the thick, dark-coloured starter paste will have doubled in size and be covered in waxy bubbles - you may even see one or two popping before your very eyes. Add the dough ingredients (flour, salt, water and seeds if using) to the starter and stir well using a wooden spoon or fork for several minutes. Cover the bowl again and leave in a warm place (or home-made proving oven - see page 72) until doubled in size - about 1 hour.

When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a board well dusted with rye flour. If you want to make rye bread regularly, now is the time to remove about 80g of the dough, pop it into a bowl with a lid or airtight cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. This will be your starter for your next loaf.

It is important not to knead or knock back the dough at this point but to gently roll the dough in the flour, retaining valuable air, then transfer it to the prepared tin. I find a bench scraper is a useful tool when handling the dough. Dust the top of the loaf with a little rye flour or a small sprinkle of porridge oats.

Pop the tin back into your home-made proving oven - I give the cup of water a second blast to create more steam before popping the dough back in, then leave to prove for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the dough has reached the top of the tin.

Towards the end of the proving time, preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/475°F/gas 9. My oven takes 15 minutes to get to temperature, so I turn the oven on after 30 minutes of proving.

Bake the loaf for 30 minutes. Turn it out of the tin as soon as it is cool enough to handle, and place on a cooling rack. Make sure the loaf is completely cool before slicing. This bread is dark, moist, slightly sour and delicious- it keeps well too.

Notatki

I have a friend who absolutely adores rye bread, but she told me she wouldn't know how to make it so instead she buys it occasionally when she passes an artisan bread shop. So I have included my rye bread recipe because I know for many readers it is considered a bit 'special'and therefore may seem 'complicated".

Rye bread is a dark, dense bread with a distinctive earthy taste. I have read that it is considered more nutritious than wheat bread because, as well as being super filling, it also contains more soluble fibre and B vitamins than wheat bread and is high in iron, potassium,

calcium and zinc.

The delicious, slightly sour taste of this bread comes from the long rising time. There is little yeast in this loaf (less than 1g) and rye flour is much lower in gluten than wheat flour (though not gluten-free). There's no kneading, no machine or special kit required, though it does need time. Give me a slice of rye bread with a piece of cheese and I am happy. I like it toasted at breakfast with marmalade too. I usually make this bread a day or two after making a standard loaf of any bread. Keep back 80g dough from your bread baking after the first rise, place it in a greased bowl, cover and leave in the fridge until you are ready to make your rye loaf. The reserved dough will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

For the starter made using bread dough: 80g bread dough taken from the fridge 40ml warm water 1 tsp black treacle, honey or maple syrup 40g dark rye flour Alternatively, if you don't have a 'dough starter' and are making the bread from scratch, prepare the starter the night before:

For the starter from scratch: 60g dark ryc flour

20g wholemeal flour

1

tsp black treacle,

honey or maple syrup

1g active dried yeast 80ml warm water

Prepare the starter between 8 and 24 hours before you need it. This starter can be used after 8 hours, so leaving it overnight is a good plan. I often start mine one morning, to be used 24 hours later.

If using ready-prepared dough, place the 80g bread dough, warm water, black treacle, honey or maple syrup and rye flour in a large mixing bowl, and stir well using a wooden spoon or fork to a thick paste. Cover with a plate, reusable bowl cover or beeswax wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.

If you are making the starter from scratch, add all of the ingredients to a large bowl, stir to combine, then cover and leave at room temperature as for the starter above. Recipe continued overleaf