Sourdough Rye

Notice of Shameless Derivation As It Were

I took the basic sourdough bread recipe from S. John Ross, converted it into a rye bread, and rewrote the recipe steps a tad bit more nerdily perhaps. I also substituted molasses for sugar and accidentally used four tablespoons instead of teaspoons in the dough; the result was tasty and so I left it that way.

Ingredients

Sponge

• Sourdough Starter equivalent to 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup rye flour
• 1/4 cup red wheat flour or rye flour
• 1 teaspoon molasses

Dough

• 1 1/2 cups rye flour
• 1 1/2 cups red wheat flour
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 4 tablepoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Recipe

Sponge

The night before baking add the starter to 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup rye flour and mix as per usual. A few hours before baking add 1/4 cup red wheat flour and a teaspoon of molasses to the sponge and allow it get bubbly again.

Dough

1. Mix sponge, molasses, salt, oil, and water thoroughly
2. Gradually mix in 3 cups of flour (after about half of it has been mixed in you will have to knead the rest in by hand)
3. Knead for a good ten or twenty minutes
4. Roll into a ball and put into a bowl covered with a damp towel in a warm place until it fully rises (with my starter this takes about ninety minutes)
5. If you desire a slightly more sour bread punch the dough ball down and let it rise a second time
6. Knead the dough for a few minutes
7. Put the dough into a bread pan if you desire a loaf or onto a pizza stone or whatever you usually bake upon and bake for about 40 minutes at 350°F (do not preheat the oven)
8. Tasty

Notes

The two step starter process may be unnecessary. If you choose to do a one step starter just omit the wheat flour feeding (and perhaps molasses if you want a less sour sponge) and 1/4 cup of water from the dough.

This bread contains a serious amount of molasses and as such may make you fat. I think backing things off to four teaspoons as per the white bread recipe this was originally might work, but I never bothered trying so do so at your own risk (and email me with your result if you wish).

'Asked whether it is a good thing that the course of our civilization being largely directed by gigantic immortal, belligerent, unsleeping multiheaded tax-avoiding parakeets whose unnatural lusts can never be sated, Dr. Larkey declined to comment, noting that "corporations have the rights of personhood in this country" and that "it is not my place to criticize the law".'

Last Modified: January 21, 2013