Heritage Sourdough Rye Bread Recipe
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Category
Bread
Cuisine
American
Ingredients
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600 g Heritage White Flour
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200 g Heritage Whole Wheat Flour
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200 g Rye Flour
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720 g Water, chlorine-free, 90F
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1 tbsp (20 g) Salt
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250-300g Active sourdough starter
Directions
Presoak:
Presoak the flour by combining all 1000g of flour with all 720g of water. Mix for 3-5 minutes into a shaggy dough, then cover for one hour (this is called an autolyze).
Mix Dough:
After the presoak, add the salt to the dough and mix enough to combine it.
Add the sourdough starter and mix thoroughly. It can be done by hand or mixer.
After about 3 minutes of vigorous mixing, it should start to look like bread dough. Continue to mix/knead for an additional 3-5 minutes.
Bulk Fermentation:
When mixed into a smooth bread dough, place the dough in a large mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap for a bulk ferment of several hours depending on the temperature of the room. If the temp is more than 70F it will double in size in a few hours. If it is less than 70F, it will take longer so keep an eye on it.
Once it is about doubled in size, stretch and fold by grabbing the dough and pulling it up and toward the center in four stretches at 90 degrees each, top, left, bottom, and right.
Cover and repeat the same stretch and fold in twenty minutes. (The dough needs twenty minutes to relax between stretch and folds). You can decide how many stretch and folds to do Anywhere from 2-5 are common.
Shaping and Second Rise:
Divide into two equal portions, shape, and place in well-floured bannetons (or greased bowls), or greased bread pans. Place inside a plastic bag and blow a little air into it to allow for the growth of the dough. Place in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
After 12 hours, If the dough looks fully proofed (has nearly doubled in size) you can bake it right away. If it looks like it could use more proofing time, keep it in the plastic bag and set it on the counter to proof a bit more before baking.
Heat oven to 425F – 450F for at least 30 minutes before baking.
If you are using a Dutch oven, place the Dutch oven in the oven when you start the preheat.
Baking:
Dutch oven method - slash the dough with a razor blade (or lame) and place it in the preheated Dutch oven. Cover and bake for about 25 minutes. For a darker crust, remove the cover from the Dutch oven after 15 minutes.
Bread pan method - slash the dough and place it in the oven. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for about 40 minutes. For a darker crust, cover the pan with foil and remove the last 10-15 minutes. For a softer (and lighter) crust, cover the loaf the whole time.
At the end of the bake time check the inside temperature of the bread with a thermometer. It should read 195-205F when done.
Remove from the pan or Dutch oven immediately and let cool on a rack that will allow air to circulate under the bread.
Recipe Note
Tip: If your starter is thin, use less water. If your starter is thick, you can increase your water.
Note: It is important to understand that it takes practice to get the feel of sourdough baking. If you are not getting the results you desire, you can increase the amount of starter or adjust the hydration. Every time you combine flour, water, salt, and starter, it is an experiment so have fun with it!
