It took a while for me to see what was staring me in the face, I was convinced that Rye sourdough would be heavy and tasteless.  Boy, was I wrong, it is delicious and full of complexities.

This recipe is one of my favourites and is enough for one medium sized loaf, (I usually double up and make two)

Ingredients
  • 270 grams of starter
  • 255 ml of water (filtered if possible if not you need to let tap water stand overnight before using, this gets rid of the fluoride and chlorine which may have an adverse effect on the starter culture )
  • 420 grams of rye flour
  • 100 grams white bread flour (or spelt, this helps keep the bread a little lighter)
  • 13 grams of salt
Method
  1. Pour the starter into a large bowl
  2. Add the water
  3. Add the flour and mix until all the flour is incorporated
  4. Leave to stand for about an hour to let the flour absorb the water (cover with cling film)
  5. Scrape all the dough out onto the work surface (if you feel the dough is too wet you can add more flour at this point.
  6. Put a little bit of oil in the mixing bowl and ensure that the surface of the bowl is coated in oil (this will stop the dough sticking to it when it proves for the first time)
  7. Pour the salt onto the work surface around the dough
  8. Knead the dough (incorporating the salt as you go) for about 10 minutes or until it feels elastic and springs back when you poke it!
  9. Put back in the bowl to prove for about 4 hours or until it’s doubled in size, cover with cling film
  10. Punch the air out of the dough and shape it. You will either have to put it into a loaf tin or put it into a proving basket for its second proving.  If you don’t have a loaf tin or a proving basket (Banneton) you can use a Pyrex glass bowl, put a square of baking sheet into the bowl, flour it and put the dough into the bowl smooth side down.  Cover in a damp tea towel or oiled cling film and leave to prove (I usually leave it overnight) until it’s doubled in size again.
  11. If you’re using a proving basket or a glass bowl you will need to turn the dough onto a baking stone or sheet. Use a very sharp blade to make 3 to 4 cuts the top of the dough, this will help the loaf to rise evenly.
  12. The oven should be on a high heat anything between 200 and 230c. Put the dough in the oven and cook for about half an hour or until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it.  Put a tray of boiling water in the oven or spray water into the oven once the bread is in it; the steam helps the dough to rise before the crust is formed.  You may find that it needs a foil hat towards the end of the cooking time to stop the crust from burning.

Cymraeg