MAKING RYE SOURDOUGH BREAD
What sort of bread do you like? Do you make your own? For some time I made a sourdough loaf every few days. I’d slice and freeze it so we had beautiful bread all the time. Then rye sourdough was recommended to me. We are lucky to have several artisan bakeries nearby and we tried a selection of rye loaves, but only one was made from 100% rye flour.
To reduce single use plastics, in this case cling wrap, I use a hotel shower cap stretched over the bowl while the dough rises.
White flour sourdough. I made rectangular loaves eventually as they were easier than the rustic ball shape to make sandwiches and to toast.
So I decided to try and make 100% rye sourdough myself. I read many recipes and watched videos online and narrowed the choice to three. I’ve only made the first one so far. This is the process I followed.
Fed the mother/starter and left it overnight until it was frothy and puffy. There’s instructions on the site listed below for making your mother/starter if you don’t have one.
Measured out the salt. The recipe actually listed sea salt, which seems to have disappeared in the last pantry cleanup, so I used Himalayan salt.
Dissolved the salt in 400ml of warm water.
Then added 200ml starter.
Mixed it all together.
Then weighed out 600gm of rye flour.
Sifted the flour into the wet ingredients.
Then kneaded the dough until it was smooth and the flour was all absorbed. This took about five minutes.
Left the dough to rise until it had doubled in size. It is 41 C today so this was achieved quite quickly, but a slower doubling in size results in a stronger flavour.
This loaf is made with 100% rye flour. Most rye bread loaves have a blend of wheat flour which is high in gluten and rye flour, which has a lower gluten rating. It is a dense, great tasting loaf with a nice sourdough tang but a good rye flavour, too. We have eaten some and frozen the rest, sliced, as it will thaw quickly in our climate.
Unlike most bought breads, this loaf is simply made from flour, water, salt and starter. It is very dense and filling, too!
This is the recipe and video I used to make my rye bread. Lots of good information here: www.crazy-cucumber.com/make-rye-sourdough-bread-sourdough-starter-breadmaking
IT’S DECEMBER WHEN…
This year seems to have been the fastest year ever and now it’s December. Your really know it’s December in Australia when you have to check the bee bath regularly due to heat evaporation. I’ve had to put the bee bath up on a plant pot as our dog, Louis, considered it his outdoor water bowl and regularly drank it dry. The pebbles create a safe place for the bees to stand and drink in the bath.
December means the hydrangeas are blooming and very lush and pretty.
As are the agapanthus, which seem to flourish in the unrelenting heat.
And the hippiastum which blooms most of the year and the flowers are big and bold and gorgeous.
The lime tree has lots of fruit. Great sliced in water and on fish and curries.
Christmas decorations are going up.
And all plans seem to focus on Christmas. I’m not photographing the burnt spinach, the drooping tomatoes and the scorched gardenia. It has been very hot in Western Australia.
December 21st is CROSSWORD PUZZLE DAY because the first crossword puzzle is thought to have been published on this day in 1913. Doing crossword puzzles every day is thought to be good for memory and mind health. Love a good crossword puzzle!
MERRY CHRISTMAS and BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR TO ALL MY LOVELY READERS!