Top 10 Sourdough Bread Recipes Plus Rye Sourdough Food

RUSTIC RYE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Before beginning, it will be helpful to watch this SHORT VIDEO to see me make this bread, noticing that the dough will be stickier than normal because of the rye flour, but it will come together - you just have to trust!
• Add starter, water, and honey to a bowl. Whisk thoroughly until combined, with a fork. Add flours, and mix together first with the fork to start to incorporate, then with your hands until a shaggy dough is formed, and the bits of flour left just disappear. Sprinkle the salt on top and do not mix in, just leave it on top. Cover with a damp cloth.
• Autolyse: let dough sit for one hour, covered and undisturbed.
• Bulk ferment: Now you will knead the salt that is sitting on top, into the dough for about 1 min 15 seconds. There is no precise way to do this, just think of working the dough through your hands and up against the bowl, push and pull. You will start to feel the dough relax a bit around 1 minute. Continue for about 15 or 30 seconds more. Then leave the dough alone, covered, for 30 minutes. This counts as what would be your first set of stretch and folds.
• After those 30 minutes pass, perform a set of stretch and folds. Repeat 2 more times.
• Now you will let sit, undisturbed and covered with a damp cloth, for about 7ish hours at 70 degrees F. If the temperature in your home is above 70, this will take less time, vice versa. You will know it is finished with its bulk ferment when the dough has risen about double, is smooth and puffy on top, with a few bubbles. It will not be as jiggly as some sourdough you've made before.
• At this point, lightly dust your work surface with flour. Put dough onto the work surface, and pre-shape. This video will show you what that means. Let sit for 15 minutes on your work surface.
• Then shape your dough, using this method as a guide.
• Place dough into your flour dusted banneton, (or flour dusted linen lined banneton) seam side up. (Optional, you can wait 15 minutes after placing it in banneton, and pinch the perimeters of the dough into the center to hold the shape even more, called stitching.) The dough will now go through its final rise. You can do this on the counter, which will take about 2 hours at 70 degrees F for the dough to puff up and be jiggly. It will not double. OR you can do the final rise overnight in the refrigerator, with the banneton covered in a plastic bag or with a very damp cloth. You need this for holding moisture in.
• Time to bake. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F, with your dutch oven preheating inside the oven. When the oven is preheated, flip your dough out gently onto parchment paper and score your dough. If you did the final rise in the refrigerator, take it straight from fridge to scoring. You should score it cold, and DO NOT need to let it come to room temp.
• Then put dough into the dutch oven on the parchment, and put cover on. Turn oven down to 450 degrees F and slide dutch oven in. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove cover.
• Turn heat down to 430 degrees F, and bake for 25 more minutes, until crust is golden brown and crackly. Remove from oven, and remove bread from dutch oven and place onto a cooling rack.
• Wait AT LEAST one hour to cool otherwise, the interior will be gummy.

RYE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Day 1: To begin your starter, mix 50g of the flour with 50g tepid water in a jar or, better still, a plastic container. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Days 2, 3, 4 & 5 : Mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 6: The mix should be really bubbly and giving off a strong smell of alcohol. A teaspoonful of the starter should float in warm water if ready. If not, continue adding 25g flour and 25g tepid water into the mixture daily until it becomes active.If your jar is becoming full, spoon half the mix out of the jar and continue. You now have rye starter, which is a malty flavoured base to sourdough bread. Keep it in the fridge (it will stay dormant) and 12 hrs before you want to use it, spoon half of it off and feed it with 100g flour and 100g water. Leave, covered, at room temperature.
• Tip 100g of the starter into a bowl and add 400g of tepid water. Whisk or rub the two together with your hands, don't worry if there are a few lumps. Add the flour and bring together (with a spatula or your hand) into a thick, sticky dough, making sure all the flour is mixed in, including any dry bits on the sides of the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave at room temperature for 2 hrs.
• Work the salt into the dough then leave, covered, for another 2 hrs.
• Heavily butter a 900g loaf tin. Dust the work surface with more rye flour, then scrape all the dough out. Mould the dough into a block roughly the same size as the tin and sit it in the tin. Press the dough down so it fills it completely and scatter the top generously with more flour. Leave the loaf out, uncovered, for 2 hrs until it's risen by about a quarter and gone craggy on the top, or leave it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. This will give it an even deeper flavour.
• Heat the oven to 230/210C fan/gas 8 with a shelf in the middle of the oven and a shelf below with a roasting tray on it. Put the loaf on the middle tray and carefully pour a small glass of water into the roasting tray. Cook for 50-55 mins until hollow sounding when tapped. (The middle of the loaf will read 98C on a digital thermometer when ready.) Remove the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hrs. Will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

SOURDOUGH RYE WITH CARAWAY SEEDS

Steps:

• Combine the starter and water in a 6-quart bowl. Break up the starter well with a wooden spoon and stir until it loosens and the mixture is slightly frothy. Add the rye flour and stir until well combined. Add the whole wheat flour, salt, caraway seeds, and just enough of the bran flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead, adding remaining flour when needed, until dough is soft and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes, or make in a heavy-duty mixer. All finished rye doughs will remain slightly sticky. Be cautious about adding too much flour when kneading. The dough is ready when a little pulled from the mass springs back quickly.
• Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat with oil. Take the dough's temperature (ideal temperature is 78 degrees). Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and place in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees) draft free place until doubled in volume.
• Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up on the sides. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Cut into 2 equal pieces. Flatten each with the heel of your hand. Shape each piece into a 12-inch log for long loaves.
• Using 2 well-floured towels and wood blocks, make a couche* in a moderately warm draft-free place. Place the loaves seam side up the couche. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and let proof until almost doubled in volume, or until a slight indentation remains when the dough is pressed with the fingertip.
• Preheat the oven and baking stone on the center rack of the oven to 450 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking. The oven rack must be in the center of the oven. If it is in the lower 1/3 of the oven the bottom of the breads may burn, and if it is in the upper 1/3, the top crusts may burn. Gently slip the loaves from the couche onto a well-floured peel so that they are right side up. Using a very sharp, serrated knife or a single-edged razor blade, score the loaves by making quick shallow cuts 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep along the surface.
• Using the peel, slide the loaves onto the hearth. Quickly spray the inner walls and floor of the oven with cold water from a spritzer bottle. If there's an electric light bulb in the oven, avoid spraying it directly?it may burst. Spray for several seconds until steam has filled the oven. Quickly close the door to trap the steam and bake 3 minutes. Spray again in the same way, closing the door immediately so that steam doesn't escape. Bake until loaves begin to color, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake until loaves are a rich caramel color and the crusts are firm, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• To test the loaves for doneness, remove and hold the loaves upside down. Strike the bottoms firmly with your finger. If the sound is hollow, the breads are done. If it doesn't sound hollow, bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Note: If the dough temperature is higher than 78 degrees, put it in a cooler than (78 degree) place like the refrigerator, until the dough cools to 78 degrees. If it is lower than 78 degrees, put in it a warmer than 78 degree place until the dough warms to 78 degrees. The point is to try to keep the dough at 78 degrees during its fermentation. If you do have to move the dough, be gentle and don't jostle it, or the dough may deflate.
• *Couche?French for "couch" or "resting place". This is a simple holding device you make yourself for proofing long loaves like logs, torpedo shapes, and baguettes. Using well-floured canvas or linen towels create folds to separate loaves while hold them securely next to each other during proofing. Use a length of fabric at least a yard long. Place 12 to 16-inch wooden blocks cut from 2 by 4's at either long end to contain the loaves. Or substitute large books to contain the loaves.
• Place the chef in a tall 2 to 3-quart flat bottomed, round, clear plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Add the rye flour and spring water, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes thick and pasty. Mark the level of the mixture on the side of the container with a black marking pen. Scrape down, cover tightly, and let stand in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place until almost doubled in volume, 8 to 10 hours. The mixture will look light and spongy. You can observe the level of sourdough by using the black mark on the side of the container as an indicator. Do not let the sourdough ferment for longer than 10 hours, or the yeast may exhaust itself and the dough may not rise properly. The ripe chef has now produced 18 ounces of ripe sourdough, which you can use in any rye sourdough recipe.
• The Rye Chef: Day 1 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water 2/3 cup (3 ounces) organic stone-ground rye flour, preferably medium ground
• In a tall 2 to 3-quart clear plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, stir together the water and flour. Scrape down the sides of the container with a rubber spatula. Cover tightly and put in moderate (74 to 80 degree) place for 24 hours.
• Day 2 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water 2/3 cup (3 ounces) organic stone-ground rye flour, preferably medium ground
• Open the container. The young chef will probably show few signs of activity; the mixture will look like cardboard pulp. Don't worry! It's still a young chef. It will, however, have a sweet and musty smell and the beginnings of a tangy taste. Continue building the chef by adding the water and rye flour. Stir vigorously to bring fresh oxygen into the chef and distribute the fresh flour and water. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly and put in a moderate (74 to 80 degrees) place for another 24 hours.
• Day 3 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water 2/3 cup (3 ounces) organic stone-ground rye flour, preferably medium ground
• The chef should have expanded noticeably. There should be bubbles on the surface. Taste it; it will have a pronounced sour taste and smell. Hold the container up and observe the large and small holes formed beneath the surface. Stir it with a wooden spoon; you should hear the faint crackle of gas bubbles popping. The chef is very much alive and maturing. Insert the spoon again and lift it up slowly. Short glutinous strands will stick to the spoon. Once again, nourish the chef by vigorously stirring in another addition of the spring water and rye flour. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly again, and return to its moderate-temperature place. Let stand for another 24 hours.
• Day 4 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water 2/3 cup (3 ounces) organic stone-ground rye flour, preferably medium ground
• The chef is almost mature and ripe. It has expanded a great deal; maybe almost doubled in volume from Day 3, and it is very lively with bubbles and a well-developed cellular structure. You will see a honeycomb of large and small holes through the clear plastic container. Taste and smell the chef; it is pungent and unmistakably tangy, sour but not bitter. Nourish again with the last addition of spring water and rye flour, stirring vigorously. Using a black marker pen, mark the level of the chef on the side of the clear plastic container. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and let stand again in the same place for only 8 hours.
• If your chef was ripe, the mixture should almost double in volume. You can check its growth by comparing the height of the risen chef against the mark you made on the side of the container before the last rising.
• The chef is now ready to use to create your sourdough starter. If you are not going to make the starter immediately, refrigerate the chef in its tightly covered container for up to 3 days.

SOURDOUGH BREAD: 100% SOURDOUGH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• The day before making the dough, make the rye starter. Mix together the barm and rye flour in a bowl, adding only enough water to form a ball. It should be firm and a little tacky but not sticky or spongelike. Work quickly. It is not necessary to develop the gluten, only to hydrate all the flour and form a shaggy but firm dough. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the starter to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it lightly with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment at room temperature for 4 hours or longer, or until the dough doubles in size (it will become softer and stickier as it rises). Refrigerate overnight.
• Also on the day before making the final dough, make the soaker. Combine the coarse rye flour and water in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature overnight.
• The following day, remove the rye starter from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. Cut the starter into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper or serrated knife. Mist with spray oil, cover the pieces with a towel or plastic wrap, and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.
• To make the final dough, stir together the rye flour, salt, and seeds in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the soaker and the starter pieces. With a large metal spoon, stir in enough lukewarm water to bring everything together to form a ball (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment).
• Sprinkle rye flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Sprinkle the dough with more rye flour and gently knead the dough until all the pieces of starter are assimilated into the dough and the dough forms a very tacky ball (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook). This will take 5 to 6 minutes by hand (4 minutes by machine). Add flour as needed (or small amounts of water if the dough is tight). Let the dough rest on the counter for 5 minutes, and then give it a few more turns to complete the kneading. It should register 77° to 81°F. (This dough will not make a good windowpane when stretched because of the low gluten content.) Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment for approximately 4 hours, or until the dough nearly doubles in size.
• Sprinkle rye flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter, being careful to degas it as little as possible. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, sprinkle them with rye flour, and gently shape them into bâtards. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment and sprinkle the parchment with coarse rye flour, semolina flour, or cornmeal. Place the loaves on the pan at least 4 inches apart. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
• Either proof the dough for 2 hours at room temperature or slip the entire pan into a food-grade plastic bag and immediately refrigerate overnight. If you are holding the dough overnight, remove the pan from the refrigerator 4 hours before baking and proof the dough at room temperature, or until about 1 1/2 times its original size. It will have spread sideways as well as upward.
• Prepare the oven for hearth baking as described on pages 91-94, making sure to have a steam pan in place. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Remove the pan from the bag or lift off the plastic, and let the dough sit exposed for 5 minutes, then score it.
• If you are baking on a stone, slide the parchment and dough onto the back of a sheet pan or onto a peel and then transfer it to the stone (or bake the bread directly in the sheet pan on which it was rising). Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan and close the door. After 30 seconds, mist the oven walls with water and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals. After the final spray, lower the oven setting to 425°F and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the loaves 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until done. The internal temperature should register approximately 200°F and the crust should be hard and somewhat coarse (it will soften as the bread cools).
• Transfer the breads to a rack and let them cool for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
• Lean, standard dough; indirect method; wild yeast
• Day 1: 4 to 5 hours firm rye starter and soaker
• Day 2: 1 hour to de-chill starter; 6 minutes mixing; 6 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 25 to 30 minutes baking
• The bread is best when made with a variety of grinds, from fine white rye to coarse pumpernickel or even rye chops (cracked rye kernels). This version uses a blend and also utilizes the soaker method to condition the grain and develop enzyme activity.
• If you make rye bread regularly, you can keep a rye barm on hand in addition to your regular barm. Otherwise, you can use your regular barm starter and turn it into a rye starter, but it will contain a proportion of wheat. To make a pure rye-only starter, consult the Commentary on page 229.
• Allow 3 days to make this bread (or start early on the second day to bake it around dinnertime). Because it is low in gluten, the bread will have a fairly tight crumb, not large and irregular as with standard hearth breads. The dough is slightly softer than French bread, but not as wet as ciabatta and other rustic doughs. This added hydration provides some physical leavening (steam) in support of the biological (wild-yeast) leavening provided by the starter. The result is a relatively dense loaf with a long shelf life.
• This same formula also can be used for making spelt bread, another wheat relative that is lower in gluten (mainly it is lower in gliaden, which is the offensive half of gluten to those with sensitivities). Just substitute spelt for rye and follow the same directions.
• As always with rye breads, the use of caraway, anise, or other seeds is optional. This bread is delicious with or without them.
• 100% Sourdough Rye Bread %
• (FIRM RYE STARTER)
• Barm: 77.8%
• White rye flour: 100%
• Water (approx.): 44.4%
• Total: 222.2%
• (SOAKER)
• Coarse rye flour: 100%
• Water: 200%
• Total: 300%
• (FINAL DOUGH)
• White rye flour: 100%
• Firm rye starter: 74.1%
• Soaker: 44.4%
• Salt: 2.8%
• Caraway seeds: 3.7%
• Water (approx.): 51.9%
• Total 276.9

RYE SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• Day 1: To begin your starter, mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water in a jar or, better still, a plastic container. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 2: Mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 3: Today you might see a few small bubbles forming and the mixture should smell grassy and a little acidic. Mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 4: More bubbles should have appeared today and the mixture should smell of yeasty beer. Mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 5: Fermentation should have set in now and the mixture might be ready to use. If a teaspoon of the starter floats in warm water, it's ready. If not, mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave covered, with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 6: The mix should be really bubbly and be giving off a strong smell of alcohol. Test in the same way as yesterday. If it's not ready, continue mixing 25g flour with 25g tepid water into the mixture daily until it becomes active.If your jar is becoming full, spoon half the mix out of the jar and continue.You now have rye starter, which is a malty flavoured base to sourdough bread. Keep it in the fridge (it will stay dormant) and 12 hrs before you want to use it, spoon half of it off and feed it with 100g flour and 100g water. Leave it at room temperature and it should become active again. The longer the starter has been dormant, the more times it will need to be refreshed - the process of pouring off half the starter and replacing it with new flour and water - to reactivate.Use the starter to make rye sourdough bread.