Sourdough is the basis of most bread baking, and it’s a great way to get more out of your grains. It’s a little more involved than ordinary yeast-based bread, but it’s a lot easier to make and you’ll be rewarded with a delicious loaf that’s perfect for sandwiches, toast and hearty French toast.
How to Make Sourdough for Rye Flour Bread
To begin making a rye flour sourdough, start by collecting about 10 grams of ripe rye starter, then mix it with 25g room-temperature water. Stir and let sit overnight, covered with a cloth. After about 12 hours, spoon off half the mixture and return it to the jar, adding the rest of the starter, 100g flour and 100g water. Repeat the feeding process until your starter is fully active and smelling like alcohol (if you haven’t already made this, check out my guide to creating a starter from scratch).
If your starter is too sour, don’t throw it away. You can use it in any other sourdough recipe or even in some cooking.
What to Expect When Working with Sourdough Dough
Sourdough doughs are generally wetter and stickier than normal bread dough, but that’s part of the magic. They’re also much more flexible than most other doughs. They can be shaped into pretty much anything you want them to be, so long as you work with the dough regularly.
The key is to do as many stretch and folds as you can to agitate the gluten structure in the dough. Stretching and folding is also a good way to help the bread rise and develop its flavor.
A few times a day, or as often as you can, work the dough by hand. It will be slightly sticky but it’s a great way to get the ball of dough moving around the kitchen and getting the gluten to develop.
This is also a great way to use up any extra rye starter, which you can store in the fridge for up to a few days or freeze for longer storage.
Rye is an excellent flour for sourdough as it’s rich in vitamins and minerals. It’s higher in protein than wheat flour, so it can hold up well to the fermentation process. It’s also lower in gluten, which is a good thing for those who prefer a lighter-tasting bread.
How to Shape a Sourdough Rye Loaf
The most important aspect of shaping a rye flour sourdough is to keep the dough moist, so make sure to always have some sourdough water handy as you’re working with it. When the dough looks too dry to handle, wet your hands and gently perform some stretch and folds. If you can’t get the dough to come together, add some more sourdough water or a few tablespoons of extra flour.
Once the dough has risen, shape it and put in the oven to bake. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s almost doubled in size and you can poke it with your finger and it springs back.
