Soulful German Farmhouse Rye - Take 2
I've taken a bit of a break from ryes in the past couple of weeks, baking Honey Lemon Whole Wheat from Clayton's Complete Book of Breads and the Pain au Levain with Whole Wheat from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book. This weekend, though, I went back to rye again, baking the Soulful German Farmhouse Rye from Daniel Leader's Local Breads.
I've blogged about this bread previously, so I won't repeat what I've said previously.
The most obvious difference this time is that I proofed the boules smooth side up and then baked them with the seam side up, allowing the natural weaknesses in the dough to be the expansion points. I like the effect, particularly since the darkness of the crumb contrasts with the lighter-color flour on the crust. Not so evident, but still different this time is that I did not add any of the instant yeast called for in the formula (I had all day at the house anyway), nor did I "dust" the banneton with rye flakes. That did nothing for my enjoyment or for the bread, so I just used a light dusting of rye flour on top of the rice flour already embedded in the fabric.
If I remember the next time that I make this bread, I'll double the quantities but still shape it into just two boules. That might give a bit more height to the loaves, which would make them more serviceable for sandwiches. Despite the diminutive size of the loaves, this is a delicious bread and well worth the making.
Paul
Comments
Lovely rye loaves! Did you use a mixer this time? This is one of the recipes I read through regularly for inspiration but have yet to make - partly because I don't have a mixer. But it looks to be worth the effort either way. Thanks for sharing this.
Marcus
I did this entirely by hand. There seems to be a bit of disconnect between the description of the dough and what I experienced. The write-up in the book would seem to describe a low-rye dough; this one is in the neighborhood of 75% rye. That makes for a very sticky, cement-like paste; not a springy glutenous dough. Consequently, I gave it only one short knead (maybe 2 minutes) using wet hands, rather than two kneads on a floured work surface.
Thank you for your comments. I think you will like it even better after making it. The fragrance of the rye and the spices is intoxicating.
Paul
Yes, the contrast is wonderful as is the pattern on the top of the boules.
The bread looks perfectly fine for sandwiches, Paul.
You sure have mastered the SA climate and flours.
but I am feeling like I'm well acquainted now.
Allowing the loaves to expand along the seams does provide a different visual effect from deliberately placed slashes, doesn't it?
The bread will taste wonderful in sandwiches. These aren't much different in shape and size than a beret, though, so the slices are small.
Thanks,
Paul
David
Coming from an experienced rye baker, that's very gratifying to hear.
Paul
Hello, Paul
I like this boule's looking, too. Your rye bread look very attractive. I have tried to get the natural apperance or cracks? ( I don't know what I should name this pattern) on the crust.
And thank you for mentioning about the flour to use for dusting. But I don't know why it is good to use rice flour for it. I am just curious about this. I read some other TFLers are using rice flour and Ap flour for dusting. May I ask why you use it?
Best wishes,
Akiko
In this case, shape a boule as you would usually do. Here's the unusual step: place the boule in the banneton seam side down. Then, when you tip it out of the banneton for baking, bake with the seam side up and the smooth side down. In other words, just upside down from the norm.
Ordinarily, you would place it in the banneton so that the seam is up and the smooth side down, then tip it out so that the smooth side is up and the seamed side sits on the stone.
My imperfect knowledge of the rice flour usage is that it does not contain gluten, therefore does not form bonds between the moist dough and the fabric of the couche or the banneton liner. What I know for sure is that it works very well. I can also tell you that the rice flour tends to be slightly grittier than AP or bread flour, so it's a good idea to gently brush off any excess adhering to the dough before baking. When I apprenticed a week with Mark Sinclair at his Back Home Bakery, I learned that he uses AP flour for dusting his couches. The fabric is so saturated with flour (even though there is very little loose on the surface) that the dough does not stick to it either.
Paul
Hi, Paul
Thank you for taking a time to reply to me. Now I understand why. I am going to buy rice flour.
And I appreciate you to explain about the upside down from the norm. I keep trying to get the beautiful pattern.
Thank you, again
Akiko
Great looking rye loaves, Paul! They have that rustic, soulful appearance that makes this bread so appealing.
Well done!
Thank you!
I like this treatment (esthetically) much more than my first try that utilized the rye flakes. It isn't nearly so messy, either!
Paul
Paul, it's a very good-looking bread. I wonder how your crust is always so much darker than other rye breads I see.
What percentage of rye flour does the bread contain?
I'm not sure about the darker crusts, It may be as simple as the flour, since there are none of the ingredients that are sometimes used to darken a bread (coffee, molasses, cocoa, etc.). The flour I used in these is a finely-ground whole rye.
This particular formula calls for baking the bread at 450F for 30-40 minutes to achieve a dark crust. I think Leader uses the adjective "walnut brown". The oven in this house has a maximum temperature of 230C, which is slightly short of the recommended 450F. I baked the bread for 35 minutes, total.
Rye makes up approximately 75% of the flour in this formula, I think. I don't have the book at hand to check that right now.
Paul
edit: I was closer than I expected: 400g rye (including the starter) and 130g bread flour. 74 point something percent rye.
Lovely Bake, Paul! Your rye looks great for whole Rye flour. How much rye percentage is there in this loaf?
I'll have to check when I get home, but I remember the rye content being approximately 75%.
Paul
Those are great looking rye loaves. And I'm becoming more and more enamored with allowing the seams to create the pattern.
Nice bake!
Larry