80% Sourdough Rye w/ Rye Soaker
I baked the 80% Sourdough Rye w/ Rye Soaker from Hamelman's "Bread".
It has a whole rye sourdough and a whole rye soaker; the final dough comes out to 80% whole rye / 20% high gluten flour. My starter was unusually active, nearly tripled. But with all that whole rye despite the 80% hydration and high gluten flour, the bread has a, shall we say, low profile and a tight crumb. I did no scoring but got a nice natural crack right down the middle.
Photos: "Bread" 80% Sourdough Rye w/ Rye Soaker
The flavor has an unexpected slightly sweet note, although there is no sugar or molasses in the formula. Maybe my starter was high in lactic acid bacteria after a week in the fridge and just one feeding before making the sourdough.
I am thinking about trying Hamelman's 70% Sourdough Rye w/ Whole Wheat which is 100% whole grain. The rye/whole wheat combination has a distinct flavor that i like; I didn't have much success with Hamelman;s Mixed Flour Miche in the Levain chapter - tasty but close to a frisbee shape.
That said, if the bread is sweet you are likely getting a lot of amylase activity, maybe too much. You didn’t mention anything about how long your fermentation’s were or how you handled your dough, both could be contributing factors of less than optimal rise.
I followed the timings in formula from "Bread", with the proofer set to 85 F, a bit higher than the book DDT
I was surprised by the slightly sweet note, but thought it was tasty, Could the temp higher than the formula have stimulated the enzyme activity?
I could feel the 20% high gluten flour in the very slightly rubbery chew. Maybe bread flour would have been more tender without losing what expansion there was.
I seldom work with more than 50% rye, but even at 50%, I mix the dough just enough for it to come together as a dough, let it double, shape and put it into the oven after about a 50% additional rise. I use lower temperatures than you.
If you are looking for a lighter bread, you might want to go with a lower rye percentage.
I also shoot for an acidity level around 4.0
I bake high whole grain breads for health reasons; the fiber helps slow the conversion of carbohydrates to blood glucose, and it keeps my microbiome team happy.
The relatively dense high rye percentage bread is tasty and makes a nice base for smoked fish. And with high rye percentages I don't worry about not getting the big oven spring and open crumb that all the YouTube bakers are always showing off.
Hamelman has a formula for a 70% rye (mostly medium rye plus a rye chops soaker); the other 30% is whole wheat and it bakes in a loaf pan. I may give that a try; very little skill required.
I agree with @rondayvous. That looks really good for an 80% rye. I made that one as a pan loaf, but mine had a much denser crumb.
I know color images are expensive in books, but it would be helpful for bakers to see a representative photo of the breads in the book, even if it was a group shot of breads from a chapter.
I have made the 70% Sourdough Rye w/WW and I really liked it. But then, I like most rye breads!
Lutz Geißler of Plötzblog fame has a post of this bread with a photo:
https://www.ploetzblog.de/2010/06/11/gebacken-80-roggensauerteigbrot-mit-roggenmehlbruehstuck-nach-jeffrey-hamelman/
I like the even crumb structure on your loaf; I don't think it should be any more open. Lutz also describes it as "small-pored".
He also has a post for Hamelman's 70% Rye:
https://www.ploetzblog.de/2010/07/21/gebacken-70-roggenbrot-mit-roggenbruhstuck-nach-jeffrey-hamelman/
Thanks for the links. I'm OK with how mine turned out but he does get more volume and a more open crumb than I did. And I am amazed that his 70% rye (which is 100% whole grains) is as open as it is.
Maybe someday I'll figure it out but for now I'm just going to say that it's high whole grain rye and it's OK to be flat and closed.
What does your crumb look like in the middle of the loaf? Your photos were from the end of the loaf. Was it any more open in the middle?
Definitely put The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg on your list. I make something from the book or the website (http://theryebaker.com/) nearly every week. Some of the loaves are dense and some are lighter, but nearly all are an exciting adventure.
Thanks, I have the book. I have been starting with some rye sourdoughs from "Bread"; I've had the book for years but the sourdough culture only recently.
Any particular favorites from TRB?
I have enjoyed the Jewish Bakery Pumpernickel, Weinheim Carrot Rye, and Sour Ring Bread.
From the website, too many (I'm guilty of baking more extensively from the website because I can browse recipes while taking a break from work):
Sourdough Danish Rye, Vitebsk Rye, Oldenburg Rye, Latgalian Rye*, Little Breads of Pustertal**, Auerman Borodinsky***, Holstein Fine Rye (not sourdough, but really nice flavor)
*Made with diastatic barley malt since I didn't have pale rye malt
**Made with Indian fenugreek leaves since I didn't have blue fenugreek
***Made with solod ordered from Etsy