Yogurt rye from The Rye Baker
I was jonesing for some rye bread and wanted it sooner rather than later, which ruled out taking time to refresh my starter and build a levain. In leafing through The Rye Baker, I came across a Yogurt Rye bread that was leavened with yeast and thought "That looks interesting." It's also a bread that I haven't made previously. So I made it.
The basic template is a 50/50 mix of rye and whole wheat flours. The book calls for the rye fraction to be half light rye and half dark rye. I used freshly milled whole rye flour, reasoning that it would be a fairly effective substitute. The bread also features sunflower seeds, which are almost always a good thing in a whole-grain bread.
Since it's a straight dough process, the steps were pretty simple. Get everything mixed together and kneaded (I used my KitchenAid mixer), bulk ferment, shape, final ferment, and bake.
The crumb, while firm, is moist and reasonably tender. It's also not nearly as tight as one might expect with the flours involved. The wheat and rye flavors harmonize wonderfully. I've had it toasted, in sandwiches, and as an accompaniment for soup; it performs admirably in all roles.
Paul
Comments
Brilliant, Paul. Looks great!
Rob
I'm pretty happy with the bread. It will go on the "to be baked again" list.
Paul
.. especially for all the wholegrain goodness you have in there. I can imagine the yogurt lends extra moistness and a slight edge to the taste.
-Lin
The yogurt seems to have a positive effect on the bread's texture and keeping properties. Whole-grain breads can tend to get crumbly after a few days; this one is still moist and tender. I'd recommend it.
Paul
Great looking loaf!
I made this bread a couple times and could not obtain the more open crumb you and others have achieved. I used the mix of medium rye and dark rye from the recipe. The dark rye was from Ginsberg's NYBakers and it was equivalent to Austrian R2500—really heavy on the rye bran. Other TFL members used whole rye and/or upped the hydration to get a better crumb. Did you find the recipe's hydration level sufficient?
I haven't tried this bread since, but maybe I should try it again with whole rye and three more years of experience (an often overlooked ingredient for success).
But, for a whole-grain bread that is 50% whole rye, it's pretty decent.
Note that I did use my KA mixer for the mixing/kneading steps. With 50% rye content, this would have been a sticky dough for hand kneading.
Note, too, that I used plain whole-milk yogurt. Greek yogurt has a lower moisture content, which would have upset the hydration of the bread. Whether the Greek yogurt is more or less acidic due to the missing whey, I can't say.
My rationale for using whole rye flour was simple: I didn't have any medium or dark rye flour on hand. I did have a mill and rye grain, though, so whole rye it was. Since I haven't made the bread with the specified flours, I can't say how that substitution affected the outcome.
Not sure what else to add for observations or suggestions. Your three additional years of experience may be the magic sauce for another try.
Paul
Very nice bake Paul, with only 50% rye maybe one that I might enjoy eating. I’ll add this to my list.
Benny
Rye tastes great to me but I know that it isn’t universally loved. The whole wheat obviously makes a significant flavor contribution in this bread. The yogurt doesn’t stand out but it does add a pleasant complexity. One could certainly increase the sunflower seeds to amplify their flavor.
I know some “I don’t like rye bread!” people who are surprised to find out that rye bread, sans caraway, actually tastes pretty good. Different than wheaten breads, yes, but good on its own terms. I don’t know if you are in that camp or have other reasons for not being a rye enthusiast. This might be the bread that changes your outlook. Give it a try sometime.
Paul