Sourdough Rye Bread

4.84 from 50 votes

Sourdough Rye bread inspired by the rye bread I ate daily in the Czech Republic. This rye bread is made with 100% sourdough, rye, whole wheat flour and caraway seeds. It is the perfect bread for a sandwich or to eat with a bit of butter.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Fermentation Time17

Total Time18 15

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Czech

Servings: slices (2 loaves)

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain (10-12 hours, overnight)

10 grams sourdough starter about 2 teaspoons
50 grams rye flour about 1/3 cup
50 grams all-purpose flour about 1/3 cup
100 grams water about 2/3 cup

Sourdough Rye Dough

200 grams levain all the levain, heaping 2/3 cup
650 grams room temperature water about 2 3/4 cups
200 grams rye flour about 1 1/2 cups
200 grams hard whole wheat flour see note, about 1 1/2 cups
600 grams bread flour see note, about 4 1/4 cups
20 grams salt about 1 Tablespoon
10 grams caraway seeds about 1 Tablespoon, see recipe note

Instructions

Levain (10-12 hours, overnight)

In a small bowl, mix together starter, rye flour, all-purpose flour and water. Keep the levain around 78-80°F. Cover and let rise about 10-12 hours or overnight until bubbly, peaked and ready to use.

Sourdough Rye Bread (6-10 hours)

Mix the levain, water, rye flour, whole wheat flour, bread flour, salt and caraway seeds with your hands or a dough whisk (affiliate link).
Perform a series of stretches and folds every 30 minutes for 2 hours, a total of four times. To do this, pick up the underside of the dough and fold it on top of itself, turning the bowl after each fold and picking up a different section of the dough to fold and turn. An example of this folding technique is found here (halfway through the video).
After two hours, cover the dough and leave it on the counter for about 2-3 hours until puffed up and risen. The dough temperature should be around 78-80°F. If you are baking in the summer or in a warm kitchen, the dough will rise faster (about 2 hours). If baking in a cold kitchen, the dough will take longer (3-4 hours).
Once the dough is puffed up, cut the dough in half and shape into two loaves. To shape: Gather the edges of the dough and pull them up to the center, creating a circle as you go. Once the dough forms a ball, turn it over and lightly drag on the countertop while using a circular motion to create tension.
Place the bread dough in a floured bread banneton (affiliate link) or a floured mixing bowl, circular/taut side down. Cover and let rise again for 2-4 hours (depending on the warmth of your kitchen). See recipe note for refrigerating the dough overnight.
Place a dutch oven OR baking stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. Turn the oven on to preheat at least 20 minutes before baking the bread.
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the dough using a bread lame or a sharp knife. Choose one of the following methods to bake your bread.
1. Dutch Oven Method: Place the dough in the dutch oven. Put the lid on top and bake for 25 minutes at 450ºF. After 25 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for another 20 minutes until the loaf is brown and reaches an internal temperature of 205-210ºF.
2. Open Bake Method: Place a pan with a handful of ice cubes into the preheated oven on the bottom rack and transfer the scored loaves onto the baking stone. Turn the heat down to 450°F to bake. After 25 minutes, remove the pan of water and continue baking for another 20 minutes until the loaf is brown and reaches an internal temperature of 205-210ºF.
After 45 minutes, remove the loaves from the oven and let cool before slicing and eating. Enjoy!

Notes

Hard Whole Wheat Flour: I buy my flour from a local mill. You can use any whole wheat flour, though I prefer a white wheat flour. You can also substitute all-purpose flour if you don't have whole wheat flour.

Bread Flour: If you don't have bread flour on hand, you can substitute all-purpose flour and add 3 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten. Vital wheat gluten increases the protein content of the flour, making it more similar to bread flour.

Caraway Seeds: Caraway seeds are what give this bread a traditional Czech flavor. Add fewer seeds for a more mild flavor or more seeds for a stronger caraway flavor. You can also leave the seeds out all together if you want a mild rye bread.

Overnight Rise: Once the dough is shaped, it can be covered with plastic wrap and rise for the second time in the refrigerator. Let it rest overnight or up to 24 hours. Turn out from the fridge, score and bake immediately (while still cold) for 45 minutes.

Nutrition