Fine Rye Bread

Ingredients

• 500 gRye flour
• 375 mlWater
• 40 gSourdough
• 10 gSalt
• 3 gYeast

Instructions

1. 1

   Preferment (evening)

   • Mix 100 g rye flour with 150 ml lukewarm water and 40 g sourdough starter into a smooth batter.
   • Dust lightly with flour, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place (approx. 20–25 °C) overnight (8–12 hours).
2. 2

   Finish dough (morning) and proof

   • Put the preferment in a large bowl, add 400 g rye flour and 225 ml lukewarm water.
   • Add 10 g salt and knead everything together (rye dough is sticky; stretch and fold rather than intensive kneading).
   • If the preferment hasn't risen well overnight, optionally add 3 g dry yeast to support fermentation.
   • Shape the dough into a round or oblong loaf, place on a floured board, cover loosely and let rise in a warm place until noticeably increased in volume (1–3 hours, depending on temperature).
3. 3

   Baking

   • Preheat the oven to 220 °C (top/bottom heat).
   • Transfer the loaf to a baking sheet or banneton (floured). Optionally dust with flour and score the surface.
   • Bake for 10 minutes at 220 °C, then reduce heat to 200 °C.
   • Bake a total of about 70–90 minutes (depending on loaf size) until the crust is deep brown and the internal temperature reaches ~96 °C. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
4. 4

   Buttermilk variant (optional)

   • Replace water with good buttermilk (total 375 ml) and halve the starter to 20 g.
   • Proceed as above.