Sourdough Rye Bread

Who am I to improve on James Beard's Sourdough bread recipe? Well I just used my existing sourdough starter instead of making a new one as he suggests and omitted the poppy seeds.

Sourdough Rye Bread (Adapted from Beard on Bread)

1 pkg of yeast (2 1/4t)
1/4 c water
3 T sugar
1 c sourdough starter
4 c flour
2 c rye flour
2 T butter, melted
11/2 T caraway seeds
1 egg, beaten

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Set aside for about 10 minutes. In a bowl add starter, 2 c flour, butter, and caraway seeds. Add yeast and add rye flour. Add additional flour as needed. The dough will be stiff. Knead until dough is smooth (it will be a little sticky). Place in greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled - about 2 hours.

Post-Rise

Pre-Rise

Punch down and divide dough in half. Shape into rounds and place on greased (or silpat) sheet pan. Cover and let rise again about 1 hour. Slash tops and brush with beaten egg. Bake in 375 for 30 minutes or until browned and hollow sound when hit on bottom.

Pre 2nd Rise

Who's hiding under there?


Ready for the oven

Bad Side

Good Side

James suggests covering the breads with a towel while they cool so the crust doesn't get hard. I like the crust crusty so I didn't cover them. He also adds 1 1/2 t of poppy seeds. They just get stuck in your teeth.

It's that good side/bad side thing. I had a bit of a blow out on the side - I don't think I slashed the dough deep enough? But they had an excellent flavor. It will go well with the Potato Broccoli soup from the other day.

Nice Crumb

Comments

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