Dark Rye Bread

THE METHOD

1. Rye starter is produced by blending flour, water and rye mother (If you don’t already have a rye mother culture see here for “How to Create a Mother Dough”). Cover and allow to rest in a sealed plastic tub for 6-12 hours.
2. For the final rye sourdough, mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the water and starter. Using a mixer it will take 5 minutes on the first setting. At this stage the dough will feel very sticky.
3. Place in a rye floured in a plastic tub and leave to rest for 1 hour. Divide the dough into 3 x 800g pieces for large bread tin loaves.
4. Gently shape into well-oiled loaf tins and smooth the tops with well-floured hands. Flour the tops with approximately 1/2cm thick layer of rye flour.
5. Rest again for 4-5 hours in a plastic tub. Rye is a very dense loaf – it will crack and will only prove to about 50% more of its original height.
6. Place an oven proof dish on the floor of the oven containing a handful of ice cubes or water (if your oven has a steam setting then use this). Pre-heat the oven at 230°C then bake for approximately 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 220°C and bake for a further 25 minutes.
7. Turn out onto a wire rack for 4-6 hours to set the loaf interior before slicing.

Recipe Tip: Why not add 75g seeds during mixing to make seeded rye bread? Then add 25g for the top of the loaves. You can use pumpkin, golden linseed, sunflower and millet seeds – as pictured here.

Serving suggestion: Rye bread topped with your favourite sandwich topping is a tasty and healthy lunch – our favourite is smoked salmon and avocado, which makes a delicious, satisfying snack – enjoy!