An excellent recipe for a bread with a good rye flavor complemented by caraway and a mild sour taste.
Very similar to traditional “Jewish Rye”, with a moist crumb and thin crust. Ideal for sandwiches.
This is my entry for Bread Baking Day #03, hosted by Ulrike at Küchenlatein. Thanks to Ulrike for proposing a great theme: Rye Sourdough Breads. And thanks to Zorra for initiating this monthly event.
From the original recipe by The Council of Jewish Women (Portland Section, 1912)
In “The Neighborhood Cook Book” 1914–USA
Ingredients
180 g (1 cup) sourdough*
105 g (1 scant cup) dark rye flour (whole grain)
345 g (2-1/2 cup) bread flour
240 g (1 cup) water
9 g (1/2 tbsp) salt
10 g (1-1/2 tbsp) caraway seed
1 egg white to glaze the bread
Make the sourdough: Mix 90 g (scant 3/4 cup) dark rye flour + 90 g (3.06 fl oz) water + 5 g (1/2 tbsp) mature sourdough culture** (100% hydration) and let it ferment for about 8 hours at room temperature.
Place the prepared sourdough in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the water, then mix at the lowest speed with the flat paddle attachment. Add the bread flour mixed with the rye flour and mix at the lowest speed to make a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then switch to the dough hook attachment and knead until the dough is well developed (it will clean the sides of the bowl and be slightly tacky). Add the salt and the caraway seeds and mix until well incorporated. I prefer to finish kneading the dough by hand, and after 2-3 more minutes of hand kneading it will be smooth, elastic, supple, and only barely tacky.
Shape the dough in a ball and let it ferment for about 1 hour, then shape as desired (either free form or place in a loaf pan) and let it finish rising for about 60 minutes on a peel or baking sheet sprinkled with semolina (or in the bread pan). Brush the top of the loaf with egg white mixed with water and score the surface of the loaf with a sharp blade.
Bake in a preheated oven (450°F-232°C) till golden brown (about 1 hour). Cool the bread on a rack.
This bread is at its best the day after it is baked, and keeps fresh for a few days.
** sourdough culture: can be made by mixing equal weights of (organic) whole grain rye flour and water, (200 g each) left to ferment in a covered glass container for 48 hours at room temperature. After 48 hours some signs of fermentation should be visible. Keep 100 g of the mixture (discard the rest) and add equal weights of rye flour and water (100 g each) . These refreshments should be made ideally every 12 hours during the the first week.
Baking History 