This loaf started out in failure.
I’ve been experimenting with different approaches to a Sourdough Rye bread, and having mixed results. As part of this effort, I’ve been nursing a Rye starter for about 2 months now, watching as it got more and more sour. It’s actually been the base for a few “regular” sourdough loafs I’ve made, all of which were fine but none of which were particular stand-outs. But still, once I week I’ve taken it out of the fridge and fed it, usually with rye flour and water, but on one occasion with white sugar and caraway.
I made this loaf with a full cup of the starter, plus the following:
Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl, then slowly add dry ingredients, stirring and adding small amounts of water as necessary to keep the dough consistent. Use a scrap-and-fold motion while stirring, to make sure that all the ingredients are mixed. When the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, you should have a ball of sticky dough. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, and place it somewhere with a temp of about 85-90F overnight. (I messed up with this loaf, and forgot to wet the towel. When I went to turn out the dough the next day, parts of the surface were dry.) The dough should roughly double overnight; if it doesn’t, let it sit longer, or give up and make a new starter, because that’s the issue.
Once the dough has doubled, turn it out into a floured pan (coat a bread pan with butter, then sprinkle flour over the sides and bottom.) Allow to rise for an hour or more; I gave mine about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 450 during the last 30 minutes of the rise.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan, and allow it to cool overnight on a cooling rack, covered with a towel.
The visual aesthetics of this loaf aren’t great, but the texture of mine came out perfect, and the slices have the right combination of sourness and rye “bight” that I miss from deli ryes back east.