100% Rye

Submitted by mcs on May 16, 2014 - 2:54pm.

Today I baked up a few 100% rye ("Cocktail Rye") with this cool pan that I picked up from WalMart a couple of months ago. The metal is a little thin, so I put it on a sheet pan to bake. After some experimenting, I found 1kg of dough for each loaf fills out each channel nicely.

As you probably know, Montana is well known for some of the best flour in the world, and the organic rye that I use from Montana Flour and Grain is my favorite. It's slightly sweet and perfect for this type of bread. This is my recipe that I used for 3kg of dough:

Organic Rye Flour: 1704g
Cold Water: 1176g
100% hydration Rye Starter: 120g
Salt: 33g

Over time, I've adjusted the recipe so I can use a dough hook rather than a paddle for mixing, so the dough is the consistency of thick clay when mixed. It's shaped immediately after mixing, then topped, covered and allowed to rise. Last night it rose for 16 hours at an average temperature of 68F (20C). It was baked at 405F (207C) with initial steam, for 40 minutes.

Normally they cool completely for a few hours before wrapping or slicing them, but since I had to get out the door for deliveries pretty quickly, they were sliced and packaged about 45 minutes after being baked (still warm). I cut each loaf in half, wrapped each half in two damp paper towels, then wrapped them again tightly with plastic wrap. As the loaves cool, they suck in the moisture from the towel and the condensation softens the crust perfectly.

The first photo shows them immediately after shaping - topped with caraway seeds, dusted with rye flour, and topped with fennel seeds. Next, they are shown 16 hours later. The third photo is after they emerge from the oven, and finally after being sliced in half (the plain rye is wrapped and ready).

-Mark
PS If you want to see other stuff I've been up to, be sure to check out the bakery FB page!