European Sourdough Rye
European sourdough rye is a rustic, old-world style bread made with rye flour, natural starter, and a slow fermentation process that develops deep, complex flavor. It’s denser than wheat bread, with a hearty, slightly sour profile and a dark, caramelized crust. The crumb is tight and moist, carrying notes of earthiness, malt, and subtle tang—balanced by the natural sweetness of rye. Traditionally shaped in bannetons and baked to a crackling finish, this loaf reflects centuries of European baking heritage: simple ingredients, patience, and flavor earned over time.
Ingredients
- 800 grams Italian 00 Bread Flour I buy Polselli Link – https://amzn.to/4qtIST2
- 200 grams Rye Flour I use Bob’s Red Mill Link – https://amzn.to/4sijT6U
- 830 grams Water roughly compensating for water in Starter – looking for 83% moisture.
- 25 grams Salt
- 250 grams Sour Dough Starter 50/50 Italian flour – water fermented with natural yeast
- 3 -4 Tbsp Caraway Seed Optional
Instructions
- Make sure that your Starter is well fed… I should have more than doubled in size since feeding… I use a rubber band on a mason jar to tell where it started.
- Start with 200 g of bread flour and 200 g of rye flour mixed. I add the caraway seed requested by my European wife. Then add 400 g of warm water. Mix well by hand. Let stand in warm area for at least 1 hour. But no longer than 2 hours.
- Now make the Poolish – this will be your preferment. In some baking it is called a Biga. You will add 250 g of the starter, another 330 g of warm water, salt, and 100 g of bread flour. Mix this well by hand or you can use a stand mixer with dough hook.
- Let poolish proof for 2 – 3 hours in a warm place. It should become bubbly and smell yeasty. After proofing you will add the remaining 400 g of flour to the poolish. I do this in my stand mixer with a dough hook adding 133 g until fully incorporated and then again with 133 g, and then 83 g, and finally 50 g. Now let the dough hook do the work. You will mix until dough is fully kneaded. You can do this by hand, but it will be sticky and will take some considerable time. I usually wait 8 – 10 min in the mixer. If using the mixer, you will know it is fully kneaded once it starts coming clean off the edge of the bowl. If you are kneading by hand, you will notice the dough will be less tacky and will not be sticking to the counter.
- After kneading, It is time for cold ferment. To the refrigerator for 12 – 18 hours.
- Next day, pull the dough out and remove from bowl onto counter. Use very little flour to fold and shape the dough. Once you have shaped and formed the correct surface tension, you can put the dough into Banaton baskets (Link – https://amzn.to/4s8Ye0Z) for final proof. I then score the bread to give additional oven spring with a bread lame (link – https://amzn.to/4asARJh) and bake at 500 degrees for 25 min in a Dutch oven. Le Crueset or what ever you have to keep in moisture. Then after 25 min I bake for and additional 25 min uncovered to brown and crisp up the bread. I use a Silpat bread sling (Link – https://amzn.to/4qnyQTf) for easy removal from Dutch oven.
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