Rye Bread

By norsegal8

Ingredients

• FOR THE RYE STARTER:
• 1 cup lukewarm water; more if needed
• 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 8 ounces finely-ground whole-rye flour
• FOR THE WHEAT STARTER:
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 8 ounces unbleached bread flour
• FOR THE DOUGH:
• 7 1/2 ounces rye starter
• 5 ounces wheat starter
• 19 ounces unbleached bread flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

MAKE THE STARTERS:
Make the rye and wheat starters separately. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a medium bowl and add the flour by hand until well-blended. Both starters must rest, covered at room temperature, for 12 to 20 hours. The rye starter has the texture of very soft clay.

MAKE THE DOUGH:
Portion the starters by weight - 7 1/2 ounces of the rye and 5 ounces of the wheat. Put the weighed starters in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Dissolve the yeast in the water in a measuring cup, add that to the starters, and use your hands to mix well. Add the starters to the flour and salt, then mix by hand until it comes together in a sticky, shaggy mass.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured surface. Knead by puching the dough away from you, folding it back towards you, turning it a quarter turn, and pushing it away from you again. The dough will be very sticky, but resist the urge to add flour; instead, use a pastry scraper to bring up any dough that sticks. Continue kneading for about 8 minutes. To get the smoothest, best-developed dough, allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes, covered with a damp towel, then resume kneading for another few minutes. To see if the dough has been sufficiently kneaded, poke it with your finger - it should spring right back. Put the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel. Let rise in a warm, draft-free area until not quite doubled, about 1 hour. When the dough reaches this size, gently deflate it, and give it a quick knead or two. Return the dough to the bowl and let it rest for another 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half and gently flatten each piece into a disk. Fold an edge up, overlapping the disk by 2/3. Rotate the disk slightly and fold again; repeat, overlapping the folds (there will be about 5), until you reach the original fold. As you fold, gently stretch the underside of the disk. Roll the dough over so that the smooth side is up. Repeat with the other disk.

Stretch the surface taught by gently pressing the dough against the work surface with cupped hands in a circular motion. Take care not to rip the surface. Cover the balls with damps cloths and let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

SHAPE THE LOAVES:
Set the dough balls, seam side up, on a lightly floured surface. Flatten one ball into a rectangle about 7 inches across and 8 1/2 inches long. Fold the top long side down toward you about 2/3 of the way down and press the dough with the heel of your palm to seal. Pick the dough up and turn it around 180 degrees; the fold will be nearest you and the single edge away from you. Fold the top down towards you to about 2/3 of the way down (like a business letter) and press the seam again to seal. Now, fold the dough again, this time in half, bringing the top edge all the way to the bottom edge. Seal the edge with the heel of your hand, flattening the tight cylinder somewhat. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it away from you into a cylinder about 11 inches long. Tuck in the ends and pinch them gently. Repeat with the other ball of dough.

Put the loaves on the back of a well-floured baking sheet or on a pizza peel. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. While the loaves rise, get your oven ready: put a baking stone on the middle rack and a heavy, ovenproof rimmed pan on the bottom shelf or oven floor, and set it for 450 degrees.

BAKE THE LOAVES:
Slash the tops of the risen loaves crosswise, making 4 or 5 shallow cuts. Carefully pour a small amount of water into the hot pan in the oven and quickly close the door to create some steam. Place the peel on top of the baking stone and quickly pull it away from under the loaves so that they drop onto the stone.

Spray the loaves with water from a srpay bottle and add a little more water to the pan. Bake the bread for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes. Rotate the loaves and bake until they are an even brown color and have a slightly hollow sound when tapped on the bottom, another 15 to 18 minutes. Let the loaves cool on a wire rack. For best flavor, don's slice the loaves until they have cooled completely.