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Malted Rye Sourdough Bread
This bread has been one of my favorites since I had some many many moons ago. It is dense, sweetish, great taste of the rye, no seeds to incorporate and this recipe is basically done in your mixer. Now the bad part, when I find a recipe for this bread I try it. This is maybe my 20th loaf and I have yet to get it right. Either the taste is not what I remember or I end up with such a mess of wet dough I make crackers similar to crispbread (which I do like). This bread has a good flavor so I may try again. Not expecting much with the bread score. 🫣
The Rye Sourdough Starter (Night Before)
- ▢10 g Ripe sourdough starter culture
- ▢70 g Water
- ▢70 g Rye flour
The Overnight Sweet-Sugar Soaker
- ▢90 g Rye flour
- ▢40 g Rye malt (Fine ground fermenting malt)
- ▢200 g Hot boiling water
The Main Flour & Aroma Batch
- ▢approx. 470 g All of your prepared overnight active sponge (combined starter + soaker)
- ▢100 g Rye flour
- ▢290 g All-purpose flour (Or for a heartier profile, swap with 145g whole wheat flour + 145g AP flour)
- ▢220 g Water
- ▢9 g Salt
- ▢18 g Sugar
- Night Before – Starter Building & Hot Scalding
- 10:00 PM – The Starter Build: In a clean glass jar, dissolve your 10g of starter culture into 70g of water. Stir in 70g of rye flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let it ferment at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours until it reaches its peak and doubles or triples in size.
- 10:00 PM – The Hot Soaker: In a small heatproof bowl, whisk the 90g of rye flour and 40g of rye malt together. Pour all 200g of hot boiling water over the top and whisk into a thick, uniform paste. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep overnight in your oven with the interior light turned on to maintain a warm 80–90°F (26–32°C) micro-climate.
Day 2 – Sponge Activation, Main Mix, and Bulk Rise
- 8:00 AM – The Sponge: In a large bowl, combine your active 140g of peak rye starter with your entire container of warm overnight soaker. Mix thoroughly until completely smooth and integrated (take your time, as the soaker paste can solidify slightly overnight). Cover and let ferment at 74–80°F (23–27°C) for 3 hours until puffy and notably expanded.
- 11:00 AM – The Main Dough: Completely dissolve your 18g of sugar and 9g of salt into the 220g of water.
- Pour the liquid into your stand mixer bowl alongside your active, puffy sponge mass, 100g of rye flour, and 290g of all-purpose flour base. Turn the mixer to low speed and blend for 2 to 3 minutes until a shaggy mass forms. Increase the machine speed to medium and continue kneading for roughly 12 to 15 minutes until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Watch the temperature carefully to ensure the heavy friction doesn’t overheat the wheat matrix!
- Oil a large bowl as well as your hands. Round the sticky dough into a tight ball, place it into the greased bowl, cover, and let proof for 2 to 3 hours until it doubles in volume. Keep a close eye on the skin surface—the exact moment it begins to show tiny structural cracks across the crown is your signal that it is ready to shape.
Flour-Dusted Shaping & Bare Bake Setup
- 2:00 PM – Shaping: Generously dust your workspace with flour. Tip the expanded, delicate dough out. Gently pull all the outer edges into the center to form a round boule shape, flip it over, and roll it firmly under your hands to lock in a smooth skin.
- Transfer the round loaf seam-side up into a well-floured proofing basket. Let proof undisturbed for 1 hour until it expands and nearly doubles.
- While the loaf rises, place a heavy cast iron pan with its lid (or a baking stone) onto the middle rack of your oven and preheat thoroughly to 500°F (260°C) for 45 minutes to an hour.
- 3:00 PM – The Launch: Flip the proofed rye loaf gently onto a sheet of parchment paper so the floured bottom faces up. Note: Traditional dense rye breads do not require decorative slashing or scoring with a razor blade.
- Slide the loaf carefully onto the hot cast iron pan base, drop the lid down tightly to trap the steam, and bake at 480°F (248°C) with the lid on for exactly 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the lid to expose the loaf, lower the oven temperature to 400°F (204°C), and continue baking bare for an additional 30 minutes until the crust turns an incredibly deep espresso brown.
- Remove from the oven. Using a pastry brush, immediately paint the screaming hot top crust with a light coating of clean water—this step softens the dense rye exterior into a delightfully thin, pliable bite. Let cool completely before slicing.
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Malted Rye Sourdough Bread
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