Riga rye bread

Recipe can be found @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen

What you need

White whole wheat flour: 306g/ 2 cup (I used unbleached King Arthur flour)

Bread flour: 161g/1 cup (I used unbleached King Arthur flour)

Rye flour: 210g/1 ½ cup ( I used Arrowhead mills organic rye flour, )

Coarse sea salt: 9g/1/2 tablespoon

Barley malt extract: 2 tablespoon

Unsalted Butter: 43g/3 tablespoon (melted and cooled at room temperature)

Water: 384.8g/ 1 ¾ cup

Sourdough: 82g/1/2 cup (100 % hydration rye starter)

Instant yeast: 1g/ ½ teaspoon

Caraway seeds: 6g/ 1 tablespoon

Canola oil: 1 tablespoon

How I made

Day before baking feed the rye sourdough starter and set aside for about 8 -12 hours .

On the day of baking in a bowl of stand mixer combine, whole white wheat, bread flour, rye flour, salt, instant yeast, sourdough, barley malt extract, caraway seeds melted and cooled butter and water to form a shaggy dough. It will sticky. Set aside loosely covered for 30 minutes for autolyse.

Knead the dough again for about 5-6 minutes in medium speed form sticky but supple dough.

Shape the dough loose ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for about 3 hours and 30 minutes or until the dough has little holes and bubbles developing in the dough. When it is ready it will still feel heavy, but you will able to see that it is raised enough.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle cornmeal generously and set aside.

Gently remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough to free standing loaf. Mist the top of loaf with oil and sprinkle the rest of caraway seeds. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover the loaf with oiled plastic wrap and allow them to rise for about 60 minutes or they will expand slightly but not double. (if crack develop in the dough bake it right away as it is sitting too long and tangier).

Place the baking sheet in the oven. Keep an empty broiler pan in the lower rack of oven. Add boiling hot water into the broiler pan when you are ready to bake the bread. (This will create steam, necessary to make the thick crust).

When ready to bake sprinkle with rye flour and make 4-5 shallow cut across the loaf not to deflate them. Using plastic spray bottle, mist the loaf for about 6 to 8 times. Then quickly shut the oven door.

Bake for 26 minutes, then rotate pan in between and bake unit the loaf are rich reddish brown and sound slightly hollow when removed from the pan and tapped on the bottom .And the interior temperature of the loaves measures 190°F to 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack.

Enjoy! They make awesome sandwich.

Preparation time: 8-12 hours for sourdough starter refreshment + 30 minutes for autolyse+ 10 minutes kneading+ First fermentation 3 hours and 30 minutes+ second rise 60 minutes and baking 26 minutes

Yield: A big loaf or small two loaf

Verdict: Yummy bread