| Rye %: | 74% |
| Stages: | Straight dough |
| Leaven: | Yeast |
| Start to Finish: | 3½-4 hours |
| Hands-on Time: | 20-25 minutes |
| Yield: | Two 2¾ lb./1.250 kg loaves |
Of all the different kinds of rye breads I’ve made and tasted, the coarse dark ones have always been among my favorites for their rustic mouthfeel and intense rye flavors. This buttermilk rye, which comes from northern Germany, has the added attraction of very short prep time, meaning that I can start a loaf at breakfast and have it for dinner.
| Rye %: | 90% |
| Stages: | Scald, Sponge, Opara, Final dough |
| Leaven: | Rye sour culture |
| Start to Finish: | 24-28 hours |
| Hands-on Time: | 30-40 minutes |
| Yield: | One 2 lb. (900 g.) loaf |
I love Russian and Baltic rye breads for their intensity. So when, a few months back, I found some imported Latvian breads at my local international grocery store, my heart skipped a beat. Although I’d baked several different Baltic ryes while researching recipes for The Rye Baker, I’d never had the opportunity to taste the real thing, and so I immediately snapped up a loaf of the “Classic Rye Bread.”
Before I even sliced the loaf, I was struck by its density and the intoxicating sweet-sour perfume that enveloped me as soon as I unwrapped it – an aroma that I hadn’t experienced in any of the Russian or Baltic ryes I’d baked until then.