| 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.
The crumb was dense, dark and firm, and the flavor – citrusy-sweet with hints of licorice, finishing with a clean bright sour – blew me away. I wanted to bake that bread, but had no idea where to find the formula. Predictably, the list of ingredients was no help: it simply told me that the bread contained rye flour, wheat flour, malted rye, sour culture, salt, honey and sugar.
So I was stuck, until I baked this beauty of a bread, which I found in a Lithuanian blog. Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect, since the formula was typical of the region, consisting of a red rye malt scald, a well-ripened rye sour sponge; an opara (compound sponge) and a final dough whose only non-rye flavoring agents were small amounts of salt, sugar and honey.
As the loaf baked, an incredible sweet-sour perfume filled the air, hinting to me that I’d found the twin of that elusive Latvian beauty. And so it was: as with that store-bought loaf, the crumb was tight and dark (and more tender than the imported bread), the flavor seductively sweet-sour. I’ve been so taken with this bread that I’m content to eat it with nothing more than a light film of sweet butter.
NOTE: If you can’t find whole rye flour, use a blend of 2/3 medium and 1/3 dark rye flour.
Sponge (Day 1, Morning):
| Ingredient |
Grams |
Ounces |
Baker’s |
| Whole rye flour |
70 |
2.45 |
100% |
| Warm (105°F/41°C) water |
70 |
2.45 |
100% |
| Rye sour culture |
10 |
0.35 |
14% |
Scald (Day 1, Morning):
| Ingredient |
Grams |
Ounces |
Baker’s |
| Red rye malt |
35 |
1.25 |
100% |
| Hot (170°F/77°C) water |
200 |
7.05 |
571% |
Mix the sponge ingredients by hand until incorporated, cover and ferment 10-12 hours at room temperature (68°-72°F/20°-22°C). The sponge will be very bubbly, have a clean sour smell and will have doubled in volume. In a separate container mix the scald ingredients by hand, cover and let stand 10-12 hours at room temperature.
Opara (Day 1, Evening):
| Ingredient |
Grams |
Ounces |
Baker’s |
| Whole rye flour |
150 |
5.30 |
100% |
| Sponge |
150 |
5.30 |
100% |
| Scald |
235 |
8.30 |
157% |
Combine the sponge, scald and flour and mix by hand into a very stiff dough. Cover and let stand overnight, 10-12 hours, at room temperature. The sponge will become very bubbly, have a sweet-sour smell and more than double in volume.
Final Dough (Day 2, Morning):
| Ingredient |
Grams |
Ounces |
|
| Opara |
535 |
18.90 |
|
| Whole rye flour |
230 |
8.10 |
|
| Bread flour |
50 |
1.80 |
|
| Warm (105°F/41°C) water |
100 |
3.55 |
|
| Salt |
10 |
0.35 |
|
| Sugar |
25 |
0.90 |
|
| Honey |
21 |
0.75 |
|
Dissolve the honey in the water, then combine the final dough ingredients in the mixer bowl. Use the dough hook at low (KA2) speed to mix into a stiff dough that leaves the sides of the bowl, 6-8 minutes.
Turn the dough, which will be slightly sticky, onto a dry work surface and use wet hands to form an oblong loaf about 10″/25 cm long and 4″/10 cm wide. Place it on a well-floured peel, if using a baking stone, or parchment-lined sheet pan, cover and proof at room temperature until the loaf has expanded to 1½ times its original volume and shows cracks on the surface, 2- 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C with the baking surface in the middle. Use wet hands to smooth the surface of the loaf. Place the loaf in the oven, turn the temperature up to 445°F/230°C and bake 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 390°F/200°C and continue baking for 25 minutes.
While the bread is baking, prepare a glaze by boiling 1 tsp. of potato or corn starch in 1 cup/8 oz./225 ml of water until it thickens, then let cool. Brush the loaf with the glaze and continue baking until the loaf thumps when tapped with a finger and the internal temperature is at least 198°F/92°C, 5-10 minutes. Rest a minimum of 24 hours before slicing.
Baker’s Percentages
| Ingredient |
g |
% |
| TOTAL FLOUR |
500 |
100.00% |
| Whole rye flour |
450 |
90.00% |
| Bread flour |
50 |
10.00% |
| Water |
370 |
74.00% |
| Salt | 10 | 2.00% |
| Rye sour culture |
10 |
2.00% |
| Red rye malt |
35 |
7.00% |
| Sugar |
25 |
5.00% |
| Honey |
21 |
4.20% |
| TOTAL FORMULA |
971 |
194.20% |
| Flour prefermented |
220 |
44.00% |
Gay
March 13, 2016I can’t wait to try this! I have been searching so long for a recipe for the Laci Riga rye. My favorite of theirs has caraway (they call it cumin) in it but your photos look just like their loaves. Thank you for sharing!
Maija
August 23, 2016Latvians don’t call caraway cumin, but the Latvian name for caraway is “kumeles”. And oddly enough, being Latvian, I don’t like them much…go figure!
Gay
August 23, 2016Hmmm, that’s interesting because on the Laci bag ingredient list it lists the word “cumin” but does not list caraway. When I did some research I found out that in some areas caraway is called cumin. I love it, in bread, sauerkraut, lots of things!
Karin Anderson
March 16, 2016I never had a Lithuanian bread, yet. Nice loaf.
I like your new lay-out, Stanley, it’s very clean and readable.
Stanley Ginsberg
March 18, 2016Thank you on both counts.
Maija
August 23, 2016I am from Latvia, and always long for “real” Latvian bread, preferably Laci brand. Now you give me hope that I may be able to bake a reasonable facsimile. If this comes to pass I will be forever grateful. One question: how do you make rye sour culture? I only have experience with baking white/whole wheat breads. Looking forward to baking. Maija
Tortoise
March 18, 2016Hi Stan,
I was intrigued by your formula using the red rye malt as well as the potato water wash so I gave it a whirl. For the whole grain rye I milled my own with my Komo Fidibus classic. All went well with the sour builds and scald until I mixed the final dough. I found it very slack, similar to a pan baked 2 stage detmolder 100% rye that I often make. It was a thick paste that never left the sides of the bowl of the mixer. Even though i knew that it would spread I soldiered on shaping it free-form on a sheet of parchment as per your instructions. After the 2 1/2 hour proof I baked it off and sure enough, out came a pancake. A delicious pancake but a pancake non the less (I would send some pics of the loaf but I see no way to attach them). Could the problem have been using fresh ground rye?
Stanley Ginsberg
March 18, 2016Since the rye appears to have been the only variable, that’s the likely explanation. In general, I think that flours need to season for at least 2-3 weeks in order for the internal moisture to evaporate and for the starches to start oxidizing. Try the recipe with older flour and let us know how it goes.
Tortoise
May 13, 2016Second bake update. I ground some rye flour and aged it for 4 weeks in a thick paper bag. I proceeded with your formula but I still had to hold back 25 grams of water. The bread turned out beautifully. The flavour is outstanding! I will attempt it again using fresh ground and adjusting the water but before I do I want to tackle your Deconstructed Saison Rye. The process looks fascinating. Now I just have to head to the local brew supply store to pick up the malts.
Thanks again for your excellent post.
Mark
March 20, 2016As I was in the process of making this bread I read these comments and got worried, since I’m using freshly milled rye. So I initially cut back the final 100g of water to 25, holding the rest in reserve. But in the end I ended up using the entire 100g, as the dough was clearly pulling away from the bowl with less. Perhaps I should have left out 10-15g as once the final dose of water went in (I did this 25g at a time) the dough stopped pullIng away. But I had no trouble shaping the loaf, no slackness, and no problem with oven spring. My loaf looks much like the pictures, except that my cracks are a bit bigger. So, Tortoise’s slackness could be due to the specific batch of rye used, but I don’t think one can say across the board that freshly milled rye can’t take this hydration. I can’t wait to taste my bread, but I know I must be patient!
Stanley Ginsberg
March 20, 2016Good point! Thanks so much for your input and please let us know how it turned out.
Mark
April 8, 2016My apologies – I forgot to let you know results. Anyway, the bread was excellent. I really enjoyed it and will have to make it again. Thanks for the formula. : )
Paul McCool
June 16, 2016This bread finally made it into the baking rotation last weekend and it is a real treat! Fabulous flavor, fragrance, and texture!
I made a two-loaf batch and used my 7-quart KitchenAid mixer for the final dough. The dough never cleared the sides of the bowl. Whether that was because of the flour (Hodgson Mills Whole Rye), the hydration, the quantity of dough, or the bowl size, I don’t know. Or maybe all them played a role. No problem, though. I just kept pushing the paste back into the path of the dough hook instead of letting it press against the bowl wall.
Should the potato or corn starch quantity be a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon, perhaps? Or was I reading to much into the “until it thickens” statement? The glaze did not really thicken when boiled. Since this was my first round with the recipe, I proceeded as directed. The crust on the finished loaf has a very low gloss, which is more attractive to me than if it had been shinier. And, the glaze stayed liquid as it was applied, rather than seizing up in starchy blobs.
Could you perhaps update the recipe to indicate a recommended time for applying the glaze?
Have you experimented with using steam in the oven for the first 15 minutes or so? I wonder if steam might cut down on some of the cracking by keeping the crust more supple.
Thanks for posting this recipe. It’s a keeper!
DeKay
March 17, 2019Like Paul, I had the same problem with the corn starch not thickening up on my first attempt at this recipe. The second time around, I stuck with the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch but only used a third of a cup of water (effectively 1 Tbsp for 1 cup of water) because who needs a cup of glaze for one loaf of bread? The glaze thickened up just as expected as the water approached a boil. Definitely a typo here.
Henrik
August 15, 2016What sugar do you use, Stanley? Brown or raw/white?
Stanley Ginsberg
August 15, 2016I prefer organic raw sugar (Turbinado), which isn’t really “raw,” but is refined white sugar that has molasses added back in. Still, I like the musky, burnt notes the molasses adds. When I want real “raw” sugar, I buy Mexican piloncillo, which comes in cones and has to be grated. Most of the time, I use it to make my baking syrup.
LB
October 23, 2016For the record, I’ve made this a few times and it doesn’t matter if I use aged or fresh ground rye, as long as I use 25g less water in the final dough. Any more and it’s a pancake and would only work in a loaf pan, but I take out that 25g and its easy to handle and holds its shape through the bake.
This is one of the best rye breads I’ve ever tasted.
Ross Warren
November 14, 2016Building the Opara.. I had to add 50g more rye flour to get a “stiff” dough. Cant wait to try this!
Lazy Loafer
February 3, 2017Hi Stan. I’d love to try this one for a friend who can’t have any wheat. Can I use something else (say, barley flour) in place of the 50 grams of bread flour? He might be able to tolerate spelt but it would be whole spelt (or sifted). And also, can I use malted, toasted barley in place of the red rye malt?
Stanley Ginsberg
February 6, 2017Barley certainly could work and so could substituting more rye for the wheat flour, which is so small a percentage of total flour as not to make, IMO, any real contribution to the bread.
Delaine Faulkner
February 11, 2017If the trouble with using wheat flour is from the gluten, then gluten is also in barley.
However, having spent 3 months in Provence, where the local bakery produces sourdough bread, my gluten intolerant husband was able to eat their bread with no discomfort. When we asked about their bread baking method we were told that their use of sourdough alone without added yeast would explain his ability to eat bread with no discomfort.
I don’t know if using barley in sourdough bread would have the effect of causing discomfort or not.
Tanya Briggs
March 16, 2017Can this bread hold up to freezing for those of us who bake for 1? 2 lbs is a lot of bread for me unless I have company. While I prefer not to freeze I’m sure that a 2lb loaf would be too stale before I can eat it. My rye breads with a high percentage of rye last for a long long time, but reality is I prefer to eat it within a week.
Stanley Ginsberg
March 18, 2017All of the breads freeze reasonably well.
Richard
September 14, 2017Hi. That red rye malt isn’t available where I live (UK) so I have to find an alternative. Can someone tell me if it’s whole grain or crushed/ground in this recipe? Thanks.
Stanley Ginsberg
September 15, 2017It’s malted (sprouted) rye that has been roasted and ground fine. Pale malted rye is often available at home brewing supply shops or online. To get the red rye malt, roast at 425F/220C for 12-15 minutes. Alternately, British malt house Fawcett’s produces a crystal (roasted) rye malt that can be ground and sifted to produce red rye malt.
Marcus
October 17, 2017Hi
I’ve managed to get my online supplier to order some red rye malt.
They now have some in stock and I have ordered some so I can try this recipe.
The malt comes crushed but I belive I will need to grind it down for the recipe.
This is the link to purchase the red rye malt in the UK.
Hope it helps Richard
http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=610021&PN=Special_Malted_Grains%2ehtml#a610021
Richard
October 18, 2017Thank you Marcus, that’s most kind!
Justė
September 16, 2017I’m Lithuanian living abroad and will attempt this recipe. Only thing is, the rye bread that I’m used to eating is usually 100% rye flour and has a very dark, almost black crust. I’m debating if it’s due to higher/longer initial cooking temperature or maybe due to additional ingredients. The texture of inside the loaf, the crumb looks identical though. Excited to try!
Stanley Ginsberg
September 16, 2017The dark crust comes from a baking method that’s unique to the Baltics, in Latvia for sure and possibly also in Lithuania: baking bread in two ovens. The first is very hot — about 800F/420C — and both sets and chars the crust. The second oven is much cooler — around 400F/205C — and finishes the bake. It’s an effect that’s very hard to duplicate in a home oven.
Angela
October 14, 2017Any shipments planned to Canada for this wonderful bread?
Stanley Ginsberg
October 15, 2017We don’t bake bread; we just sell ingredients (www.nybakers.com) and yes, we ship to Canada. For Black Rooster bread, it’s best to contact John directly at johnmelngailis@blackroosterfood.com.
Kris
October 21, 2017Hi there. I’ve had two attempts already. This time I doubled the quantity and what a result – amazing taste and flavour.
This bread is a must for home bakers like me.
Thanks for clear recipe
Gretchen
November 5, 2017I experienced problems with having bread rise. My rye sour was three weeks old. Could it be to young? My loaf Did not rise. Could it be a matter of the sour feeding? In other words, should I have used the sour just before it weekly feeding?
Stanley Ginsberg
November 6, 2017Without knowing the exact parameters of your problem, I really can’t offer anything more than some general pointers on my methods. First, I always feed my starters (using 100% hydration and 10% old starter) within 24 hours of my planned bake; that way, I’m sure my starter is robust. A healthy rye sponge, whether during feeding or in building a bread, should triple in volume in 8-10 hours at room temperature. Were spices like caraway (which can kill yeast and lactobacillus) present in the dough? Was the flour fresh? Was the ambient temperature warm enough? If you used hot water, was the water too hot? (yeast and LAB can’t survive temperatures above 140F or so). So, lots of questions and very few answers, but perhaps they can point you in the right direction.
Gretchen
November 19, 2017Hello again! I’ve attempted my 2nd go at this recipe, and was able to overcome the loaf not rising. My new question is two-fold. First, the batter would not work with my mixer’s dough hook. Even at the lowest setting, it just pushed aside and never engaged on the hook. I’m not an experienced enough baker to know why. My second question probably relates to this. Even though the loaf doubled in size, it rose flat and did not keep it’s height. Is this because I did not have enough gluten built up? I hand-kneaded the dough for 10 min. Perhaps this was not enough. It was very sticky and I used a bench-scraper instead of flouring my work surface.
Matt Cavers
November 5, 2017Hi Stan – I love this recipe! I’ve made it a number of times, though I’ve always baked it as a pan loaf and I usually add anise or caraway or (as I did this morning) both! Here’s a general question about sourdough rye fermentation. Once the bread is panned, every time I’ve made this dough it’s taken only about 60 minutes for the loaf to have risen enough to bake (increase in volume, lots of broken bubbles on the surface of the loaf). I’m using the ingredients called for in the recipe, I’m using water that’s no hotter than 105º, and my kitchen is no warmer than 70º-72º most days. If I were to give this loaf the 2-3 hour final rise I’m sure it would rise too much and collapse. My question is – is it possible that the rye flour I use (Anita’s Organic from out here in BC) is just that much quicker to ferment? Is there that much variability in sourdough cultures that mine just races through fermentations? Or is there something about a pan loaf versus a bâtard that doesn’t tolerate as long a rise? Thanks!
Stanley Ginsberg
November 6, 2017hi Matt,
I think the reason you get such a rapid rise is because pan loaves can only expand in one direction; therefore, any fermentation during proofing is going to force the dough upwards against the pressure of the sides. Freestanding loaves can expand in all directions but down. That said, rye fermentation is best measured with they eye rather than the clock, so if the loaf has clearly expanded and shows the cracks/bubbles, then it’s likely ready for the oven. Remember, though, that underproofed loaves are prone to tearing during oven spring, while overproofed ones end up dense and gummy.
Gretchen
November 19, 2017One other question… can you use a banneton and liner to help shape the loaf given how sticky the dough is?
Andrius
December 22, 2017The only thing that bothers me is that Baltic region is along with Russia. And for me this is strange as Baltics never been Russia.
Yes they have been occupied by Soviets for 50 years, but it is Independent countries for more than 27 years now and has a glorious history to remember as well as a huge culinary heritage
Mathan
January 29, 2018I’d love to try my hand at this bread as I’m a big fan of this style and have had success with your other recipes, but unfortunately brew shops are relatively thinly stocked where I live and I haven’t found any rye products except for fine rye meal. Sadly as I’m not in the US or Europe, ordering online is out of the question.
All the commercial Baltic and Russian ryes I’ve tried have used barley malt for breads that might be a touch less authentic but a few of which were more than good enough to my palate. Is there any barley based substitute for red rye malt that can be used in this recipe (and other recipes with scalds) such as malt extract, or a commonly available brewer’s malt that I can process at home?
My Ukrainian grandmother and I thank you in advance!
Stanley Ginsberg
February 3, 2018you can use a roasted barley malt. go to your local homebrew outlet and ask for either 40L or 60L crystal malt or caramel malt.
Mathan
February 7, 2018That’s really helpful, thanks so much! I’ll grab some 60 L crystal malt and let you know how it turned out.
Mathan
March 4, 2018Hi Stanley, thanks again for for response. I just wanted to say, I tried this recipe with 60L crystal malt and the flavor and scent of the bread blew me away! Dare I say, even better than some imported loaves that I’ve tried from Latvia. I love the spicy aroma of rye malt so I hope to try it some day, but for now, barley is more than good enough.
Linda
May 14, 2018So happy to have found this recipe. It looks like my beloved Silver Bell Bakery Lithuanian rye, which they ship by mail whenever I choose to skip a mortgage payment … the sponge calls for a rye sourdough culture — forgive my total lack of expertise but is this the same thing as a starter? I assume this is something best made from scratch, and wonder, do you have a recommended recipe or will any of the myriad variations online suffice? Thank you!
Stanley Ginsberg
May 14, 2018It is the same as a starter and there are, as you note, dozens of formulas on the internet. My preferred method (obviously) is the one I describe in my book, The Rye Baker, but almost any of them will produce a workable culture. Easiest, of course, is to find a friend or a local bakery who’s willing to share some of theirs.
Happy baking!
Sasha
October 23, 2018Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m sorry if I somehow missed it, but what type of pan are you using to bake this loaf? I read to place it on a peel or pan, and to place the baking surface in the middle of the oven. By baking surface, do you mean the oven shelf? Or another pan (to preheat)? I am used to regularly making wheat sourdough in a preheated circular dutch oven with a lid, but the shape of this loaf suggests it is baked on a flat sheet pan (with no crust-aiding lid aspect)? My starter is a wheat starter that I have kept for years, but I have long wanted to keep also a rye starter for these sorts of breads. I have a Lithuanian cookbook with a black rye recipe that I have also wanted to try, but I get similarly hung up on what type of pan is being used, and if it is being pre-heated. In the other recipe I’m referencing the pan direction is very alluring: “Prepare baking pans by lining them with maple or cabbage leaves or dust with flour.” Nonetheless, unclear. I would be very appreciative of clarification of this aspect of the process! Thank you!
Stanley Ginsberg
October 23, 2018The reference is to a sheet pan, but only if there’s no baking stone: this bread needs to bake on a flat hearth surface, which either the stone or the sheet pan provides.
Susan
November 23, 2018I tried this recipe and loved it!! It came out so good and it wasn’t hard to make.
I just felt I had to add more flour than recipe asked for on day two.
I can’t wait to try the other bread recipes on the website.
Thanks!!!
Patrick
May 17, 2020Hello Stanley,
So to clarify, should the bread be on the baking surface – whether stone or parchment lined sheet pan – while the oven is preheating?
Thanks!!
Stanley Ginsberg
May 19, 2020No. The bread should go into the oven after it’s reached full heat. Also, remember that baking stones need at least an hour’s preheat.
Pablo
November 23, 2018Hi Stanley.
Thank you for blog. I really mean it. I love bread (baking, eating, and sharing), and rye has a very special place in my baking.
I intend to try this recipe as soon as possible. There’s something I’m trying to figure out. If I didn’t get it wrong, red rye malt is non diastatic. If that is so, what’s the purpose of the scalding? Particularly in this recipe, where scald temperature is 77°C, which looks to me like chosen to maximise enzymatic activity… Why bother if there are no enzymes around? I’m missing something, for sure. But can’t see what.
Could you shed some light on this topic?
Stanley Ginsberg
November 23, 2018hi Pablo,
The purpose of the scald is to extract the soluble flavor/color elements from the malt, not just the sugars but also the trace substances that contribute to rye’s unique flavor. The water is hot because hot water is a more efficient medium for extracting those elements.
Pablo
November 28, 2018Thank you very much for your reply Stanley.
I intend to bake this bread next weekend. I’ll let you know whow it turns out 🙂
Omar ma
January 20, 2019What was your ratio for the rye sour culture in stage 1 please advise thanks
Stanley Ginsberg
February 16, 2019My standard sponge is 100% flour, 100% water, 10% starter.
Joe Yurkonis
January 29, 2019I’m trying to reproduce a bread that was known as a Pure Lithuanian Rye, from a local bakery that went out of business many years ago. I know that it was 100% rye, as far as the grain. I have a rye sourdough starter that I’ve been growing for 5+ years now using whole grain pumpernickel flour. I’d like to try this recipe but I’d need to use regular barley malt because of availability and I’d like to leave out the wheat bread flour.
1. Is the rye malt in the recipe for the enzymes or just the flavor? Would I need to use diastatic or non-diastatic malt as a replacement?
2. Would the substitution of rye for the bread flour be 1:1? I believe bread flour can absorb more liquid than rye.
Thanks for posting the recipe.
Stanley Ginsberg
February 16, 20191. The rye malt is for enzymes, so diastatic if you’re using barley.
2. Yes it would, and I’d increase hydration by 3-5%.
Gregory Horwitz
February 3, 2019The Lithuanian Nuns, in Putnam, Connecticut, used to host a festival called Picnicas. There they sold this bread that were baked in massive pans (about the size of Calphalon roasting pans).
This bread was dense (a little went a long way) and I believe they put dill in it. I might be wrong about that, because they put deal and everything else.
It was wonderful, nonetheless.
Akvile
May 1, 2019I am lithuanian and I can’t really imagine my life without black bread (juoda duona as we call it in lithuanian). Typical my childhood summer dinner was fresh milk and huge slice (cause traditional loafs are huge) of black bread with a thin layer of fresh butter or honey, sometimes topped with lithuanian cheese. Aand we still have old old brick oven in a village (built around 100 years ago) and it has special place for bread baking.
Great to see world is not only into white and highly processed bread. And black one is available with everything, from meat and butter to peanut butter and bananas (yum).
VMS
November 2, 2019I look forward to making this bread! Meanwhile, I don’t have a bread mixer, just my two arms and hands. How likely is it that this will work and how long does one need to knead with no machine?
thanks!
VMS
Stanley Ginsberg
November 7, 2019No problem. People were mixing rye doughs by hand long before the first mixer was ever even imagined. Just mix until your dough is well-blended and evenly hydrated.
Chuck
January 6, 2020Both my Lithuanian grandmothers kneaded dough the old fashioned-way, with their hands. It’s great exercise and I think it adds a bit of flavor not achieved by machine kneading.
For me, a nice slice of rye bread (with caraway seeds) and a bowl of cold beet soup (Šaltibarščiai) is heaven. Of course, being in my golden years, I have to watch my cholesterol, so I substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream.
Rye bread is a staple in the traditional Lithuanian kitchen; it’s even used to make a fermented beverage, (Duonine Gira),
Also, do investigate Lithuanian Christmas bread (Kalėdų pyragas), a sweet yeasty batter bread. Warm from the oven and slathered with butter, it makes for heaven.
My viewpoint may be somewhat dated; my grandparents emigrated to the US just after WWI, so customs probably have changed considerably.
RT
February 13, 2020Hi Chuck,
Thanks for the post…those foods brought me back.
I grew up SW of Chicago and your post brought back some memories.
There were a fair amount of Lithuanians there at the time and we
would get wonderful black rye bread from Racine Bakery…no seeds.
It was dense, moist, and toasted up wonderfully and tasted great with
butter, cinnamon, and sugar! We also had it with Lithuanian farmers
cheese that was browned under the broiler.
The bakery closed, so I am hoping this recipe will be close to the black bread I had as a kid.
Chuck
February 13, 2020My maternal grandmother owned a dairy farm in central Wisconsin. She always had the dry, sour farmer’s cheese around.
When I made frequent trips from the west coast, I’d schedule a layover in Chicago and fill half my suitcase with kielbasa from Maruszczak’s in Hammond (vacuum-wrapped of course!). Those were the days.
For those who are curious about my cookbook recipe, here ’tis:
RUGINĖ DUONA
2 lbs. dark rye flour
¼ cup vinegar
1 – 3 tsp. saltº
1 – 3 tsp caraway seed
¾ cake yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
½ cup sugar
all-purpose flour
Should be mixed in a wooden pail or bucket (oak, if possible). Season a new pail by rubbing it with salt, finely cut onions and caraway seeds. If pail is used rarely forr mixing dough, season it freshly. When freshly seasoned pail is used, decrease amount of salt and caraway seeds for dough.
Dilute vinegar with equal amount of boiling water. Stir into rye flour. Add enough boiled water to make a thin paste. Add salt and caraway seed. Let cool. Dissolve ½ cake yeast and sugar in 1 cup lukewarm water. Stir into rye mixture while slightly warm. Cover with a cloth. Let stand overnight in warm, even, temperature. In the morning add ¼ cake of yeast which has been dissolved in a little lukewarm water. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to make a stiff dough Stir vigorously. Let rise one hour. Divide dough in half and place in large b°read pans which have been greased and sprinkled with cracker or corn meal. Let rise again 15 to 30 minutes. Bake in very hot oven until top is brown. Then reduce temperature to 350°, continue baking for 2 hours, until bread sounds hollow when tapped with fingers.
Granted, this is a “light rye with yeast” recipe, but I’ve made it and it’s not bad.
Andrew
January 30, 2020The trouble with googling artisan bread recipes is that you get floored by technical terms that actually defy internet searches – so what is Opara?
Gretchen
January 31, 2020The ‘scald’ is when you pour the (almost) boiling water on the rye berries.
The ‘sponge’ is when you get the sour starter activated/fed because it looks like a sponge when it really gets going (lots of holes/bubbles).
The ‘opara’ is when you mix the scald and the sponge together… and together, they create even more of the sourdough ‘sponge.’
Larry
February 2, 2020Would it be advisable to grind the rye berries after toasting? Would it enhance the flavor? (First time trying this) Thanks…
Chuck
January 31, 2020Out of curiosity, I checked my old “Popular Lithuanian Recipes” cookbook (Josephine Dauzvardis, Lithuanian Catholic Press, Chicago, 1971) (Ms. Dauzvardis was Consul General of Lithuania at Chicago).
One curious item in the rye bread recipe is the preference for mixing in a seasoned oaken pail or bucket. said seasoning being salt finely-cut onions and caraway seed, rubbed into the wood. I don’t recall my grandmother ever making her rye bread that way–she used an ordinary (large) stoneware bowl.
An interesting tidbit, nonetheless.
Stanley Ginsberg
February 7, 2020The bakeries I’ve visited in Latvia all use wooden tubs to ferment their sours. Between fermentations, they keep the tubs warm and moist in order to keep the microbe colonies (yeast and lactobacillus) alive so they can inoculate the next batch of flour and water. No additional starter cultures are used. The onion is an acidifier and the caraway often is included in the scalds, since it contains substances that inhibit yeast.
RT
February 13, 2020Would you transcribe the recipe so we can see it here?
Also, I would like to get one of those mixing bowls/buckets! Anyone know where to get them?
sean w
February 6, 2020I have had good success with this recipe, but one time realized I had forgot to make the scald and the sponge in the morning, but still wanted to bake in the morning.
I mixed all the rye flour from the sponge AND opara with with ground red rye malt, and then poured all the water from the sponge AND scald over top after heating it to around 170 F. I let it cool to around 100, then mixed in starter. Oddly enough, next day when I made the final dough, I was actually able to use the full 100g of water called for, instead of holding back 25g. Bread came out beautifully and stayed moist a couple days longer.
Doing another batch today to see if it works so well again.
RT
February 13, 2020I will need a scale to weigh my ingredients, does anyone know where
to get an accurate, reliable, scale not made in china? Thanks.
George
June 10, 20206-10-2020
I have come to this recipe and its comments three years late, but am intrigued and want to try it. WHENEVER POSSIBLE I WOULD PREFER TO MAKE MY OWN INGREDIENTS FROM WHAT I HAVE ON HAND– I HAVE RYE BERRIES. Going back to 9-15-2017 I found this comment (see below) from Mr. Ginsberg about “red rye malt” and my question is WHAT material is “roasted at 425F/220C for 12-15 minutes”?–Can I produce my own red rye malt by roasting rye berries and then grinding them fine? Or grinding the rye berries fine and then roasting that flour? Would much prefer doing it myself rather than purchasing from a brewery supply house, etc. Thanks.
Reply
Stanley Ginsberg
September 15, 2017
It’s malted (sprouted) rye that has been roasted and ground fine. Pale malted rye is often available at home brewing supply shops or online. To get the red rye malt, roast at 425F/220C for 12-15 minutes. Alternately, British malt house Fawcett’s produces a crystal (roasted) rye malt that can be ground and sifted to produce red rye malt.
Luba
June 23, 2020Do you normally grind up the toasted red rye malt for the bread or do you leave the seeds whole?
Stanley Ginsberg
July 14, 2020I always grind it. Depending on how much I need, I’ll either use a spice grinder for small amounts or my Mockmill for larger quantities.
connie rudolph
July 27, 2020I am looking for a bread that I remember from my childhood in Chicago. It was called Lithuanian rye bread. It was round in shape, black to dark brown and shiny on the outside and medium color rye on the interior. The outside was chewy (not tough) but the inside was deliciously soft and had a slight sour taste. There were no caraway seed or any seeds at all. The bottom had a cornmeal? base. It was a life changing memory as it was so delicious. My mom bought praski (football) ham from the deli in Elmhurst, Illinois to go with it. The football ham was more like a salami texture and got it’s name (football) because of it’s big size. Any help with a recipe for the bread is appreciated.
Tokia Ponia
August 24, 2020I am Lithuania-born & raised, but have been living in the States for more than 2 decades. Just want to add one comment to this type of bread being called a generic Balck Rye Bread (juoda ruginė duona). It is not. There are several distinct regions in Lithuania with very specific cultures, dialects, and cuisines. The type of bread shown here is most likely from Aukštaitija (The Highlands) or Sūduva (Sudovia), which means central-to-eastern Lithuania. The taste is more influenced and akin to Russian and Ukrainian breads. I hail from Žemaitija (Samogitia) & Lithuania Minor, the western part of the country, and our breads were influenced by German baking traditions. They were less dense, moister; the crumb had a nice, even structure, was airier, not tight. There was a much more pronounced difference between the color of the crust (a thick layer, very dark, almost black, yet not burnt in taste) and the crumb. There never was one generic juoda ruginė duona, even during Soviet occupation – every region had their own recipes and names for them, and one would never be able to mix them up. For example, Kauno duona (from Kaunas) was the darkest, moistest & heaviest of all, rather sour; Močiutės duona (Grandma’s bread, predominant in Žemaitija/Samogitia) was slightly sweeter, Klaipėdos duona (from Klaipėda, by the Baltic sea) – with caraway, the lightest in color/taste; etc. etc. Thus calling one bread recipe a “Lithuanian black rye bread” isn’t accurate. It’s widely used to market Baltic breads abroad. Besides, in Lithuanian, you won’t capitalize juoda ruginė duona because it just means black rye bread. But you would capitalize it’s “given”, commercial name because it would indicate, even if not directly, the region, hence a particular recipe/taste, e.g. Kauno duona, Palangos duona, etc. These given names don’t even mention that it’s a rye bread, because everybody in Lithuania knows they are. If a recipe comes from some cookbook, one can check where it’s been printed to know which region that particular recipe represents. Yeah, a lot of particular details, but they are important as they represent the culture of the country, which is the purpose of culinary exploration. To see what the black rye bread looks like in my region, you can try this recipe, which I’ve been using for quite some time to my family’s delight: https://www.rootsimple.com/2012/12/how-to-bake-a-traditional-german-rye-bread/
Stanley Ginsberg
January 17, 2021Thank you for this great information.
Tokia Ponia
August 24, 2020Oh, one more baffling thing about this recipe is the use of the Russian word “opara” (опара in Cyrillic). Lithuanians speak Lithuanian and wouldn’t use a Russian word in a recipe. Thus, quite fittingly, bread baking becomes a quest to learn more about the history & culture of the region the recipe says it comes from. Delving deeper into that, I assume the recipe was inherited from the Soviet occupation times: the Soviets tried to assimilate the Lithuanians by curbing the local culture, imposing Soviet GOST standards for bakeries, eateries etc., and a lot of recipes were made mandatorily generic everywhere in the Soviet Union (15 diverse countries!) and were based on the Russian baking techniques to be adopted by all and everywhere (the classic Lev Auerman’s Bread Baking Technology / Л.Я. Ауэрман, Технология Хлебопечения – a great book of basics, by the way). In many areas, though, that had the opposite effect. It definitely helped the stubborn proliferation of region-specific breads and other baked goods in Lithuania.
Stanley Ginsberg
January 17, 2021My use of “opara” is my own. I found it useful to describe a scald-sponge. As one with a great appreciation of Baltic ryes and respect for Baltic culture (I lead rye tours to Latvia), I had no intention of offending or opening up old wounds.
Tokia Ponia
January 18, 2021No offense at all! There isn’t enough information available about former Soviet republics, which is unfortunate for everyone.
Inna
October 21, 2020Do I put bread in the oven at 350 or 445? If at 445
why do I need to pre-heat it to 350 first and then preheat it again to 445 ? Can I just preheat to 445 right away?
Stanley Ginsberg
January 17, 2021Bread goes in at 350 and bakes as heat rises to 445.
melih bozkurt
November 14, 2020This is the recipe I was looking for. I tried and It is wonderful bread. I could not find red rye malt around where I live. It was available online but I was too lazy to order and impatient to wait. I am in to beer making so I have lots of other malts at home available. As this is dark bread, I used Carafa III malt. That has nice coffee and nut like bitter taste. I used 25 gr of Carafa III instead of 35 grams of red rye malt due to bitterness of Carafa III malt. I also used only 150 ml of brewed malt (scald) and added 50gr plain water when I was adding to opera. Finished making baked at night. Tasted next moorning around 12pm.
At first, it tasted a bit too sweet and then sweetness was gone. Either flavour developed or maybe I did not mix the sugar really well so it was all one side of the bread. Next time I will slightly lower the sugar level and see what happens.
Thanks for the recipe. This is the only place that I found a recipe for this type of bread in any language that I can understand.
Eva
November 17, 2020Late to the party, but I just baked this bread as instructed and it had almost no oven spring. It held its shape and didn’t spread out, and I have a small crack in the side, but it’s just about the same size and height as when it went into the oven. All other parts of the process seemed fine and it did expand by 1 1/2 in the final stage, just no more in the oven. Is this normal or is there something I could have done wrong?
Stanley Ginsberg
January 17, 2021That sounds about right. Baltic breads don’t show much oven spring; all of the expansion takes place during proofing.
Regina Braziuniene
January 1, 2021Hello, I baked this bread several times and always have problems with rise of the final dough. I need at least 6 hours to see cracks on the surface… I backed free form and in a tin, the same issue – very slow rise… I keep it covered in my oven with lights on. The thermometer shows about 80 F inside. I tried to add more water but afraid to get wet slump after baking. Any advise, please?
Stanley Ginsberg
January 17, 2021Sounds like your starter culture is weak. Make sure your culture triples in volume within 12 hours of feeding and that you bake within 24 hours of last feeding.
Regina Braziuniene
January 17, 2021Thank you Stanley. My starter is running for two years already and it’s never rose three times it’s volume. It’s bubbly and rises twice. Should I try feeding everyday to get triple rise?
Gretchen
January 22, 2021I’d like to make 3 suggestions. First, don’t bother with the dough hook. Rye snubs the hook. You aren’t going to be able to build gluten with 95% rye flour anyway. You’re just mixing the ingredients so the paddle attachment is fine. Second, I used the weight for all ingredients except the last. I don’t use 100g of water. I use 80g. Lastly, Stan suggested that I grind the pale malted rye to increase the amount of sugar released in the scald.
I found that if I steam the loaf under a pan during that step when the oven is 445°F and bake 15 minutes, the loaf gets a nice dark brown color. If I did not steam it, it came out an unappetizing gray.
The problem I’ve been having is that the bread is supposed to be moist, but it seems almost TOO moist. Now I think that the steam might be contributing to the excessive moisture. I’ve also considered changing the oven temp from 390º to 400º for the 35 min bake. Or even possibly baking for 40 min. The internal temp easily reaches 198º, sometimes up to 205º so it might be safe to bake an extra 5 min at a slightly higher temp, but I wanted to reach out for tips or warnings. (Hi Stan!)
Kendall
February 9, 2021Hi Stanley……just cut into my first loaf of this bread……..sublime! It is everything you described. I only proofed 2 hrs and didn’t dock the loaf (had a time conflict) and while it seemed to be ready (cracks on the surface, partial “spring-back” when pressed) I got 2 long cracks at the bottom down the length. The overall height was 2 1/4 inches, and I was hoping it would be taller. I think next time I will give it a 3-hr proof and dock to see if I can eliminate these issues. Crumb, chew and flavor were all amazing!
Sam
February 24, 2021Hi, could it be baked in a loaf pan? Thanks
Stanley Ginsberg
June 15, 2021Yes
Sam
April 7, 2021Hi, would it be a big deal, if I left the scald phase for up to 18 hours? Cause 12 doesn’t really fit my schedule.. thanks
Stanley Ginsberg
June 15, 2021Not at all.