Crusty Country Rye/Bauernkrustenbrot (Austria)

Austrian rye breads are less well-known than their German cousins, which is a shame because they’re incredibly flavorful. I found the recipe for this well-balanced nutty-sweet-sour country loaf in probably the best of the Austrian bread books, Der Duft von frischem Brot (The Aroma of Fresh-Baked Bread) by Barbara van Melle. The recipe itself comes from Vienna baker Horst Felzl, who, had he been 2 cm taller, as the book states, and qualified for the police academy, would never have become one of Austria’s best bakers.

Like its baker, this bread is best of breed – a 66% Alpine rye whose rich and balanced flavor profile comes from an intensely sour 10-12 hour sponge and the sweet-nutty flavors of light-medium (Type 960) rye flour. A high-temperature (480°F/250°C) bake produces the thick, chewy crust that Europeans favor, while the addition of commercial yeast and a healthy addition of stale rye bread (Altbrot) create a moist, tender and open crumb.

This Crusty Country Rye is a superb all-around bread that complements mild flavors like butter and scrambled eggs and holds its own against the strong flavors of cured meats and fish, soups and stews, and cheeses of all kinds.

Sponge (Day 1, Evening):

Combine the sponge ingredients into a fairly stiff dough, cover and ferment at room temperature (70°F/21°C) 10-12 hours or overnight.

The sponge will have visibly expanded.

Soaker (Day 2, Morning) :

Cut or crumble the stale bread into chunks (a food processor also works well). Add the hot water, stirring to make sure all the bread is moistened. Cover and let stand 3 hours.

Use your hands or a fork to crush the soaked bread fine.

Final Dough (Day 2, Midday):

In the mixer bowl, combine the final dough ingredients and use the dough hook at low (KA2) speed to mix until the dough is fully blended, 7-8 minutes.

Cover and ferment at room temperature until the dough doubles in volume, 60-90 minutes.

Turn the dough, which will be soft and sticky, onto a well-floured work surface and divide it into two pieces, each weighing about 1¾ lb/800 g. Use floured hands to shape each piece into a boule and place into a floured brotform or cloth-lined proofing basket.

Cover and proof at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume and the surface shows cracks or broken bubbles, 45-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 480°F/250°C with the baking surface in the middle and a steam pan on a lower shelf. Bake with steam 10 minutes, then remove the steam pan and continue baking at 480°F/250°C until the loaves thump when tapped with a finger and the internal temperature is at least 198°F/92°C, 35-40 minutes, leaving the oven door open for the last 10 minutes. (For a less thick crust, reduce the temperature to 435°F/225°C and bake 40-45 minutes.) Transfer to a rack and cool thoroughly before slicing.

Baker’s Percentages: