Rye Bread Help
April 9, 2005 10:27 AM Subscribe
We tried to bake Rye bread - but it comes out of the oven hard, not cooked through and the crust is burnt. As I do not have a diamond tip radial saw, it think it is time to make changes to our process.
Does anyone have a proven, simple rye bread recipe. I want to emulate the store bought bread (in Toronto we have Dumphelmeyer). Do you use sour dough? Yeast? What kind of yeast?
Thanks!
I'm not a big expert on baking rye bread, but if the crust is too baked, and the innards too little, it sounds more like a problem with too high a temperature than a problem with the recipe. Maybe try lowering the temperature and baking it for a longer time.
posted by AwkwardPause at 12:46 PM on April 9, 2005 [1 favorite]
posted by AwkwardPause at 12:46 PM on April 9, 2005 [1 favorite]
Are you able to bake other kinds of bread successfully? Where did you get your rye bread recipe from?
posted by bcwinters at 4:11 PM on April 9, 2005
posted by bcwinters at 4:11 PM on April 9, 2005
Pure rye flour is going to give you a very dense loaf. And without enough acidity, the rye dough will not allow much of a rise. A lower pH (ie more acidity) allows the rye starch to trap bubbles better.
Definitely you want sourdough (for the acidity) and you want some white wheat flour to lighten it up.
No recipe, sorry - I only use rye to add some bite to wheat breads.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:09 PM on April 9, 2005
Definitely you want sourdough (for the acidity) and you want some white wheat flour to lighten it up.
No recipe, sorry - I only use rye to add some bite to wheat breads.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:09 PM on April 9, 2005
I fear you will not see this as it is below the main page, but as there is no email on your profile, I'll write it here.
Rye flour is not at all the same as white flour. It has almost no gluten, which is the protein in wheat that stretches out and forms a sort of balloon to hold the gas released by the yeast. In consequence, it is hard to get a good rise on rye bread that is predominantly made with rye flour. Most (homemade) rye breads have a more substantial amount of white than rye flour.
Joe's Spleen is correct about needing an acidic environment, so really ryes are best made with souedough starters. The rye flour is best added a little bit at a time so that it can be incorporated completely. The kneading process should be gentle but thorough. The rises should be slow but complete, and you should try hard to preserve as much of the air in the dough from rise to shape to proof as possible. This helps with getting a good rise to the final loaf. Finally, cooking should be cool and slow, like 325-350 for an hour or so.
There are great recipes in the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, as well as a general primer on rye baking. I can send you some recipes also, but I will not type them in here as you may never see this message.
Feel free to contact me at my email listed with my profile.
posted by OmieWise at 11:23 AM on April 11, 2005 [2 favorites]
Rye flour is not at all the same as white flour. It has almost no gluten, which is the protein in wheat that stretches out and forms a sort of balloon to hold the gas released by the yeast. In consequence, it is hard to get a good rise on rye bread that is predominantly made with rye flour. Most (homemade) rye breads have a more substantial amount of white than rye flour.
Joe's Spleen is correct about needing an acidic environment, so really ryes are best made with souedough starters. The rye flour is best added a little bit at a time so that it can be incorporated completely. The kneading process should be gentle but thorough. The rises should be slow but complete, and you should try hard to preserve as much of the air in the dough from rise to shape to proof as possible. This helps with getting a good rise to the final loaf. Finally, cooking should be cool and slow, like 325-350 for an hour or so.
There are great recipes in the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, as well as a general primer on rye baking. I can send you some recipes also, but I will not type them in here as you may never see this message.
Feel free to contact me at my email listed with my profile.
posted by OmieWise at 11:23 AM on April 11, 2005 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I suspect that several misting stages will be necessary for the crust. This was covered in a previous (Ask) MetaFilter thread that I cannot find.
posted by joeclark at 12:38 PM on April 9, 2005