Nothing can beat a fresh loaf of homemade Rye Sourdough Bread. It is a perfect choice for sandwiches, avocado toasts, or eating on its own.
My Rye Sourdough Bread uses a mix of bread flour, whole wheat, and rye flour, for a perfectly moist and chewy crumb. Thanks to the rye flour, this bread has a wonderful complex flavor. Bread flour, on the other hand, helps to create soft and light texture.
I’ll be honest with you, I’m still pretty new to sourdough baking. Sometimes, I feel like sourdough baking is an art that can take a lifetime to master.
However, I got a chance to try a whole bunch of sourdough bread recipes in the past few months. I made one of my favorite loaves using a recipe from Kelly and Beau over at bettertogetherlife.com. I used their rye bread recipe to experiment further and find the perfect flour ratio, that me and my family enjoy. I’m beyond excited to share this recipe with you today!
New to Sourdough Baking?
I am no professional at this. So let me direct you to an amazing resource, where I’ve learned everything I know about sourdough baking so far.
Amy from Little Spoon Farm shares so many helpful tips on sourdough baking over on her blog. She also has a wonderful recipe for a homemade sourdough starter you can check out. Or, if you’re not feeling like making your own starter, you can purchase one from Amazon.
Why use Rye Flour in Sourdough Bread?
First of all, rye flour gives this sourdough bread a unique and complex flavor. If you like a more sour tasting rye bread, simply allow you bread to ferment for an extra hour or two during the first stage of fermantation.
Secondly, adding rye flour gives your bread more of a moist and chewy texture. This bread makes the most delicious avocado toast!
Thirdly, rye flour allows your bread stay soft for quite a few days.
And lastly, rye sourdough bread has a higher nutritional profile than a traditional bread.
Tips for Success
stretch and folds
Make sure to perform 3-4 sets of stretch and folds. This will help strengthen the gluten in the dough.
To perform the stretch and folds, simply dive a wet hand down one side of the dough. Pull the dough up and fold over itself. Rotate the bowl and perform on the remaining three sides. Repeat 3-4 times.
choosing your flour
The quality of your flour plays an important role in creating the perfect loaf.
I personally prefer to use good quality bread flour, such as King Arthur Bread Flour. But you can still get a decent loaf using all purpose flour, if that’s all you have on hand.
sourdough starter
Before you begin, make sure that your starter is active and bubbly. That means you’ll need to feed your starter 6-10 hours prior to mixing the dough.
The best way to make sure your sourdough starter is ready to be used, is to perform a ready-test. For the test, fill up a small glass with room-temperature water. Drop a small amount (about 1 tsp) of the starter into the water. If the starter floats, it’s ready to be used. If it sinks to the bottom of the glass, your starter needs more time.
scoring the dough
Scoring the dough is super important. It basically tells your dough to expand in a desired location. Otherwise, your dough can simply blow out in the oven.
The best way to score your dough is with a sharp razor.
baking your sourdough bread
I like to bake my sourdough bread in a cast iron dutch oven. This method creates the best crust.
You could also use two big cast iron skills instead.
Sourdough Bread serving ideas
- grilled-cheese sandwich
- avocado and egg breakfast toast
- french toast
- egg salad
- salted butter and honey
- famers cheese and tomatoes
More sourdough recipes
If you want a quick and easy sourdough recipe, check out my Sourdough Banana Bread recipe. It is a one-bowl recipe, that uses a sourdough starter discard straight form the fridge. No proof time needed! Also, perfect for beginners.
Sourdough Rye Bread
Ingredients
- 400 g Water filtered
- 100 g Sourdough Starter fed/active
- 400 g Bread Flour or AP
- 60 g Whole Wheat Flour
- 140 g Rye Flour
- 12 g Salt
Instructions
- Add water and starter to a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined, using your hands or a fork. Make sure to use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients for best results.
- Add all three flours. Start mixing with a fork or small spatula. Then move on to mixing with your hands until the dough is formed. You want to make sure there's no dry bits left. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Add the salt. Using your hands, incorporate the salt into the dough. Cover the bowl and let sit for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes is over, perform 3-4 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. To perform a set, dive a wet hand down one side of the dough. Pull the dough up and fold over itself. Rotate the bowl and perform on the remaining three sides, then repeat 3 more times.
- Cover the dough and allow to ferment at room temperature for 2-4 hours. The fermentation time will depend on the temperature in you room. The dough should increase in size by at least 50%. You should also be able to see some bubbles around the edges of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. The dough will be pretty sticky. Generously flour the top of the dough. Carefully get under the dough with a bench scraper and quickly flip it upside down. Carefully form the dough into a rectangle.
- Perform the final shaping. For that, pull the side nearest to you (bottom side) up and towards the center. Pull the top side up and over the rest of the dough. Pinch the seam line with your fingers. Now grab the right side of the dough and roll towards the left. Pinch both open sides (the top and bottom) with your fingers. Using your hands, twist the dough on the counter creating a tight ball. You want the seams to go underneath the future loaf. Be gentle with the dough. Cover the dough with a mixing bowl and leave on the counter to rest for 20 minutes.
- Take the bowl off. Tighten the the dough a little with a bench scraper. Carefully place the dough into a floured banneton (or a mixing bowl lined with a floured kitchen towel) seam side up and cover with plastic wrap. Let ferment in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, preheat your oven, with the dutch oven inside, to 500 F for 20-30 minutes. Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature while the oven is preheating.
- When ready to bake, gently flip the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the dough with a sharp razor. Then put the dough into the dutch oven on the parchment paper. Cover with the lid. Turn the oven down to 450 F. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until the crust is at the desired color.
- Cool the bread on a wire rack. Wait at least one hour before cutting into the loaf.