The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Northern Ontario Rye

foodslut's picture
foodslut

Northern Ontario Rye

Living in the nordic climate of northern Ontario, I was pleasantly surprised a few years ago when a local flour mill started operation.  Brule Creek Farms takes locally-grown grain and stone grinding it.  I've enjoyed using the whole wheat, partially sifted and other BCF products, but I was VERY happy to see rye flour join the range of products being sold.  I like making rye, so I thought I'd try out an "all local flour" rye recipe.

My general approach:  60-40 split of regular (in this case, partially sifted instead of all-purpose) to dark rye flour, starting with a poolish to get some pre-ferment flavour, and long, slow proofing in the fridge (to allow me to bake in the evening during the work week).   Here's the final formula for a 750g/24 oz. loaf (PDF).

I prepared the poolish and let it grow for 12 hours at room temperature, then slowed down in the fridge for another 8.  Next, I mixed the poolish with the other ingredients, autolysed for ~25 minutes, then kneaded and let the dough ferment in the fridge for 12 hours.  Finally, shaped the loaves and let them proof for about 90 minutes before baking them in a 425F oven for 45 minutes (internal temperature to 200F).  I do the longer bake in a medium oven because I like my rye with a softer crust and a somewhat finer crumb.

The results (yeah, I blew it by proofing the loaves too close to each other):

Here's the "crumb shots":

Softish rye, with a very hearty taste.  Loved it!

I'm working on a liquid levain using the dark rye, so maybe the next version will be a TOTALLY local (including the yeasts) rye.

Comments

wassisname's picture
wassisname

And now I have a serious case of flour envy!

foodslut's picture
foodslut

.... I'll ask the mill's operator if he does mail order, and let you know.

Tony

maybaby's picture
maybaby

Oh I do hope they do mail order! I'm down in southern Ontario and would love to have access to their flours to try!

FuriousYellow's picture
FuriousYellow

Your bread looks very interesting and I like how it is a little different than most other rye breads because of the finer crumb. A sourdough version of this would be very tempting to make!

This mill seems to make a high quality product that I am curious about trying, but unfortunately is not very close to where I live, in North Eastern Ontario, North Bay to be specific. I did not see anything on their website pertaining to mail orders. Does anyone know of any flour mills in North Eastern Ontario around North Bay or Sudbury? Currently my favourite mill is 5 hours away in Southern Ontario so I can only pick up flour when visiting the GTA