The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Fear of Culture Care & Vinegar Rye Bread

HeidiH's picture
HeidiH

Fear of Culture Care & Vinegar Rye Bread

Surely I can't be the only one who thinks to herself, "Self, do you really want to take care of a sour?" and decides the answer is no.  For the time being, at least, the care and feeding of a sour is just not something I want to deal with.  Yes, I know it's easy and rewarding and results in tastes and consistencies that just can't be gotten in other ways.  But I just ain't gonna do it -- at least not right now.  So, this and a natural tendency toward throw-it-together cooking has led me to try acidulated water to help rye bread get that sourness and necessary acid a starter would otherwise provide.

So, here it is.  My easy, tasty, moist, dense vinegar rye.  Method?  Throw it in a bowl.  Beat/knead it about 5 minutes with the KA dough hook.  Form a ball.  Roll the ball in lots of coarse-ground rye or cornmeal to prevent sticking.  Flop it in the cold Dutch oven and let proof with the lid on for about an hour.  Then, lid still on, bake at 400F for 50 minutes or until inside temperature exceeds 200F.  VOY-la.  Using the cold Dutch oven method means a very soft, almost non-existent crust, which for a moist rye is a fine idea.

Ingredients:

480g white flour (1st clear in this case)

120g rye flour (Bay State dark rye here)

12g salt

9g instant yeast

12g caraway seed

410g water

10g cider vinegar

jcking's picture
jcking

You also may wish to experiment by subbing in butter milk for all or part of the water, instead of the vinegar.

Jim

HeidiH's picture
HeidiH

If I can get to the buttermilk before hubby drinks it all!  LOL  I'll pick up two containers at the store next time and put duct tape over mine so he can't wolf it down.

Chuck's picture
Chuck

I'm told that last century if "granny" was a really good cook, likely one of her "tips" was to add a spoonful of vinegar to the dough for every loaf, because it would "keep longer"...


I'm curious if a little bit of "sour salt" (citric acid) would work with rye too. (I know too much can make the bread taste like lemons, but maybe the right amount...). I inadvertently got a whole bunch of the stuff when I was trying to source ascorbic acid, and now I'm trying to find a good use for it.

HeidiH's picture
HeidiH

Milk + rennet + citric acid = Mozzarrella.  In fact, I just bought some to make some cheese. 

Bohemian Mama's picture
Bohemian Mama

I have been subbing  whey  when I drain my yogurt into a  yeasted  breadmaker  bread for a  quickie  too.