The Fresh Loaf

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40% Rye by Hamelman

ehanner's picture
ehanner

40% Rye by Hamelman

Hamelman's 40% Rye with Caraway

I'm starting a string of rye breads using Jeff Hamelman's Bread. I just recently purchased this book and I can say "Bread" has had a huge impact on my baking. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is a contributor here. Forget the comments that it is written for the commercial baker and ignores the home baker. Hamelman is clear in his writing and shares detailed information to help understand the handling techniques needed to produce beautiful bread. This is a great resource on so many levels you will never be sorry for adding it to your library.

Here is the recipe I used pretty much straight from the book. The details provided in the side bars give you more depth of understanding but this will get you close.

40% Rye Bread with Caraway
From Jeff Hamelman's-Bread

Rye Sour

  • 360 g Medium Rye Flour
  • 360 g Water
  • 20 g Sourdough Starter

Final Dough

  • 545 g King Arthur All Purpose Flour
  • 260 g Water
  • 740 g (all of the above) Rye Sour
  • 1 Tsp. Instant Yeast
  • 15 g Salt
  • 15 g Caraway Seeds

The evening before the bake, prepare the rye sour by mixing together the rye flour, water and mature sourdough starter until homogeneous. Cover with a light dusting of Rye which will show you the progress of the sour. As it cracks open you will know fermentation is causing it to grow. Let stand overnight for 12-16 hours at 75-80°F.

The next day, combine the all purpose flour, water, instant yeast and rye sour, adding additional water if necessary to obtain a dough of medium consistency. Turn the dough out of the mixing bowl onto your work surface and begin hand kneading the somewhat sticky dough until it just starts to come together. Add the salt and continue hand mixing until the dough reaches medium development, about 10-15 minutes. Add the caraway seeds and hand mix just until evenly distributed within the dough. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover, and let ferment at 78-80°F for 1 hour. Divide the dough into 1 1/2 lb. pieces, lightly round and let rest under a plastic sheet for 10 minutes. Shape the pieces into batards, place the batards seam side down on a couche or in a banneton and let proof for an additional hour.

After an hour, turn the batards onto a peel or parchment, score and bake in a pre heated oven at 450F for the first 15 minutes of baking. After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 420F and bake for an additional 20 minutes. A robust bake is more flavorful. Under baked is gummy. I shoot for 205F internal temp.

This bread needs to be completely cool before slicing. Enjoy!

Comments

edh's picture
edh

Eric,

You've hit on my favorite recipe from Hamelman's book. I love the whole book, not least for all it taught me (and continues to do so!) when I first started this journey, but that rye just keeps reappearing in my kitchen! I've never really been friendly with caraway, so I leave it out, but otherwise I always do it as written.

My only problem is, it's such a reliable recipe that I haven't progressed beyond it to any of the other ryes. I've always been intimidated by rye, and this bread gave me confidence, but I'm still afraid of the higher percentages. Of course the only other one I've tried is Horst Bandel's Black Pumpernickel; waaaay beyond my skill level! Kind of set me back on my heels.

Rye always seems like a wintery sort of bread, so maybe I'll work my way through the rest of that section this winter...

Your loaves are far prettier than mine; from the flour pattern I assume they were proofed in baskets? They're really professional looking!

Looking forward to seeing your next ryes,

edh

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Thank you for your kind words edh. Rye was my last thing on my list when I started to learn to bake. After my first experiment I was sure I would need some help. In fact my attempts at whole grains in general were a rough road as I recall. It used to amaze me that Floyd and JMonkey would make these amazing breads with ww and rye and all I could manage was door stops.

Then one day I found a recipe that uses a lot of sourdough rye and a lot of yeast in the dough. It's on the list of frequently visited pages on the front page called Eric's Fav rye. It's a great deli style bread with or without the caraway and I have made at least 50 loaves of it since then. I now know what the dough needs to feel like and how it develops.

As Jeffery Hamelman says " It is the hands that need educating". I'm learning, little by little. Glad you liked the 40%.

 

Have you tried the rye/ww mix? That's a really great bread also. It's the next page in my book.

Eric 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Eric.

Those rye breads look perfectly wonderful!

Like, edh, I've been stuck on a reliable recipe for a similar rye, except, in my case, it's been Greenstein's Sour rye. I have not tackled any of Hamelman's rye breads yet. But you have inspired me!

I have a couple of oblong coiled reed baskets that have been neglected too.

BTW, is the shine on those just due to lighting, or did you glaze the loaves?


David

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Thank you David. I appreciate your kind words.

These did get a coat of glaze and a sprinkle of kosher salt after the bake. I think they were more glossy before the corn starch though. I was not happy with the satin look. Maybe I brushed the wash to soon after finishing baking?

Eric

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Eric.

I assume you use a similar method to mine for preparing the cornstach solution. I use it before baking and when the loaves come out of the oven. One of Greenstein's recipes - I think the Corn Bread one - has you use it 3 times. It gives a nice shine for me. You don't want the solution to thick, though.


David

SteveB's picture
SteveB

Eric, those are two really nice looking rye loaves!  I like Hamelman's 40% rye so much that it has become my "go to" rye bread.  For anyone who would care to see it, rather than cluttering up Eric's blog, my results with Hamelman's formula can be seen here: http://www.breadcetera.com/?p=83.    

SteveB

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Thanks for your words of encouragement. Truth be told it was your blog post that made me go look at the recipe again. Your oven spring and color was so incredible I had to try this first. When I opened the oven door I was a little disappointed to see my expansion wasn't up to yours.

So what's your secret to getting such a beautiful loaf? Did you stick with the 1 teaspoon of IDY?

Eric 

SteveB's picture
SteveB

Hi Eric,

Yep, I went with the 1 tsp. of IDY.

In my case, I've found that three things have contributed to a dramatic improvement in the quality of my loaves: 1) mixing by hand using the Bertinet method instead of using a stand mixer, 2) using the hand steamer/steaming cover method for steaming the loaf and 3) learning how to tell when the loaf is ready to go into the oven from the second fermentation.

Okay... I'll put tight shaping in there as well.  :) 

SteveB

www.breadcetera.com

ehanner's picture
ehanner

I think I read where you get 2 loaves under your cover at the same time. Is that true? I do like the hand steamer and I liked your video where you are steaming. One thing I do is hold down the edge of the cover with a spoon so it doesn't slide when I'm leaning in with the tip of the steam gen unit.

How do you make the decision as to when it's time to bake? Today I gave it 1 hour and it was maybe 30-40% inflated from when I placed it in the basket. I could of let it go longer perhaps.

Eric 

SteveB's picture
SteveB

With the size of the stone (the base of a large Hearthkit) and steam cover that I use, I am able to get two 1-1.5 lb. loaves under the cover at the same time.  Regarding timing of when to bake, with rye, that's a hard one.  With a French bread dough, I use the standard finger indentation test.  With the 40% rye dough, it was a case of developing a "feel" for the "lightness" of the loaf as it was proofing.  I apologize for sounding so metaphysical but I know of no other way to describe it.  I should also point out that I liberally adjust the fermentation and rest times recommended by Hamelman, depending upon the dough and ambient temperatures.          

SteveB

www.breadcetera.com

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Steve,
I haven't tried covered steaming and baking with rye breads yet. Your results are so impressive I'll have to give it a go. For the last year or so I have been proofing less and and having fewer failures as a result. I don't rely on the poke test for white or whole grain or rye breads. The 40% rye proofed for 1 hour at 78F and was expanding well (maybe 40-50%) so it was just over the top of the banneton. It sagged some when I slashed it so I don't think it would of been wise to let it proof longer. So, I'll have to bake the whole batch as a large oval or boule under covered steam next time. That should change the dynamics some.

Jane: Thank you. I've been following you with soundman and dsnyder on sd process. Both very interesting threads

There is much to be learned from J Hamelman. I'm really enjoying his book and I'm anxious to try the dark pumpernickel. I'm working on a 3 stage 90% now.

Fingers crossed!

Eric 

Elagins's picture
Elagins

couple of points: first, rye loves high initial temps and lots of steam to encourage spring, so i generally start my ryes out at 425 and then dial it down to 350 for the finish.

also, i've found that the best way to gauge whether proofing's adequate is to look for the first bubble or the first crack in the surface of the dough ...

Stan

Janedo's picture
Janedo

Beautiful bread Eric! I haven't tried that one, yet. I should since I know I'll love it... without the seeds for me!

The Hamelman ryes are nicely explained and give fantastic results when one is ready to attack them. I agree on your book appraisal.

Jane 

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Jane,

I also get caraway ground up for the times when I know the recipient has dental issues and doesn't like the seeds but do like the caraway flavor. The caraway flavor is common here.

Eric 

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

Eric, those are great looking loaves. I started playing with your Fav Rye a couple of weeks ago. I say playing,  in that I don't have the types of flour you used. I can only find BRM dark rye and there is no first clear, so I subbed Stone Buhr AP. They slightly flatten out of the brotforms. Next try, I added vital gluten with the same results. The taste with the dark rye, however, was awesome. This week I found some light rye, so I used 2/3 dark rye and 1/3 light and skipped the vital gluten and used GM bread flour. They still flattened a bit and the taste wasn't as good. I really like the dark rye, but no one seems to use it. My loaves look fine, not as much height as my sourdough. My question is (thought I'd never get there, right? ;  ) What is the difference between white and light, are they the same? ..medium, whole and dark rye?

Betty

PS..We love caraway too. I was a little short of caraway so I threw some fennel seed in..great combo.

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Betty,
I'll start by saying that I really don't know what I'm talking about here but I'll give it a shot. Others are more knowledgeable about flour specifics.

I would say white and light may be the same product by two different millers. It sounds like you live in a remote area without a lot of choices. So you use the closest thing available.

dsnyder can pipe in here but I have always heard that darker rye has more flavor but it's more course. The bread I posted is supposed to be like a NY deli style made from light rye. I have made it with all kinds of rye flour. The one thing you need to be aware of is that each flour has an ability to absorb water that is more or less than the other. Whole grain flours will absorb more and not be as slack as say a light rye. This is the area that will require the knowledge of trial and error. Your hands need to be educated as to what works.

I suggest you find a flour combination that tastes good and try to learn how to create a loaf that will rise and hold shape. Stick with one flour and work with the variables. It is a low percentage rye formula so you should be able to develop the bread flour and shape the loaf.  Remember, temperature really matters. Adjust water temp so you end up with a 75-79 F dough temp.

 

Hope this helps.

Eric 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Betty.

American classification of rye flours is lamentably uninformative and unstandardized.

"White rye" is clearly rye from which bran and germ have been milled out. "Dark rye" is probably whole grain. But then there are rye flours named for how coarsely they are ground. For example, "medium rye" is ground medium fine. I think it may be whole grain, but I'm not sure. Pumpernickel is coarsely ground. I think it's always whole grain. I don't know what "light rye" is. I suspect it is not whole grain, but I don't know if it's the same as "white rye." The latter is finely ground. Is "light rye?"

On the subject of substitutions for First Clear flour: You can either mixe WW and AP, 50-50 or you can take coarse ground WW and sift out some of the bran. You need to know that First Clear flour is a high protein, strong flour. Recipes for ryes often specify mixing the rye with a high-gluten flour. So using AP flour was probably a big part of your getting flat loaves.

I hope this helps. Keep at it!


David

josordoni's picture
josordoni

At least you GET some choice David, we have wholemeal rye in the UK and hard to find at that.  But that is it, take it or leave it.

I wonder what result it would give if I sifted some of the bran out?

Lynne

Elagins's picture
Elagins

Dave,

I've taken to sifting my medium rye flour through a very fine strainer, which gets rid of a lot of the larger bran particles. It's a bit darker than white rye, but works very well in a first-stage sour.

Incidentally, I save the bran and add it back to the medium rye flour when I'm making 100% rye black breads.

Stan

Dave W's picture
Dave W

What a cracking loaf ! baked it yesterday evening as recipe, using white strong bread flour and Doves Rye flour, proved it in round baskets, as ovals i have were much to large.

Gave one loaf away and were half way though the other

Any other recipes available from the book anyone ?

will have to put it on the Christmas wish list.

Thanks for sharing the recipe, will make it again.

Cheers

Dave W

riesf's picture
riesf

My wife suffers from Diverticulitis and can not have the seeds but loves the flavor that it imparts to this bread, so I started boiling the seeds and then strain them out. Have made this bread 3 times now and it has become our everyday sandwich bread. I grind my flour from whole rye berries.

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Interesting, I have ground the seeds when people I know don't like the seeds and that seems to work. I use an inexpensive small coffee grinder that only is used for spices.

I was just reviewing Norm's recipe for Onion rolls last night where he re hydrates dried onions for the top of the roll. He mentions that he used to save the water that is drained off the onions for improved flavor. Same idea only with onions. There might be other things that would impart a full flavor into the dough too. Savory spices like dill or thyme and garlic for sure I think would all transfer to hot water. Hmmm

Eric 

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

I tried out the 40% today and the flavor is very good, crispy crust and nice color. My loaves rose beautifully in the brotforms, but again when turned out flattened slightly. The dough is a little more sticky than I am use to working with and I have a hard time getting good surface tension. Any suggestions?

ehanner's picture
ehanner

It could be you need to work a little bit harder at developing the gluten and take a look at Mark Sinclair's shaping video. This mix holds up well for me and the oven spring is great. Steve is really the one with the touch on the spring. Maybe he will see this and comment.

What are you using for Bread flour?

Eric 

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

I tried using his push-pull method, but the dough was too sticky. I might try Bertinet's slap & fold method next time. I'm thinking you're right and that my gluten development isn't quite there, although I do get a windowpane.

I didn't have any medium rye so I used 50/50 BRM dark & light ryes for the rye sour and Stone-Buhr AP.

Betty