The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Best book on rye?

Kuret's picture
Kuret

Best book on rye?

I might be heading out to purchase some bread books later this fall but I am not sure which to get or to get more than one. Essentially I want a book that gives a broad spectrum of ryes, which I find that most american authors kind of shy away from, 1 ny style rye, 1 pumpernickel and maybe a light rye.

What I am looking for is books with formulas an technicues for 50%-100% ryes, not exclusively, but at least a couple.

Ive heard that "Bread" has a good rye section and I am also intigued by "Local Breads". Is there another book I should look into? Ive thaught about "Secrets of a jewish baker" but that one does only give measurements in cups which does not fit the bill for me as I am both working with weight and living in a country where the "cup" isn´t a standard measuring tool.

sphealey's picture
sphealey

I would say that for the US baker Hamelman's _Bread_ is the one. He worked as an apprentice in a bakery in Germany and has very detailed chapters on ingredients and rye variations. The only caution is that he does not repeat everything he has said previously in every recipe; he expects that the reader knows the material from previous chapters and will apply it to fill in any gaps in a specific recipe.

Leader's _Bread Along_ and Reinhart's _Whole Grain Bread_ also have some interesting rye variations. Reinhart goes into mashing grains before using them which creates entirely different flavors and textures.

sPh

Now begins your search for rye flours in the US...

josordoni's picture
josordoni

I add rye in varying amounts to all my bread, and the only book I have found that I have actually wanted to buy so far has been Hamelman.  Otherwise, there is more info on here (including detailed recipes) than you will find in many a book.

Lynne

 

 

 

 

apprentice's picture
apprentice

Surprising number of bread recipes using rye in Bernard Clayton's new complete book of breads. Not just in the section on rye but scattered throughout the book.

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

If you can only get one book for rye formulas, I agree: It would be Hamelman. If you can get two, I would add Leader's "Local Breads." I think the Polish and Czech ryes in it are super, and, at no additional charge, you get all the French and Italian breads he discusses.

I like Greenstein's Sour Rye and Pumpernickel, but I too wish he had provided ingredient weights.


David

This Day's picture
This Day

The Scandinavians have wonderful rye breads.  Great Whole Grain Breads
by Beatrice A. Ojakangas, an American of Finnish ancestry, has quite a few rye bread recipes, and not only Scandinavian ryes.  She uses cups rather than weights, but you could use a large teacup as your measuring tool.  My grandmother, born in the U.S. of Swedish parents, made wonderfully fragrant and delicious Swedish rye breads.  She measured flour by cups, but didn't worry about precise measurements.  She knew when the dough "felt" right.

You can view pages from Beatrice Ojakangas' Great Whole Grain Breads on Google Books.

 

apprentice's picture
apprentice

I'm hoping that you'll soon be sharing rye bread recipes with us from your part of the world. Got curious and looked back for your introduction. (Kuret's in mid-Sweden.)

My love affair with rye started from growing up in multi-cultural Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lots of great rye breads out of both the Jewish and Slavic traditions, not so much the German or Nordic though those were present, too. Can't get enough of it!

Kuret's picture
Kuret

Well I currently own the "no1" Swedish book on bread and It sure does contain som rye formulas worth mentioning. Like Soft and Hard Kavring and a Pumpernickel formula along with a couple of scalded ryes etc. so If there is interest I might make a series of blog entries with my results using these formulas.

My problem with that book is that it discusses matters such as kneading in like 1/5th of a page and that goes with all the techniques in the book. Essentialy its a collection of recepies and not a guide to how you handle the grains to get the best results etc. All in all too little science, wich is what I am after concerning ryes.

Swedish style ryes are often very sweet like most traditional Swedish bread, although barley flatbread is very tasty. Also the use of spices in Swedish ryes makes them very tasty.

This Day's picture
This Day

Yes, I'd be interested to read your blog entries and see photos of your breads!  Thank you, Kuret.

Kuret's picture
Kuret

Just checked the price on Baking: The art and Science and unfortunately that one is not avialible in Sweden and amazon lists it at a wopping 185$ a bit to pricey for my tastes. But well see, either Ill get that one or Bread and maybe local breads wich both total at less than that and is aviadible in sweden.

 Ill have to bake some Swedish style breads the coming weeks then, too bad I am in the process of moving so I don´t have my baking stone at hand. But some pan breads and "hearth less" breads will be. Maybe some barley flatbread? I actually made a smallish batch of polenta tortillas today based on the Italian bread recipe from BBA with 3/4 of a cup polenta instead of some wheat flour, turned out real good! Lunch for tomorrow is tortillas with eggs and chicken!

Kuret's picture
Kuret

I found it for a bit less via another source. But is there anyone that has both Bread and Baking: The art and Science? Is it worth th 5Xmoney versus bread? From what I understand the ryes in Bread are really good too?

suave's picture
suave

There're no bread recipes in Schunemann/Treu's book.  It's a textbook for bakery apprentices talking about controlling the fermentation process and baking process to achieve the best result using the recipes of their bakeries. So it's fairly interesting to look through, but for home baker it is in many respects absolutely worthless.  That is unless 3rd edition is drastically different from the 2nd edition that I've seen.

Mike

Kuret's picture
Kuret

I kind of understood there whould be no formulas but rather discussion about product quality etc. helping you work with your current formulas. But I suspect that any of the home baker books avialible are better choices. I dont really bake under any pressure to achive absolute coincistency in my bread production etc. I just want to learn the techniques for making the perfect rye bread.

suave's picture
suave

Yes, there're pictures of bread defects and discussions of their origin.  It is rather quirky book though, meant I think not so much for individual study as a class aid.  So the book does help to improve your understanding of baking but they don't give it to you on a silver platter.

Mike