RYE BERRIES
150 g rye berries
water , for soaking
 
SOAKER
150 g rye flour
5 g salt
110 g water
 
STARTER
40 g whole wheat mother starter
116 g whole wheat flour
86 g water, lukewarm
 
FINAL DOUGH
all cooked rye berries
all soaker and starter
37 g whole wheat flour
12 g salt
15 g molasses
1 tsp. rolled rye, for topping

DAY 1 AFTERNOON

In a bowl, cover rye berries with at least 1 inch cold water and let soak for 24 hrs.

DAY 2 EVENING

Drain soaked rye berries, discard water, bring to a boil well covered with fresh water, and let simmer for 30 min. at low temperature. Drain, cover and let cool to room temperature overnight (they can be kept at room temperature for 24 hrs.)

Stir together all soaker ingredients until all flour is fully hydrated. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for at least 12 hrs.

Combine all starter ingredients in a bowl to form a ball of dough, then knead (using stand mixer or wet hands) for 2 min. to be sure all ingredients are evenly distributed. Let rest for 5 min., then knead again for 1 min. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.

DAY 3 BAKING DAY

If mixing by hand, chop soaker and starter into 12 smaller pieces and sprinkle them with some extra flour to keep pieces from sticking back together (with a good stand mixer this step is not necessary).

If mixing by hand, combine all final dough ingredients in a bowl and knead with wet hands for 2 min. (or use a stand mixer with paddle attachment at low speed). Dough should be soft and slightly sticky.

If kneading by hand: dust work surface with flour, then roll dough in it to coat. Knead for 3-4 min., trying to incorporate only as much flour as needed. (If using a stand mixer, mix with paddle attachment at medium-low speed for 4 min.) Dough should still be slightly sticky.

Let dough rest for 5 min., then resume kneading (hands or mixer) for 1 min. The dough should be still very tacky, verging on sticky. Form dough into a ball and place in lightly oiled bowl, rolling it to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for ca. 45 min, or until it swells and just begins to show signs of growth. (Dough can be refrigerated overnight, remove at least 2 hrs. before using).

Preheat oven to 450 F. Spray loaf pan (8 1/2" by 4") with oil.

Form dough into sandwich loaf and place into pan, sprinkle with rolled rye and spray with oil. Cover pan with aluminum foil, don't let it rise anymore!

Place bread in oven (middle), reduce temperature to 425 F and bake for 35 min, until it holds its shape when removed from pan. Take out of the oven, remove aluminum foil, and turn half baked bread out onto a sheet pan (use plastic spatula to loosen it along the edges, if necessary).

Return it to the oven to bake for another 28 min, rotating loaf every 7 min., so that a different side is face down. Bread should be crisp and caramelized on all sides, and register at least 200 F in the center.

Transfer bread to cooling rack, spray with water and allow to cool. For the first 24 hrs., keep it in a paper bag to allow it to continue drying out and developing flavor. After that, it can be wrapped in aluminum foil. (Don't keep it in the refrigerator).

Any DC residents have any luck procuring rye berries?  I've looked at Yes Organic Market, Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter with no luck!

Its strange, I can get Teff flour, and all sorts of other things, but the pickings for whole grains seems to be rather slim  Whole foods comes the closest with some wheat berries.

I grind my own rye berries with a Nutrimill and have noticed that the mill appears to have a much rougher time (takes at least twice as long to grind and seems to almost clog up at times) when grinding them than when grinding, e.g., hard spring wheat. Grinding rye also creates a lot more powder in my kitchen, so much so that I always grind rye outside.

The performance of my mill on rye has often puzzled me since rye is softer than wheat. I've tried both Bob's Red Mill rye berries as well as a number of brands purchased from the bulk food bins of local markets, all with the same result.

Perhaps my mill has a more difficult time with rye because rye is softer and the mill is geared towards harder grains.

I usually grind on low and fine, but often find that the mill almost appears to clog up at times (only when grinding rye) such that I have to move the dials up from fine and low from time to time to keep things moving while grinding a batch. I usually grind between 1 1/2 to 3 pounds per grind.

Anybody got any ideas on what's happening here?

--Pamela

What do you use rye berries for?  I got them once randomly at the store and put them in some bread I was baking, but they were far too crunchy.  If I food processed them to make them tiny, do you think they would make a good topping on a whole wheat loaf?  What else could I use them for?