100% Whole Grain Rye Sandwich Loaf

Toast
sparkfan on 15 Jun 2025 at 04:33
100% whole grain rye loaf

I’m not sure if "sandwich loaf" and "100% whole grain rye" go well together. However, since I’ve seen so many Pullman loafs here lately, I decided to bake my 100% whole rye recipe (https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/75332/100-whole-rye) in a sandwich bread pan.

This time I used a liquid sourdough instead of lievito madre. Around 3 weeks ago I converted my LM to LiCoLi. It's anyway too warm to bake panettone and LiCoLi seems to be easier to maintain.

 

 

 

 

I fancy that the bread smells like honey when I take it out of the oven. Must be my imagination. The amount of honey (±2.5%) is not really big. But who knows, this time I used greek pine honey, just found it in my supermarket. Maybe the more intense aroma of pine honey makes a difference.

Anyway, the result convinced me. My family also finds the shape of the slices better than with a free-standing loaf. It's for sure something to be repeated.

Wow, that worked like a charm! A beautiful loaf, and even using all rye flour you got some of that porridge loaf-style open pore effect.

TomP

Had to look that up. Can't say I'm too impressed by the bees' collection method (the secretions of sap-sucking insects). 😋 Did you detect any honey in the taste?

Sometimes it's better not to know all the details ;)

No, I don't taste the honey. To be honest, I also don't smell it anymore. A few years ago, I read that the influence of some ingredients and techniques, such as poolish, biga, etc., on taste and especially aroma is only perceptible in the first 4h (?) after baking. Afterwards they vanish. Which might be true to some extent. 5 days old bread has nothing special anymore.
Perhaps the aroma I noticed has a completely different cause, and after a few hours it is no longer perceptible at all.

Generally I try to let 100% rye bread rest for 24h. The general belief is that the taste is better. I didn't try it myself. I'm not sure, if my bakes are reproducible enough, day for day, for such a test :D I just know, that if rye bread doesn't cool enough, the crumb is pretty sticky when you slice it. It sticks to the knife.

There are practical advantages to the humble confines of a bread pan and you have given it an artistic expression. Well done.

 I’m curious about the LM conversion to a LiCoLi. That’s a new acronym for me and my search ended in a paywall so what am I missing?

Don

Don, you just didn't use the right chatbot. 😉

LiCoLi stands for "Lievito Madre a Coltura Liquida," which is Italian for "liquid sourdough starter." 

Moe C gave already the correct answer: LIevito in COltura LIquida. It's the Italian acronym for liquid sourdough with white wheat flour. I was almost sure that I've seen the abbreviation already here in the forum and assumed that it's pretty common. Less typing than liquid sourdough ;)

No magic in the conversion from LM to LiCoLi. Just did a refresh 1:3:3 (starter, flour, water) and continued with equal part flour and water. After 2-3 times the final hydration is close enough to 100%. It takes probably a few days, maybe 2 weeks, until the LAB population and the ratio yeast - LAB adapted to the higher hydration and the ratio acetic acid - lactic acid changes and is stable.

 

EDIT: I keep some LM in the fridge, just in case ;) In September or so probably I'll convert the LiCoLi back to LM.

Thanks Gary

I used the Lares pan (popular in Europe, at least in the german speaking regions, https://www.amazon.de/LARES-Toastbrotform-Brotbackform-mit-Teiler/dp/B09VXR4F5D), without lid, height 9cm (±3.55in), width 10cm (±3.95in). I used the divider to shorten the length to 22cm (±8.65in).

TDW ±1.1kg. I guess 500g - 550g would fit pretty well in a 4x4x4 (in) pan.

Final proof until the volume roughly doubles. In my case until the top of the dough is as high as the pan.

Oven spring was maybe 1 - 1.5 cm.

If you want a bit more oven spring, more spectacular cracks on top, probably the dough should not double during the final proof.

 

The divider works out of the box actually only in the middle. For any other position you have to be creative on how to keep the divider in place ;)

Anyway, this kind of pan is definitely not nonstick. You have to grease it with a decent amount of butter. Otherwise you have no chance to take it out of the pan.

On the other hand rye is so sticky I think I would grease any pan with butter, doesn't matter if nonstick or not.