Latgalian Rye/Latgaliešu Maize (Latvia) - Stanley Ginsberg - The Rye Baker

My first time trying this bake which Lance, Jeff, Martadella and Rob have been posting about.  Not being sure if I would like it or not since I haven’t like many of the previous 100% ryes breads I’ve baked, I decided to make a half sized loaf.  I also bought a fresh bag of Anita’s organic whole rye flour to ensure that the rye I used wasn’t starting to go off and alter the flavour.  The cracking appears to show a bit of under proofing, I did 50 mins of final proof but the dough was showing a good number of broken bubbles but not cracks at that point so I decided to bake it.  I like the rustic appearance of the cracks and it shouldn’t affect the flavour, but may make the crumb a bit more dense, hopefully not too much.

I’ve made notes in Stanley Ginsberg’s original post with some of the things that Martadella or Lance changed.

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http://theryebaker.com/latgalian-rye/

Highly recommended.

Can use barley diastatic malt instead of pale rye malt.

Hold the scald at 65°C for 3 hours.

Hold Sour-scald at 28-32°C 

Scald (Day 1, Evening):

Can use Diastatic Barley Malt instead of pale rye malt.

In the mixer bowl, mix the scald ingredients by hand into a firm porridge, cover and let stand at 150°F/65°C until it smells like apples, has a sweet taste and the consistency of pancake batter, 16-18 hours. (Original instruction)

Instead hold the scald at 65°C 150°F for 3 hours.  Could also use the instant pot [keep warm normal] 148°F. 

Sponge (Day 1, Evening):  (Stiff levain)

Mix the sponge ingredients by hand into a stiff dough, cover and ferment at room temperature (70°F/21°C) overnight, 16-18 hours, until the sponge has visibly expanded and has a pronounced vinegar smell.

Sour-Scald 1 (Day 2, Noon)

Combine the sponge and scald, cover and let stand at 130°F/55°C until it has a strong smell of apple cider, 6-7 hours.

Martadella did the following:  At 28-32°C 82-90°F 

Drop sour into scald, dont mix, leave in a warm place for 3 hours

(I did 2 hours)

Then mix and let stand in warm place another 3 hours

(I mixed after 2 hours and removed from lukewarm oven, placed at cool room temperature overnight)

Sour-Scald 2 (Day 2, Afternoon)

Add the instant yeast to Opara 1, stir to blend, cover and ferment overnight, 10-12 hours, at room temperature. In the morning, the mixture will be extremely bubbly and have a distinctive sweet-sour taste.

Martadella - dissolve the yeast in a small amount of water, then add to the sour-scald 1 1.  ferment 12-13 h at 28-30°C 82-86°F 

(He actually added 2g yeast and fermented 8 hours)

Final Dough (Day 3, Morning):

Add the final dough ingredients to the Opara 2 and use the dough hook at low (KA2) speed to mix until the dough is fully blended into a firm, sticky mass that gathers around the hook, 7-8 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface and used floured hands to shape it into an oblong loaf, then place it on a well-floured peel, if using a baking stone, or on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

I wet the counter and my hands to shape.  Try to shape very narrow since the dough will spread as it final proofs.

Alternatively - Martadella - kept the countertop wet and used wet hands to shape.

Final proof was 60 mins for him.

Brush the loaf with water, cover it with a tea towel and proof at room temperature, brushing with water every 15 minutes, until it has expanded to about 1 ½ times its original volume and shows cracks and broken bubbles, 45-50 minutes.

I used a spray bottle to keep the dough damp.  

Preheat the oven to 480°F/250°C with the baking surface in the upper third. Brush the loaf with water and bake without steam for 40-45 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 390°F/200°C and continue to bake until the loaves thump when tapped with a finger and the internal temperature is at least 200°F/93°C, about 20 minutes more.

Everyone commented that these temperatures were too high.

Start 480°F  30 mins then drop to 400°F until done another 15-30 mins or so.  Apply cornstarch glaze and then return to oven until glaze sets, about 3-4 mins.

Glaze:

Bring about three-fourths of the water to a boil. Dissolve the starch in the remaining 1/4 of the water water and add it to the boiling water, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Brush the hot glaze on the top crust and return the loaf to the oven until the glaze sets, 3-4 minutes. Transfer  to a rack and cool thoroughly before slicing.

My index of bakes.