whole rye bread

Vollkornbrot with Sourdough Starter - Whole Rye Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• ***Sourdough Sponge***
• 2 2/3 c. (370 g.) whole rye or pumpernickel flour
• 1 1/2 c. (370 g.) chlorine-free water (bottled is good)
• 2 T. (about 20 g.) sourdough starter
• ***Soaker***
• 2 1/4 c. (283 g.) cracked rye berries
• 1 1/4 c. (283 g.) water
• ***Final Dough***
• All of the sponge
• All of the soaker
• 1 3/4 c. (243 g.) whole rye or pumpernickel flour
• 2-3 T. (30 g.) water - variable
• 1 T. (17 g.) salt
• 6 T. (56 g.) sunflower seeds
• 1 3/4 tsp. (6 g.) instant yeast

• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 75 minutes
• Overnight fermentation: 960 minutes

• Total Time: 1,070 minutes
• Yield: 1 five pound loaf

Preparation

Notes on this recipe:

I would always say that "Vollkornbrot" is an acquired taste and you should be aware of what you are getting yourself into. It is a lot like the cocktail pumpernickel you buy at the store, except it is 100% whole rye and denser than store-bought.
You sometimes find partial loaves of "Vollkornbrot" imported from Germany and wrapped in cellophane in the store where they cost about $3.00 a pound. This recipe makes a 5 pound loaf, so if you like dense rye bread, it is worth it to make it at home.
You will need a sourdough starter to make this bread. German bakeries would specifically use a rye sour, but after doing the research, I find that a white flour starter will do fine, at least at first. Yeast is added to this loaf, so the sourdough is mostly there for flavor. For more on sourdough starter, see this article.
As an added bonus, rye flour has been shown to control blood sugar levels better than whole wheat flour.

Make the Sourdough and Soaker

Stir together the whole rye flour, water and sourdough starter until all the flour is hydrated. The starter can be from the refrigerator if you renew it weekly. Otherwise, feed the starter once, which adds about 12 hours to the project. Also, use water which is chlorine-free or let water stand at room temperature for a day before using because the sourdough grows better with dechlorinated water.
Stir the cracked rye and water together in a separate bowl. If you can only find whole rye berries, place them in a blender or coffee grinder for 30 seconds. It does not do a great job at cracking them, but it helps.
Cover both bowls and leave at room temperature for 16 to 18 hours. Room temperature is assumed to be 75°F. If your room is colder, you might want to let them soak/ferment longer. The sourdough will smell strong but not rise and the berries should have soaked up all the water.

Final Bread Dough

Add all the rest of the ingredients, including soaker and sponge to a bowl and mix on low or by hand for about 10 minutes. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a floured board.
Form into a loaf and place in a well-buttered and floured Pullman or tea cake form. The dough is very sticky and you can't really see any gluten strands, but it is correct.
Flour the top of the loaf, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at 85°F for an hour. Surprisingly, the loaf will rise a bit. I like to keep it in the microwave which is over the stove. If you turn on the 25 watt light that lights the stove, it warms the interior of the microwave to about 85°F. Just do not turn on the microwave.

Bake the Bread

Preheat the oven for an hour to 480°F with a baking stone, if you have one.
Place the bread (still in the form) directly on the baking stone and bake with steam for 15 minutes and dry for about 45 minutes to an hour. In the last 15 minutes, carefully remove the bread from the form and place it back in the oven, to dry out the sides of the loaf.
Let the "Vollkornbrot" cool, wrap in cloth and let it age for 24 hours or longer before slicing. Slice 1/4 inch thick or thinner. You can also wrap and freeze. Freezing in sections is good for small households.