Pure rye is a lot easier than wheat-based breads because, having no gluten, it requires no kneading. It’s made in three easy steps: grow the chef, create the starter, and make the bread. Keep in mind that although the rye-making process spans about five days, the amount of active involvement is really only an hour or so. Most of the work is done by nature as the dough sits and ferments. Also, once you’ve grown the chef (which takes four days), it can be maintained and reused, so you don’t have to grow it from scratch every time you bake. Thus you need only a day to make Pure Rye if you’re starting with a ripe batch of chef.
The Rye Chef (4 days)
1 pinch dry yeast
2 cups water, divided
3 cups rye flour, divided
In a 2-qt. bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Add 2/3 cup flour and mix vigorously for a minute or two. Scrape down sides with a rubber spatula and cover. Leave in a warm place (75°F) for 24 hours.
Uncover, add 2/3 cup rye and 1/2 cup water, mix, scrape down, cover, and let sit in a warm place for another 24 hours. The next day, repeat the process a third time. (Notice that we use yeast on the first day only; after that, yeast is not necessary.)
On the fourth day, after you’ve mixed in the last of the rye and water, let it sit for 8 hours only. At this time, the mixture should have a pungently sour odor and lots of little air bubbles throughout, creating a honeycomb-like effect. As long as there’s a sour smell, you’re on the right track, so keep going even if you’re in doubt about the honeycomb.
At this point, you can refrigerate the mixture for up to a week or you can proceed to the next step: making the rye starter.
The Rye Starter (8 hours)
Just as our lives have no clearly discernible beginning, so it is with pure rye. The “starter” is not the beginning. The “chef” isn’t really either. Don’t get confused by the terminology. Just understand that you make the starter from the chef.
1 cup rye chef
1 cup rye flour, plus ¾ cup for remaining chef
1/2 cup water, plus about 1/2 cup for remaining chef
Stir the chef for 30 seconds to liberate the trapped air bubbles and reduce its volume. Then scoop out 1 cup and place in large mixing bowl. (To the remaining chef add 3/4 cup rye and a little over 1/2 cup water, mix, and refrigerate for future batches.) Then, to the chef you placed in the mixing bowl, add 1 cup rye flour and 1/2 cup water. Mix, cover, and let sit for 8–10 hours. This will produce the 2 cups of rye starter needed for the next and final phase: making the bread.
Making the Bread
2 cups starter
3 cups lukewarm water
6 cups rye flour, plus more for flouring pan
1 Tbs. salt
Butter, margarine, or olive oil for greasing pan
To your mixing bowl containing the 2 cups starter, add water and mix. I recommend using your fingers to break up the starter—the slimy texture is worth contemplating, and the whole experience will bring you more intimately into the process of bread making. Gradually stir in 2 cups rye flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Then stir in the salt and the rest of the flour. The dough will have the consistency of a very thick batter.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave in a warm place (75–80°F) for 5–6 hours. The longer you let the dough ferment, the more sour it will taste.
Grease two 8 x 4 x 3" bread pans. Sprinkle with rye flour. Divide the rye batter-dough between the two pans, leveling off with a wet spatula.
Cover the pans and let sit for 2–3 hours. Preheat an oven to 300°F.
Bake the loaves for 2 1/2–3 hours. The loaves should have shrunk a little from the sides of the pan, and the tops should be dark brown. You can also insert and remove a toothpick: if it comes out clean, they’re ready. Remove one of the loaves, hold upside down and knock on it: if it doesn’t make a hollow sound, bake for another 15 minutes or so. Otherwise, remove breads from pans and cool on wire racks.
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