Lately I have been enjoying working with more multigrain flours, particularly rye. There is something uniquely nutty and earthy about the flavor of rye flour in a multigrain sourdough bread. For some rye is an acquired taste, but once that taste is developed, watch out, because it’s hard to get enough.
My initial interest in rye, I’ll be honest, had nothing to do with nutrition. But, I started enjoying the taste of it so much in breads, cookies, and pastas (recipe coming soon), I decided to dig into what the nutritional benefits of whole grain rye are. I had no idea how many nutritional boxes it ticked off. I have listed a few of those benefits below, my information was mostly sourced from Oldways Whole Grains Council, and much of it based on a Swedish study at Lund University.
Benefits of Consuming Whole Grain Rye:
- Results in reduced body weight,
- Improved insulin sensitivity,
- Lower total cholesterol
- Reduced blood sugar
- Regulates appetite
- Helps you feel fuller longer
- May reduce inflammation in people with metabolic syndrome
- Helps to down regulating risky genes
Because this bread is a blend of whole wheat, rye, red fife, and bread flour, you get an excellent rise in the bread, and the benefits of added fiber, vitamins, and minerals contained in these grains. Using stone milled whole grains, not only gives you more fiber, but also leaves the vitamins and minerals in the grains intact. Through the fermentation process that sourdough bread goes through, these nutrients are made accessible.
What Kind Of Starter Do You Need To Make This Bread?
Many rye breads are made with a rye sourdough starter, however because this bread is a blend, I used my standard starter. To learn how to make your own; check out Beginners Guide to Creating a Bubbling Starter.
Bakers Percentages
- 100% flour, 25% each of rye flour, red fife, whole red wheat flour, and unbleached bread flour.
- 84% hydration
- 20% active sourdough starter (fed 3 hours prior to adding)
- 5% honey
- 2% salt
- 4% fennel seed added at lamination
75% Multigrain Rye Bread With Fennel
There is something uniquely nutty, and earthy about a multigrain rye bread. Once you develop a taste for it, it is hard to get enough.
4
servings40
minutesIngredients
500 g flour (250 g rye flour, 250 g red fife flour, 250 g whole grain red wheat flour, 250 g strong bread flour)
420 g water
100 g active sourdough starter (fed 3 hours prior to adding)
25 g honey
10 g salt
20 g fennel added at lamination.
rice flour for dusting proofing basket
Directions
- 2-3 hour autolyse (flour water only), I will often mix the autolyse at the same time I feed my starter. By the time the starter is ready, the flour has had ample time to absorb the water. For this step I like using my dough whisk, or alternatively, you can use a standard mixer with a dough hook.
- Mix active starter, honey, & salt into the premixed flour and water. This can either be done by hand, with the Rubaud method (5-10 minutes) or in a standard mixer with a dough hook (5-10 minutes)
- Allow dough to rest for 45 minutes. Perform a lamination by spreading cold water on your work surface, and stretching your dough into a large rectangle, as far as you can before it tears (don’t stress if it tears, just squish it back together). Sprinkle 20 grams of fennel seeds on the dough before folding it back over on itself and rolling it up. Place in a square glass Pyrex about 8 x 8 inch (If this is unavailable to you a bowl will do).
- Perform 4 coil folds at 30 minute intervals
- Total bulk ferment, including active time, of 8 hours at 23-24 degrees Celsius. Remember go by your dough and ambient temperature over the length of time. You want your dough to be nice and puffy and increased in volume by at least 50%.
- On a lightly floured surface stretch dough into a rectangle, fold it over like a letter, and tuck the ends in, flip over, and rotate a few times to build some tension and set aside for a 30-minute bench rest.
- Shape dough on lightly floured surface, this is similar to pre-shape, but take a but more time to build tension working in a circular motion with base of your palm and a bench scraper. Place boule (shaped dough) in towel lined proofing basket that has been dusted with rice flour. Cold proof in refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Longer cold proofs equal more developed sour flavor, so base you cold proof on your preference and schedule.
- Preheat oven with Dutch oven inside to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove dough from fridge, flip onto parchment paper by placing parchment over bowl or basket, place your palm on top of the parchment flip the bowl, slowly place parchment and dough, on counter, lift basket, and dust off any excess rice flour. Now score the bread using your bread lame or very sharp knife you want to slice at least 1/2” deep. Remove Dutch oven, be careful it will be very hot. Using parchment as handles lift boule into ditch oven, smooth folds in paper, place in over and immediately lower temp to 450 bake for 20 minutes covered. Remove from oven, place cookie sheet under Dutch oven, remove lid and drop temperature to 425 and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes. You will know it is done when digital thermometer reads 200+ degrees when inserted.
- Allow to cool for minimum one hour but up to 24 before slicing. Higher hydration breads benefit from a slightly longer rest time before slicing.
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