The Official Rye Bread Recipe – metabolic balance Monday Recipe

3‐stage natural sourdough wholemeal bread

Ingredients for 1 loaf of bread 1 kg or 2 x 500 g:

• 400 g (14 oz) wholemeal rye grain, divided use
• About 2 tablespoons inoculated sourdough (you can get this in a health food
• store; you can also make it yourself, though it would take about 5 days)
• 15 g (0.5 oz) sea salt
• 1 teaspoon agave syrup (optional)
• 500 ml (17 fl oz) lukewarm water, divided use
• Pinch coriander
• Pinch cumin
• 400 g (14 oz) rye flour, divided use

Preparation:

Step 1

Mix 300 g (10.5 oz) whole rye grain with 2 tablespoons inoculated sourdough,

some salt, 1 teaspoon agave syrup, and 300 ml (10 fl oz) lukewarm water. Leave to

rest for about 5 hours.

Step 2

Add the remaining 100 g (3.5 oz) wholemeal rye grain, and then add about 150 ml

(5.1 fl oz) lukewarm water and salt. Season to taste with the coriander and cumin.

Stir well. Leave to rest for about 15 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 3

Remove 2 tablespoons of sourdough and place in a large screw‐top jar (like a

pickle jar). Put jar in the fridge (lasts about 12 days).

Step 4

Add 300 g (10.5 oz) rye flour. If necessary, add 50 to 100 ml (1.7 to 3.4 fl oz)

lukewarm water and some salt. Leave to rest for about 5 hours.

Step 5

Place flour for kneading in advance because you won´t be able to touch anything

once your fingers are sticky. You may need to use a knife repeatedly to scrape

the sticky dough off your fingers. Now form the bread: Use the remaining 100 g

(3.5 oz) rye flour (maybe a bit more) and gradually knead the bread so that it can

form into a nice loaf. This takes a long time, since the dough is very sticky on the

fingers. Then put the finished loaf in a well‐floured dough‐rising basket or bowl,

and once more leave it to rest for at least 2 hours.

Afterwards, put the loaf on a baking paper. Brush with water. Preheat oven

to 485º F (250º C) and at the same time put in the baking tray, placing a container

filled with water at the bottom. Firmly slide the loaf on the baking paper onto the

baking pan. Reduce heat to about 390º F (200º C) and let the bread bake for about

75 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if the bread is done. Leave in the oven for

another 15 minutes. Both baking temperature and time depend on the oven and

therefore take some experience.

Note:  Thank you Myra Nissen for providing us with photographs of Rye Bread.  If you don’t feel like baking, you can order rye bread from The Fair Bakery in Indiana, 574-223-8957, thefairbakery@gmail.com.