Recipes · Sourdough rye

Everyday black bread

must leib

The loaf I bake most weeks: whole rye, starter, water, salt and a little caraway. Nothing else is needed.

Makes: 1 loaf in a large tin, about 25 × 11 cm
Hands-on: About 30 minutes
Start to finish: About a day, plus a night’s rest
Oven: 230 °C, then 190 °C

This is leib in its plainest form, and the one I would teach first. There is no kneading. Rye has very little of the gluten that lets wheat dough stretch, so you stir it into a thick, sticky paste and let the starter do the work. The loaf is baked in a tin because a dough this soft cannot hold a shape of its own.

The method has two stages, the way my grandmother did it: a sponge in the evening and the dough in the morning. The sponge is where the sourness and most of the flavour come from, so give it the whole night.

Method

In the evening, stir the starter into the lukewarm water until it turns cloudy, then add the flour and mix to a thick porridge. Scrape down the sides, cover the bowl with a plate or a cloth and leave it at room temperature for 12–16 hours.
In the morning the sponge should be domed and full of bubbles, with a clean sour smell. Add the remaining flour, the salt, caraway and syrup, and enough of the warm water to make a heavy, sticky paste. Mix with a wooden spoon or a wet hand for a few minutes, until no dry flour is left.
Take out two heaped tablespoons of the dough and put them in a clean jar. This is the starter for next time; let it bubble for an hour or two before it goes into the fridge. More on keeping a starter.
Grease the tin well. Wet your hands, scoop the dough into the tin and smooth the top with a wet palm. It should fill the tin by about two-thirds.
Cover and leave to rise for 2–3 hours, until the dough has risen by about a third and fine cracks open on the surface. Switch the oven on to 230 °C for the last half hour.
Brush the top with water and bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 190 °C and bake for another 50–60 minutes. The loaf is done when it comes away from the sides of the tin and sounds hollow when tapped underneath. With a thermometer, the centre should read about 96 °C or a little more.
Turn it out, brush the crust with hot water for a soft shine, wrap it in a linen cloth and leave it on a rack. Do not cut it today: rye crumb sets as it cools and stays gummy if it is sliced warm. Wait at least twelve hours, better a full day.

Notes

In a cold kitchen the sponge may need the full 16 hours and the dough closer to 4 hours to rise. Watch the dough, not the clock; the baking-day planner has settings for cool and warm kitchens.
Wholemeal rye differs a lot between mills. If the paste feels like wet sand rather than thick mud, add water a spoonful at a time. The calculator shows the same recipe as percentages, which makes adjusting easier.
Kept in its cloth inside a paper bag, the loaf lasts a week. It gets more sour, and I think better, on the second and third day.