Delicious and Easy 50% Rye Sourdough @proofperfected

*This is the new version of my previous video, now including a voice-over. Enjoy!* RECIPE write-down below**
This is my favourite recipe for a classical German Roggenmischbrot. This bread is not at all difficult to make. The only challenging part is mixing everything thoroughly. I often make dough for 3 loaves at once. Hand-mixing this much rye sourdough can be a workout. Feel free to use a mixer!
1. Mix everything.
Mix the water and starter first, then add the flour and salt. In the end, the dough should be homogeneous. The starter and salt need to be evenly distributed and you should see no dry bits of flour. Cover your bowl.
2. Let it rest for 3 to 4 hours.
The bulk fermentation time depends A LOT on the temperature and the strength of your starter. But rye sourdough is less delicate than others, so don’t worry too much about it. I found 3 to 4 hours to get the dough to rise nicely at 23C/73F.
3. Shape it.
Turn the dough out onto your floured work surface. Divide it, if you do more than one loaf. Then form it into a nice round loaf. It’s as easy as forming play doh into a ball. Forget what you know about shaping wheat loaves. Rye is much easier. Flour your loaf generously and put it into a banneton.
4. Proof for about 2 hours, covered. Or retard.
The exact timing depends on the temperature. Wait until the loaf has grown considerably in size. Or you can put it in the fridge and forget about it.
5. Score.
Take your loaf out of the banneton and put it onto some parchment paper. Put a little bit of flour on top of the loaf and then have fun scoring! You can do some really nice and intricate scoring on rye loaves. Since you don’t get a lot of oven spring, the pattern tends to stay intact. It works even better when the loaf is cold.
Nerd Tip: Use some dental floss to mark the lines you’d like to score before you start!
6. Bake.
Preheat your oven and your Dutch oven to 240C/470F. Flour your loaf, score it and put it into your Dutch oven. Leave the lid on for the first 15 minutes of baking. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
I’ve retarded this loaf for up to 48 hours before baking. The longer you leave it in the fridge, the sourer it’s going to be. At 48 hours, it was borderline too sour for me. Hubby and daughter liked it, though.

[@mogisgailis6922]

Good Lord! That's it? So simple? Thank you so much.

[@proofperfected]

It is a very simple process, yes! You might need a bit of testing to see how long of a proofing time you'll need for your specific starter, ingredients, and temperature, but that's really the only "complicated" part ;)

[@flosfunkyfellas]

This is genuinely such a fool proof recipe ( the fool being me) 😆 So easy to do on a busy schedule - I replace the last rise with leaving it in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning. Perfect every time!

[@proofperfected]

That's great, I'm happy to heat it! I mostly retard them as well, by now, as I'm making dough for several loaves at once. I'll leave them in the fridge for up to a week before I bake them.

[@ninelaivz4334]

I'm baking it now. Thanks for the video!!!

[@putziiputz9439]

Thank you very much! Enjoyed your video. Came here after finding your website🌸🌺🌸

[@jonniegonads4566]

Got to try this one.

[@rimanteboguzaite1390]

Came here from your Reddit post, what a clear and informative video! Thank you very much, i’ll give this a go 😊

[@proofperfected]

Thank you! Let me know how it goes!

[@Sepp2009]

a sonic lame seems pretty smart, well done

[@TobyRose71]

Thanks for this video. Next time can you please cut the bread so we can see the crumb?

[@proofperfected]

Noted :)

[@NessaNZ]

What is the crumb like? Does it still taste sourdough like? With small holes?

[@raedin4190]

Absolutely brilliant, possibly the best sourdough Rye 50% video. You have certainly 'Perfected' it. Very easy method and clearly explained in a short video. I made 2 loaves, both left in fridge overnight, baked and left for 6 hours before slicing: 50% Dark Rye with strong white bread flour, I really thought this would fail ( because we have bread flour and no kneading! No stretch/slap and folding) but to my surprise it was better than expected, nice compact open crumb. Not dense or gummy at all. Lovely rich sour taste with dark crust & nice strong depth of flavour.👍🏼👍🏼 50% Light Rye with strong white bread flour, kids favourite, amazing open crumb, less sour, however great taste with lighter colour.👍🏼 I've only just started baking a month now, having an active starter and proper temperature management is key with high protein organic flour. Thank you so much ☺️ subscribed! Please make more videos with ancient grains like Einkorn. 👍🏼

[@proofperfected]

I’m so happy it worked out for you! And thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot :)

[@zmalqp555]

I got the same results, ditto. Added some spices this time.

[@danishretrodesign9518]

I am a Dame raised on Ryebread ( rugbrød),maybe you'll need a Retro RAADVAD breadslicer to slice the bread. Beautiful design to.

[@danishretrodesign9518]

I am a Dane off course

[@teasichinava]

Will try your recipe tomorrow. So no foldings and super shapings? It is so amazingly simple. Will try and tell you how it turned out. Thank you for posting.

[@proofperfected]

Sorry I missed your comment! We've moved to a new country and things have been a bit chaotic. Did you try the recipe, did it work out?

[@lanahrw]

Love your video, thank you. Having followed numerous videos on sourdough, advise given is to let it proof slowly by placing it in the refrigerator overnight. But this is 50% rye. My kitchen is between 15-18deg unless heating comes on. My question is could I let the first proof, proof in the fridge over night? Thanks 😊

[@proofperfected]

Sorry I missed your comment, things have been a bit chaotic since we moved to a new country. Could you explain your question a bit more? When would you like the dough to proof in your kitchen? During bulk? I think 15-18 degrees might be a bit too cold for this dough (I haven't tried it yet in a cold kitchen, though, because I live in 365-days-summer!). Have you tried it since, how did it work out?

[@lanahrw]

@@proofperfected no worries, although I haven’t baked this since sending my question, so I reckon my question applies to the first proofing as you mentioned it should rest for 3-4 hours….could I leave it in the fridge for this first proofing? Sort of getting warmer here (Ireland)with day temps between 15 - 20 deg 😃😀😄 I’ll give your recipe another try.

[@janiceang8798]

Tq for your nice simple video, my oven is smaller so the maximum temperature is 230C, can I still bake this bread that calls for 240C? Looking forward to your reply. Tq

[@proofperfected]

That shouldn’t be a problem. Just leave the loaf in the oven a bit longer.

[@janiceang8798]

Thank you so much for your prompt reply 😊

[@twanakamal3220]

Hi, thank you for the recipe, can the dough be left overnight, or in fridge and bake in the morning?

[@proofperfected]

Sure, I almost always do a cold overnight retard with this dough! Sometimes up to 3 nights in the fridge. (Sorry for missing your comment earlier).

[@zmalqp555]

@@proofperfected I left mine in the fridge overnight, turned out great with a 2 hour 2nd proof, in a 100 degree F. oven

[@amyhammoud9235]

thanks a lot can i mix whole wheat bread flour with ap flour? and can we shape long and can we bake it in a loaf pan and what temp if its different, you are the best.

[@proofperfected]

Hi Amy, yes you can mix whole wheat bread flour in. Maybe add a bit more water to the dough then. And also yes, you can shape it long, and yes, you can bake in a loaf pan :) I always bake around 240-250 Celsius, but you can go higher or a bit lower. Just keep an eye on your bread and take it out once it's turning dark brown on top. Hope that helps!

[@amyhammoud3265]

@@proofperfected thanks a lot again

[@zmalqp555]

I followed your recipe and bread came out good. Can I double this to make a bigger loaf?

[@proofperfected]

I'm so happy it came out good! Of course, you can make this into a bigger loaf. I often make a 1.5 times larger loaf.

[@zmalqp555]

@@proofperfected thanks lovely, I'm backing another one now

[@zmalqp555]

@@proofperfected I did add a little spices

[@proofperfected]

@@zmalqp555 Very nice! I sometimes add caraway seeds.

[@oliverfebruary5757]

Thanks for the video, really simple but precise, however i am new to baking sourdoughs. Question 1: Do you put it in the fridge after letting it proof for 2 hours in the banneton or do you put it in the banneton and immediately put it in the fridge. Question 2: When you put it in the fridge over night do you take it out an immediately bake or do you let it ferment a little longer and then bake? Thank you

[@proofperfected]

Dear Oliver, welcome to the sourdough baking community! We're a friendly bunch :) As to your questions: 1) After shaping the loaf and putting it in a banneton, I put it straight into the fridge. You could leave it outside for a bit, too, if you feel like bulk fermentation might not have been long enough. Question 2) I take it out of the fridge, score it and bake it. No need to leave it outside. Hope that helps!!

[@colin5031]

​@@proofperfectedThere are only two choices in step four, right? a) proof at room temperature until the dough has grown considerably in size, OR b) put it in the fridge and forget about it. Including the phrase 'Or retard' implies a third choice, which could lead to some confusion.

[@proofperfected]

@@colin5031you’re right, those are the two choices. Let it proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours or retard in the fridge overnight or up to 7 nights

[@colin5031]

@@proofperfected Good to hear from you. I seem to recall that you were moving from SE Asia to Ireland. How's it going now that you are baking in a colder environment?

[@proofperfected]

@@colin5031 I'd love for some colder weather right now, but I moved from Hong Kong to Singapore actually, so even less seasons and more constant heat and humidity :D

[@LeonardHarrisLH]

What temperature are you letting that proof?

[@proofperfected]

These days I mostly put it in the fridge for final proofing. If not in the fridge, then at room temperature, and it doesn't mind warm temperatures. For me it's around 26 to 29C.

[@rachelweinstock5513]

Is there a reason that you don't do any stretch and folds?

[@proofperfected]

Great question! Yes, since this is mostly rye flour, and rye contains very little gluten, there's no need to do stretch-and-folds for dough strength.

[@CristinaTurcan-yq3jn]

Does this recipe call for the salt at all ?

[@proofperfected]

Yes, I recommend between 7 and 9g of salt per loaf.

[@INdiverCT]

Was genau bezeichnen die Amis als ‘Breadflour’?

[@proofperfected]

Weißmehl mit einem hohen Proteingehalt :)

[@mrguillemot]

Found that my 1st prove didn't double, despite following to the letter 😢

[@proofperfected]

Ah, thanks for letting me know! That sounds frustrating. If you want to make another go at it, make sure that your dough is in a warm spot (I'm in Singapore so my kitchen is always hot. If it's not as warm where you are, let the dough proof longer). Also, you're starter needs to be nice and active. Do let me know how it goes!

[@michaelarnoldi5106]

Recipe

[@user-cf4vn8dx7m]

Is this true for all types of sourdough? The longer left to retard in the ref the more sour flavor? Thanks

[@proofperfected]

Yes, that’s true! Not every type of bread is suitable for for a very long cold retard, though. Bread with a high percentage of rye has a different structure than others and can be in the fridge for many days. Other types of bread will suffer after more than one night, on average, because the gluten structure starts to break down.