Working with rye flour

Zero Point

Does anybody have any recipes or tips for working with rye flour? I tried adapting my wholemeal bread recipe by using a 50:50 wholemeal flour/rye flour mix. I used the same quantity of water as 100% wholemeal and proved it for up to 2 hours but it didn't rise much. After 35 minutes in the oven the skewer was still wet so I had to cook it for longer. I'm wondering if I need to add more water in the dough mix when using rye flour.

I can't really find any recipes for wholemeal/rye bread but if anyone had any tips that would be great.

Dizzyblonde

I've never made it myself, but this is the recipe with my Panasonic bread machine for a rye and wholemeal loaf. They tend to be very reliable recipes and can usually be made in the oven too.

2 tsp dried yeast
250g rye flour
250g strong wholemeal flour
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp salt
380 ml water

Zero Point

Thanks, Dizzy B. That's interesting as my flour quantity is the same for my wholemeal recipe but using only 300ml of water. Your recipe also has an extra tsp of yeast and the addition of oil. I was thinking the dough seemed much drier with the rye flour and it might need extra liquid but wasn't sure how much. I will try out that recipe.

Gloomtastic!

I like to make Dark Rye Bread with cocoa powder and molasses/treacle.

https://www.google.ie/amp/www.geniuskitchen.com/amp/recipe/german-dark-rye-bread-43285

^ I always leave out the caraway seeds. The only thing I think I don’t like to eat. :rolleyes:

Zero Point

So I tried that recipe from the Panasonic bread maker. The texture was certainly better from the addition of the extra liquid although naturally heavy and dense. It does seem that the rye needs to be well hydrated but it still didn't rise any extra while proving. I might leave it overnight to see if I can get a better rise. There seems to be some trial and error required with some experimentation.

Graces7

Zero Point wrote: »

So I tried that recipe from the Panasonic bread maker. The texture was certainly better from the addition of the extra liquid although naturally heavy and dense. It does seem that the rye needs to be well hydrated but it still didn't rise any extra while proving. I might leave it overnight to see if I can get a better rise. There seems to be some trial and error required with some experimentation.

My memories of making rye bread are that it IS by its very nature, dense and heavy. It does not bake or eat like wheat bread . Two different animals altogether.. Very filling and satisfying als o unlike wheat bread so a little goes a long way

It is low gluten which makes it denser and slower to rise

See

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2016/jan/28/how-to-make-the-perfect-rye-bread.

DunnoKidz

Awh I used to have a simple recipe for good rye muffins (no yeast). Forgot all about them - wonder where that recipe went!

When I made regular rye bread, I found it best to cut the rye flour with a bit of white flour.

dr.fuzzenstein

Rye bread is not an easy proposition. When baking, don't treat it like cooking, because cooking is an art, but baking is a science.
If you approach it like "a handful of this, a dash of that and a sprinkle of this", it will go wrong.
It's all about exact measurements, time and temperature.
First of, rye is very different to wheat, you cannot treat it the same way.
The yeast reacts differently to it. In rye flour the yeast breaks down some component, I think it was the starch globules. This means the bread won't rise and the dough will be wet and slimy.
If you now say "I don't use yeast for my rye bread", you monster! :eek:
You need an inhibitor to slow down the yeast, that's why rye bread is always made with sour dough. Or with yoghurt and vinegar at a push.
In them olden days you always had a starter culture, then you had to keep some of the dough from today's production and mix it with a little starter culture. This was turned into a 3 step sourdough, where it would be kept warm in one step and cold in another to grow bacteria in one step and yeast in the other step.
You would need the three step method to make proper, traditional rye bread from nothing but rye flour, salt and water.

For practical terms you would just need one step, starter good and some rye flour. In that case you need to add some yeast.
Also, very few of the breads you see in continental Europe are 100% rye. It would be quite strong tasting.
When we made rye bread in the bakery it was 60/40 wheat and rye or 40/60, the slightly stronger mix. Those were the 2 main varieties bought. We also had bread with much higher wheat and much higher rye proportions.

Check out this page:
http://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/3-stage-70-rye-bread-with-raisins/