What are convenient and reliable ways to make the starter for rye bread?
The biggest issue with make good rye bread is to make the starter since it needs to rise in a very controlled temperature for some time. What are good and reliable ways to achieve this?
Best Answer
I've received some portions from friends and family, which have always worked well. :-)
When I'm creating it from scratch, I mix 200g of rye flour, a little bit of yeast (which you can leave out), 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of honey, 1 dl of organic yogurt and 2 dl of water. I leave this mixture out on the kitchen table (at around 20C) for a day with a piece of wet cloth on top. After that I add 2 dl of rye flour and enough water to make the dough soft. This sits on the kitchen table for yet another day, after which is should look like a pool of lava and smell a bit acidic.
The honey and the yogurt is the magic touch that makes this starter work, according to my books and research. I've never done anything special to control the temperature or anything else.
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Why is rye good for starter?
Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.Can you use rye as a sourdough starter?
Learn more here. Making and maintaining rye sourdough starter is 100% achievable with a few tips and tricks. Thanks to the beneficial relationship between the enzymes in rye and yeast fermentation, rye starters make wonderful sourdough bread.Can you feed starter with rye flour?
Whole wheat and rye flours provide more nutrients for your starter and ferment more actively, but working with rye flour makes starter maintenance easier than whole wheat. Rye provides increased fiber and nutrients similar to whole wheat flour, but because of its lower gluten amount it's much easier to stir.Does rye sourdough starter need more water?
I start with a small amount of water and flour as not to waste too much flour, because you have to throw halve of the starter away with each refresh. When your starter is alive and kicking you always can scale up the size of your starter simply by adding more water and rye flour.STEPS HOW TO BUILD RYE STARTER
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Answer 2
I've had good results with the procedure from 'Secrets of a Jewish Baker' (page 163). I don't think it's appropriate to type in copyrighted recipes here, so I'll leave you with the reference.
Answer 3
- Get some organic grapes with a white cover (natural yeasts) on them
- Wash gently
- Wrap in a cheese cloth
- Get 1 cup of lukewarm water in a glass jar. 1 tbsp of sugar in it won't hurt
- Squeeze grapes in a cheese cloth into the mixture and leave cheese cloth in mixture as well
- Stir in 1 cup of not-so-fancy wheat flour
- Cover jar either with cheese cloth or paper towel and a rubber band
- Let it sit on top of the fridge for 5 days or so shaking occasinally
- Discard first batch, i.e. start the new one with some stuff left on the walls of the jar
I usually maintain 1 cup of flour vs 1/2 cup of water.
As a side effect, you first few batches will have a nice light hint of grape flavor :-) The key is not to add regular yeasts in it unless you want to grow that strain.
Answer 4
What I had done to start mine was to start with regular wheat starter and just start feeding it rye flour.
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