When to add the rye flour if it really makes a difference?

I wish to use a small amount of rye in my wheat sourdough bread, because supposedly it improves the flavor of the bread.

What I'm wondering is whether it makes a difference if I introduce this rye flour into the levain or if it is better to put it into the final dough mix. What would make more sense from a scientific point of view?

Best Answer

Putting the rye in the levain will make a few positive differences:

The rye will give the yeast a different food source, so the flavors the yeast produces may be subtly different
It gives the flavors from the rye grain longer to permeate the dough
Rye is often used in sourdough starters because of its natural yeasts. Natural yeasts add complex flavors, the earlier these are introduced the longer they have to contribute these flavors to the end result

These differences may be very subtle though, especially since you are adding a small amount of rye. There's no downside to adding it earlier, so no reason not to try.

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Does rye flour take longer to rise?

Tip 4: The more rye in your dough, the more slowly it will rise. The loaf above is only about 28% rye flour, so it rises vigorously. Breads that include a greater percentage of rye may take hours to rise, both in the bowl, and once they're shaped into loaves.

Does rye flour need more kneading?

Rye is very low in gluten, so kneading is neither necessary nor useful. Rye does contain gluten, but in a form which is not able to form the tight, stretchy network found in wheat flour. Instead, rye relies on pentosans to hold together into dense, rustic bread.

Why does rye flour not rise?

Rye bread is so dense because rye contains very high levels of pentosans which prevents gluten to be formed in the dough. Since gluten cannot be formed in rye flour, the dough is unable to trap the gasses from fermentation, resulting in a dense dough and baked loaf.

How do you use rye flour?

Rye flour is used to make rye bread, sourdough bread, gingerbread, crispbread, fruitcakes, scones, crackers, pasta, as well as a filler for soups and sauces. Perhaps the most famous product made with rye flour is pumpernickel bread, a yeast-leavened bread made with the darkest rye flour.

What is Rye Flour? | Knead to Know Basis | BAKERpedia

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