Bread Number 102: German Rye with Sauerkraut

You might be wondering why this post is about Bread #102 and where Bread #101 could possibly be. After a year of intermittent attempts at that #101, a very dense rye, I am resolved to try it for a fourth time. Why has this taken more than a year? During the pandemic, when everyone was baking and becoming a sourdough enthusiast, my flour mill broke, followed by a several months-long back of forth episodes of shipping it, getting it fixed - for free - and then very quickly breaking again, I could hardly motivate myself to move on to new bread experiments, Also the day job became horrible, but that's another story.

Rye and sauerkraut - a match made in heaven

Yes, this bread recipe includes sauerkraut. I have a particularly good source at my farmer's market;  the vendor can be found at such markets throughout the DC area. Pick up some pickles as well at Number 1 Sons if you visit the nation's capital.  Lots of native New Yorkers scoop up the sour pickles, but the kimchi is also popular. Back to the bread: The sauerkraut is not overwhelming and, when combined with a very long rise, lends some depth to the sour taste, which I like, though I'll admit that might not be for everyone. I will say that my husband kept talking about how well this bread lasted, with toasting, throughout the week.

I love a nice long dough rise, a recipe that I can't help changing, and a good sour bread that turns out well, even better the second time around. I adapted the German Rye recipe from Brother Juniper's Bread Book to be completely naturally leavened and to rely on stretch and folds instead of kneading. I made this bread twice, with the same exact mix of ingredients each time.

Ingredients

137g coarse rye flour (1 cup)

352g bread flour (3 cups, less 50 grams to attribute for the starter)

3g caraway seeds (I added three times more than the recipe dictated, which was 1 teaspoon, or 1 gram.)

52g sauerkraut - Make sure to drain first (1/2 cup)

5g salt (The recipe does not recommend adding any due to the presence of the sauerkraut, but I did not think that non-commercial sauerkraut would be as salty as the jarred stuff from the supermarket.)

100g starter (wheat, not rye)

272g water (I added approximately 100g more than recommended because the dough was too crumbly, not at all cohesive.)

Dough preparation

Measure 1/2 cup of sauerkraut and set aside in a colander to drain while measuring the other ingredients. 

Mix dry ingredients - flour, caraway seeds, and salt - together and mix. 

Add the starter and water to the dry blend. No need to mix yet.

Weigh and add the 52g of sauerkraut. Mix everything together well. Cover.

Do three or four stretch and folds. Each stretch and fold should be separated by about 15-25 minutes. The dough will become more cohesive each time. My first try of this bread needed four stretch and folds, while my second try was just fine at three. 

Wait and wait

Each time I made this bread, and both times were in warm weather, the dough needed more than 18 hours to rise. The second try clocked in at over 22 hours and, frankly, I could have waited more, but I wanted to get the bread done in time for a normal bedtime. The recipe in the book only takes 90 minutes, but that is with 1.5 tablespoons of instant yeast. 

An 18-24 hour rest is fine with me. No need to babysit the dough; return to it the next morning or evening. In fact, this would probably make a better morning dough so that one has more wiggle room. Just return to the kitchen the next morning, say 21 or 22 hours after those stretch and folds are done, and the dough will be ready - or almost ready - to proceed.

Shaping and baking preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

On a wet counter, I shaped the dough into an ovally rectangle and let it rest in a greased loaf pan, covered. I cover with another loaf pan and I bake that way as well. The metal loaf pans can go right in the oven with the dough. While the oven heats, let the dough rest for 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Reduce heat after 20-30 minutes to 350 degrees.

Before putting dough in the oven, uncover, sprinkle some water on top and then more caraway seeds. Cover the loaf pan. I use the second loaf pan for that and then no ice, water, etc., are necessary for a good steam to turn that nice dough into spectacular bread. Baked for 54 minutes, with nine minutes at the end uncovered. 

Taste

The bread is a bit sour, but the hearty, coarse rye and the caraway seeds balance the sourness. Wonderful! Husband says this is in the top ten.