Cathy, from Bread Experience, was the Kitchen of the Month, and she was excited to share this bread after attending a bread-baking workshop. Luckily, my sourdough starter is rye flour-based, and was only in hibernation for a month. There must have been some benefits to that, because the started returned to an extra bubbly state.
The original recipe can be found at The Rye Baker. It calls for several types of rye flour and for first clear flour, commonly used in Jewish rye breads. Locally, dark rye flour is my only choice. I did find a formula for simulating first clear flour -- for every 100 grams, use a mixture of 96 grams all-purpose flour and 4 grams of vital wheat gluten. Other than that, the recipe is very straight-forward and easy to make.
My one change, and it has nothing to do with the recipe, would be to fire up the oven when the dough begins its final rise. My oven takes forever to get to temperature, and the dough was a fast riser, so just keep that in mind.
At first, I thought my dough had collapsed, but upon seeing the results from the other Babes, I don't think that is the case. Sure, some were more filled out, but mine didn't turn out as awful as I first believed. It has a nice tang as well, delicious either plain or toasted with butter.
I'm still feeding my starter and need to make up for lost time, trying all kinds of sourdough recipes. If I ever get my hands on the requested ingredients for this bread, I will definitely make it again.
For the recipe, you can go to either Cathy's website or to The Rye Baker. If you want to bake as a buddy, send your results and photos to Cathy by September 29th.
