Finnish rye bread

Finnish Rye Bread

  • Prep time: 45 minutes + 7 hours for proofing
  • Cook time: 45 minutes + 16 hours for cooling
  • Servings: 1 loaf of 840g
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Course: baking
  • Cookware: proofing basket, pizza stone or baking pot, KitchenAid food processor
  • Cuisine: European

Ingredients

For levain:

  • 70 g thick rye sourdough
  • 70 g whole grain rye flour
  • 70 g water

For the dough:

  • 400 g rye flour
  • 320 g water
  • 10 g salt

Cooking method

STEP 1

Prepare levain. Place all the ingredients for the levain in a bowl and mix. Cover the bowl with cling film, put in a warm place to approach for 3 hours or until the dough grows 2-3 times and holes and cracks appear on its surface.

STEP 2

In a large bowl, mix the levain, flour, water and salt.  Knead the dough with a mixer for 10-15 minutes or by hand until the dough is smooth.

STEP 3

Form an oval from the dough and place in a bowl greased with vegetable oil. Leave the dough to rest for 1.5 hours at a temperature of 27-29C.

STEP 4

Line a bowl with a kitchen towel and sprinkle with rye flour. Sprinkle the work surface lightly with flour. Gently transfer the dough on the table. Then make “stretch and fold”. With wet fingertips, grab a portion of the dough and stretch it upward. Then fold the dough over toward the center of it. Give the dough a one-quarter turn and repeat: stretch the dough upward and fold it over toward the center of the dough. Form a round shape. Put the dough into a bowl and sprinkle it with flour. Cover the bowl with the dough with a towel and leave to rest for 1.5-2 hours at 27-29C. The dough is ready when cracks form on its surface.

STEP 5

Place the pizza stone in the oven. Preheat the oven to 250C. Turn the bread out of the bowl on your hand or on a cutting board, then turn the bread cracked up on the baking paper and, together with the paper, carefully transfer the dough on the hot pizza stone. Bake the bread without steam for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 210C and bake for another 30 minutes. Leave the baked bread to cool on a wire rack for 16 hours.

My tips and tricks:

Don’t try to do your best! Shape the bread carefully, but don’t flatten the dough too hard and you will get amazing cracks! And don’t forget to sprinkle it well with flour.

Finnish Rye Bread
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: baking
Cuisine: European
Serves: 1 loaf of 840g
Ingredients
For levain:
  • 70 g thick rye sourdough
  • 70 g whole grain rye flour
  • 70 g water
For the dough:
  • 400 g rye flour
  • 320 g water
  • 10 g salt
Cooking method
  1. Prepare levain. Place all the ingredients for the levain in a bowl and mix. Cover the bowl with cling film, put in a warm place to approach for 3 hours or until the dough grows 2-3 times and holes and cracks appear on its surface.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the levain, flour, water and salt. Knead the dough with a mixer for 10-15 minutes or by hand until the dough is smooth.
  3. Form an oval from the dough and place in a bowl greased with vegetable oil. Leave the dough to rest for 1.5 hours at a temperature of 27-29C.
  4. Line a bowl with a kitchen towel and sprinkle with rye flour. Sprinkle the work surface lightly with flour. Gently transfer the dough on the table. Then make “stretch and fold”. With wet fingertips, grab a portion of the dough and stretch it upward. Then fold the dough over toward the center of it. Give the dough a one-quarter turn and repeat: stretch the dough upward and fold it over toward the center of the dough. Form a round shape. Put the dough into a bowl and sprinkle it with flour. Cover the bowl with the dough with a towel and leave to rest for 1.5-2 hours at 27-29C. The dough is ready when cracks form on its surface.
  5. Place the pizza stone in the oven. Preheat the oven to 250C. Turn the bread out of the bowl on your hand or on a cutting board, then turn the bread cracked up on the baking paper and, together with the paper, carefully transfer the dough on the hot pizza stone. Bake the bread without steam for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 210C and bake for another 30 minutes. Leave the baked bread to cool on a wire rack for 16 hours.
My tips and tricks
Don’t try to do your best! Shape the bread carefully, but don't flatten the dough too hard and you will get amazing cracks! And don't forget to sprinkle it well with flour.