Suomalaisruisleip Finnish Rye Bread Recipes

FINNISH RYE SOURDOUGH | MY VINTAGE COOKING

Steps:

• The Rye SpongeUse 180g of the flour and 300ml of water from total to build the rye starter. In the late afternoon, mix 60g rye flour with 100ml warm water in a medium-sized bowl. Keep it covered in a warm spot and whisk occasionally. Give it two feedings (60g+100ml) during the next day. Whisk air in between feedings. In the next morning, the starter is ready for baking. The sponge has runny porridge-like consistency. It taste sour and has lots of tiny bubbles on surface to show activity.
• Building the rye doughMeasure the rest of the ingredients, and build the dough in a bigger bowl. Whisk water into the sponge and add more rye flour little by little. When the dough is too heavy to be mixed with a whisk, let the dough rest for a while so that the rye flour will set. Then, add more rye flour and continue mixing with a wooden spoon. Give the dough a second pause. Finally, add the rest of the flour with salt but don't forget to take a piece of unsalted dough aside for your next bake. Store this fresh dough in an air-tight box in the fridge, it's fresh up to 2 weeks.
• Now, knead the wet dough carefully and patiently by hand (5-8 minutes will do). Give the dough 2-4 hours rest at room temperature to build volume. The dough should double its size before shaping & baking. The old fashioned way is to press a cross over the dough to bless the bread. This cross sign will also communicates when the dough has risen enough.
• Shaping the rye doughDust your working desk properly with rye flour. Shaping the wet dough into a pyramid-sharp boule is a challenge and you should be quick not to let the dough stick. Flour your hands multiple times and lightly add more flour whenever needed. Decide whether you bake 1 or 2 loaves and dust one or two more spots on the working surface where you place the shaped bread to rise (dusted parchment paper as a good assistant to load a loaf into the oven). If baking the loaves in a tin, prepare them with parchment paper.
• Dust the bread surface lightly with rye flour, cover with a kitchen towel and let it/the loaves rise for an hour. In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 225-240°C/437-460°F with a baking stone at least 45min in advance.
• Baking the 100% rye sourdoughThe surface of the bread now shows crackling and the pyramid like boule shape has flattened. Now we want to emphasize the crackling a bit more:press the top dome down lightly while supporting the bread from the sides.
• Do not score the bread. Instead, prick the surface of the loaf multiple times before loading into the oven.
• Bake on a baking stone for 40-60 minutes (lower rack). After the first 10 minutes, adjust the temperature to 200°C/392°F. Smaller loaves bake in 40 minutes whereas a bigger loaf can take over an hour depending on the oven.
• You know the bread is done when the knock on the bottom sounds hollow. Let the loaf rest on a cooling rack for a while (10 minutes) before tucking it in a kitchen towel. Let the rye sourdough rest covered and tucked in the tea towel overnight before cutting slices.
• How to store 100% rye sourdoughThe rye sourdough gets better and better the longer it sits on the table. Store it tucked in a tea towel in a cool place. The bread is good up to a week. Alternatively, you can freeze a loaf. Cut the loaf in half or slice it and freeze in plastic bags.

SUOMALAISRUISLEIPä (FINNISH RYE BREAD)

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in brown sugar, oil, salt and 1 cup of the rye flour.
• Beat until smooth.
• Stir in enough all-purpose flour to make the dough easy to handle.
• Turn dough onto surface that has been sprinkled with the remaining rye flour. Cover; let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
• Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.
• Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
• Punch down dough; shape into a round, slightly flat loaf.
• Place in greased 9 x 1 1/2-inch round pan. Cover; let rise until double, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake until loaf sounds hollow when tapped, 40 to 50 minutes. Immediately remove from pan. Brush top of loaf with butter; cool on wire rack.
• Note: Yeast Equivalents are One package = 2 1/4 teaspoons = 1/4 ounce.

SUOMALAISRUISLEIPA (FINNISH RYE BREAD)

Steps:

• Will have a more or less sour taste, depending whether it is made with beer, buttermilk, potato water, or milk, in that order. Heat 1½ cups liquid to lukewarm. Stir in the butter and salt. Set aside to cool. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (a temperature comfortable on the inside of the wrist) with the sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the yeast bubbles. Stir the yeast mixture into the cooled liquid. Add the rye flour and beat until smooth. Add the white flour, a cup at a time, stirring after each addition until enough is added to make a stiff dough. Dust a work surface with white flour. Form the dough into a rough ball, place it on the work surface, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Generously butter a large bowl or pot. Adding only as much flour as necessary to prevent sticking, knead the bread dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. (The gluten in rye is more fragile than in wheat. It needs a resting time to recuperate and reform and does not need as lengthy or vigorous a kneading). Form the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a buttered bowl, turning it to coat all sides with the butter. Cover it and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch the dough down, gently knead it for one minute, and divide it into two parts. Form each half into a round loaf and place the loaves in two lightly buttered 9-inch round cake pans or on a large, buttered baking sheet. Press a hole through the center of each loaf to give it a traditional shape if you wish. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in size, about ½ hour. Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Brush the loaves with water and gently puncture the surface all over with the tines of a fork, in a design if you wish. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. While it is hot, brush it with butter to glaze, and then let it cool on a rack.