Chleb razowy - Polish style wholegrain rye and wheat bread

This is the same as in previous post but I tortured myself with using devices, like scale and even the thermometer 😀 Oh, dear .... 

It can be done without any commercial yeast,  but I prefer it this way. More practical  and richer taste (yup, that's true) 

There we go:

Day one, stiff starter:

240g dark rye flour

20g rye starter, unrefrehed

Enough water to make rather dense, but not to dry dough (140g)

Fermentation at 26-28°C for a few hours, then at rt for a total of 16-24 hours (I did 22 total, rt was 18°C)

Day one, altus soaker:

70g of oldish bread (a good slice) torn into pieces

Enough water to cover it completely 

Optionally,  especially if you want to skip yeast,  add a good pinch of rye starter. Soak at rt until ready to make dough, then drain reserving water and break into a pulp with your fingers 

Day two, dough:

All preferment (or save a piece as a starter for a new bread )

All altus

+/- 400 g water (including the one from soaker)

4g  dry yeast 

20g salt

80g dense date paste or plum butter (powidla)

260g wholegrain rye flour 

260g whole wheat flour 

First break starter into pieces and whisk with some liquid to destroy the clumps.  Then add altus and the rest of ingredients.  Mix patiently with your fists, adding tiny amounts of water,  if necessary. The dough should be relatively dense, but soft. It will try to stick to everything it touches.  At some point it will become kind of slick and almost slimy on the surface, will also make specific sound when kneaded,  that means it's ready. Smooth it out and let ferment at 26-28°C for 60min (I did it in the oven with a light on)

Forming the loaf is frustrating,  I always try to do it in the air, but can be done on silicon mat with wet hands

Place the dough in the pan, press it down and smooth with silicone spatula.  Cover and let proof at 26-28°C, 45 min, then, if necessary, another 15 or so, at rt, while you preheat the oven 

Dock and glaze the surface (I used rye flour and water slurry)

Bake 10 minutes at 475°F, 30 minutes at 400 and final 20 minutes at 350. 10 minutes before taking out of the oven glaze the crust again 

This bread is very tasty. The acidity is pronounced,  but at the same time countered and balanced with sweetness of fruit preserves.  The aroma is very rich, typical of hybrid fermentation. The long incubation of preferment assures that there is no chance of enzymatic destruction of crumb. Without any problems this can be baked as a 100% rye

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