experiment with Icelandic Rye - recipes for Icelandic Rye?

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kwbaker on 18 Aug 2018 at 09:29

I've been curious about the "low and slow" technique of Icelandic rye ever since reading a comment somewhere about it and how sweet that bread turns out. However, I can't remember where I found it but the drive to make Icelandic rye has been floating around in my head ever since. I've done some googling but haven't been able to find a recipe that doesn't use ingredients like honey, molasses, syrups, etc. I want a very simple recipe that focuses on the flavour of the rye. 

Anyway, when I realized that my oven can go as low as 170, I decided to wing it: I scalded 600g of whole rye flour with a much higher hydration than I meant to (I think I was somewhere close to 85% hydration), then 4 hours later added a small mason jar of old starter (probably about 250 grams), a handful of sprouted rye kernels I had been preparing, and then a handful of those same sprouted rye kernels roasted and blended into a malt flour. 30 minutes later I added about 10 grams of grey salt.

I let this sit for about 4 or 5 more hours until it was close to doubling. I then divided between two small baking tins which I then put inside two dutch ovens and set them to bake overnight at 170. 

I wasn't sure what to expect when I woke up, but visually it appeared like not a whole lot had changed. The oven wasn't even particularly hot. I bumped the temperature up to 220 for another hour and wow --- the loaves turned a rich chestnut brown. And the flavour --- it's incredible. (I only posted one pic because the other has nibbles all over it). I was surprised at how mellow and sweet and --- I would say even Umami-ish --- this bread is. They're very gelatinous but I'm wondering whether they'll firm up if I leave them out.  

At the end of this process I would still like to find a recipe for Icelandic rye that is simple in ingredients and relies primarily for sweetness on the conversion of the starches into sugars and try this again.

But I would say that overall this was a promising experiment. 

 

way:-)  Nothing wrong with that.  It can be baked at 100 C for up to 24 hours and then wrapped in linen.,I use plastic wrap, for 36-48 hours to let the water redistribute throughout the loaf and let the crumb set and soften the crust before slicing.

It is wonder bread that has a unique taste that cannot be created any other way!  There in a balering in Westphalia that has been making this kind of bread since 1570 and the original doesn't even have starter or satt in it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxfkORfpoiQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qTW0rb8zy8

I should change the thread title to "Making pumpernickel in a weird sort of way" :)

Well I'm hooked now. What an amazing taste fresh pumpernickel has. The first loaf disappeared - the other is wrapped to set. But I've had it with every meal so far - drizzled with oil, smeared with butter, topped with some lacto-fermented tomatoes and cheese. Damn.

And I feel like I relate more to rye than other grains: it's an underdog. It grows on marginal soil. It's a weed. Its flavours come out the more time you spend on it.