Here is my quasi recipe for this bread
Stage 1, scald
In a 6oz mason jar I scald 3 rounded tablespoons of whole rye flour with some boiling water, mix it into sticky mass, add 1 teaspoon of white rye malt, mix well, cover and let stand in a warm place for about 2-3 hours
Stage 2, kvas (liquid preferment)
At this point the scald should be nice and sweet and of quite loose consistency. I place it in my bread bowl that has dried leftover dough on the walls and bottom. I add about 700ml of lukewarm water and mix well. I leave it to ferment in a lukewarm spot (for example oven with the light bulb on)
After a couple of hours there should be visible signs of fermentation: bubbles going up, slight foaming on the surface etc. This stage should go on until the kvas tastes pleasantly acidic. It may take anywhere between 24-48 hours
Stage 3, opara (preferment)
Now I add enough whole rye flour to obtain pancake batter consistency. I leave the bowl in a lukewarm spot until everything goes up and then falls back down. The opara should have a pleasant, acidic smell and taste. This stage could take 7-12 hours
Stage 3, dough
I add 4 teaspoons of sugar, a scant tablespoon of salt and enough whole rye flour to get a soft, but not too wet consistency. I work the dough with my fists for a couple of minutes until I'm happy with it (if you grab the dough in your hands it should be able to stay there and not flow down, it should somewhat keep its shape when you hold it) Now I smooth the ball of dough with a wet silicone spatula and let it ferment in a lukewarm spot until expanded and shows small cracks and broken bubbles on the surface. It can take 50-90 minutes. Now I roughly divide the dough with my fingers, form loaves in the air and place them in prepared pans. I smooth the surface with a spatula, trying to push the dough down and shape a nice dome on the top. Cover with a moist towel and let rise until expanded and broken bubbles start to show. It goes really quickly at this point, 30-50 minutes
Baking
I make a glaze using leftover dough thinned with water and brush the loaves. I dock the surface with a chopstick. Bake in preaheated oven 10 minutes at 475°F, 20 min at 425°F and 20 at 390°F or until brown on the top and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. 5 minutes before the end of baking I glaze the tops again. Right after taking from the oven I spray with some water
Let cool completely before slicing
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The process and resulting crumb remind me of making Borodinsky but it seems the dough may be stiffer.
What does it taste like?
I can't really follow the process from start to end. I think you have a rye sour? Not sure from previous posts. Also some confusions for me...
This dough on a bowl you mentioned is from a previous bake?
Not sure what this means but it sounds interesting:
Yes, the dough is stiffer, but it can be done the way one likes it. I prefer stiffer dough because it's more difficult to overproof it.
Forming loaves in the air: imagine a kid grabbing a lump of play dough in both hands and forming it into an oblong shape. Of course, it could be done on the board, but with sticky dough I prefer to do it "in the air"
The taste is simpler than borodinsky (no dark malt here) pleasantly acidic, with fruity and lemony notes.
Dried leftover dough in the bowl (from previous similar procedure) serves as a starter. But one can use a pinch of regular rye starter from the fridge as well
Here is my bowl with drying dough waiting for the next bake:
Very nice bake martadella, love the even crumb and shiny crust. I love that you’re able to bake by feel rather than rely on measurements like most of us.
Benny
Once I asked my late Grandmother for her bread recipe and she said: oh, it's very easy, just some water, flour and salt, and a piece of old dough. She wasn't able to tell me her proportions. I guessed she used mostly white rye flour. She baked weekly in an outdoor wood fired oven, 7 loaves each week! And this bread is also made by a grandmother who doesn't use a scale or a thermometer or clock. There is a yt video about her (in Russian)
Sometimes I go and grab some cool recipe and try it out but then I go back to easy simplicity 🙂