I don’t think I posted many recipes that use rye flour. Did I even post any? Well, I think it’s past time to bake a sandwich bread that’s half whole rye and half all purpose flour. The dough is easy to handle and you can mostly ignore it, there’s only very little hands-on work required.

This recipe takes a bit of time, but that’s because you need to feed a little bit of your lievito with rye flour first. We acidify most of the rye part of the recipe because it brings more flavor and simultaneously puts the brakes on the enzymes. I’ll explain more about the enzymes and their shenanigans in several upcoming “random tidbits” so for now just bear with me.

• 160g lievito madre (can be serveral days old)
• 160g warm water
• 220g whole rye flour

Dissolve the lievito in the warm water and work in the rye flour. You’ll end up with a stiff lump. Store it in a warm place and let it ferment for 2-4 hours. It’s ready when it’s puffed up and riddled with tiny air bubbles. Just rip it open with a fork and have a look if you’re unsure.

Meanwhile, mix

• 300g all purpose flour
• 200g water
• 12g salt

cover it and let it autolyse until the rye part is ready.

To make the final dough, add

• the rye part
• the all purpose part
• 100g whole rye flour

to a mixing bowl and knead it together until you have a smooth dough. You don’t have to pass the windowpane test or anything, just make sure it’s all properly combined and smooth.

Form a ball, place it in a slightly oiled container, cover it up again and place it in the fridge overnight where it can rise to double its size. Doughs reside on the top shelf in my fridge, where it’s about 8°C.

Now it’s time to shape your loaf and then place it in a banneton for 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven including baking steel, pizza stone,… to 220°C / 430F.

Flip your bread from the banneton onto the pizza stone / baking steel (or into the dutch oven), score it deeply, and bake it with steam for about 40 minutes.

Let it cool on a rack, slice it up and enjoy fantastic sandwiches 🙂