Sourdough Rye Bread

In a large glass bowl, combine active sourdough starter, whole grain rye flour and half of the warm water.

Mix and cover with a kitchen towel. Leave to ferment in a warm place (kitchen counter, away from draughts) overnight or until the preferment has risen and is bubbly throughout.

After 8 hours or overnight, brush your baking tin with a little oil and coat it with either of the flours. 

• If your tin isn’t non-stick, you may want to add a wide (not too wide as it will stop the bottom from crisping up) sling of baking parchment in the middle of the tin for easy removal.

To the bowl with prefermented starter, add whole wheat flour, the other half of water, salt and sunflower seeds, if using (hold some back for the topping). Mix really well, until no flour pockets remain.

Transfer the dough into the prepared baking tin, pressing the mixture down in the tin so that it’s evenly distributed and there are no air pockets.

Smooth the top with a wet hand or a wet spatula. Cover and set aside for 2-4 hours in a warm place, until the bread rises and domes out of the tin and there are a few pin holes visible on the surface (see photos in the post).

When your bread is nearly there, preheat the oven to 430°F.

Once the bread has risen, handle it very gently as you don’t want it to deflate. Gently spray the top with water and sprinkle with some (not too many) sunflower seeds.

Place the bread on the middle shelf and bake for 15 minutes.

• Optionally, place a deep baking tray filled with warm water at the bottom of the oven for a less hard top crust.

Decrease the temperature to 390°F and bake for further 55-60 minutes, the bread is ready when the bottom sounds hollow when you knock on it. 

• It is normal for this bread to get quite dark on top, but you could cover the top with a piece of kitchen foil for the last 30-15 minutes if it’s getting too dark.

Once baked, take the bread out of the tin (otherwise the bottom will get soggy) and place it on a drying rack to cool.

Allow the bread to settle (overnight or until stone-cold) before cutting into it.

Store on the counter, wrapped up in a paper bag and a kitchen towel. It will keep for up to 5 days once cut. To freeze, slice and separate the slices with pieces of baking paper before locking away in an air-tight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.