German Rye Bread with Sourdough Recipe (2024)

By

Jennifer McGavin

Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.

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Updated on 05/12/22

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Prep: 2 hrs 45 mins

Cook: 30 mins

overnight fermentation: 16 hrs

Total: 19 hrs 15 mins

Servings: 11 servings

18 ratings

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Rye breads are very popular in Germany and many different recipes abound. This one uses almost 50 percent rye flour with a sourdough starter to create a strong but tasty sourdough rye bread or rolls.

Because some areas in the U.S. carry only whole grain rye flour in the stores, here is a way to remove some of the bran to achieve a lighter rye bread. You could use light rye or medium rye flour with good results, too.

Notes on Rye Sourdough Bread

Sourdough in the Germandefinition is thought of mainly as the bacterial component, "Milchsäurebakterien" orLactobaccillus, and how they affect thebread doughand flavor. The wild yeast component is not studied as much and commercial yeast is added to almost every sourdough to ensure consistent rise.

Rye sourdoughsrely on acetic acid and lactic acid for their flavor, while wheat sours do better with justlactic acidaccumulation, which creates a milder sour taste. Not just the taste, but the way the dough reacts in the oven and its gumminess after baking is affected by the amount of acids in the dough.

Acetic acid is formed in stiffer doughs (like this recipe) and at room temperature (24 C or 75 F) while lactic acid is formed in wetter doughs (100 percent hydration) and warmer temperatures (28 C or 82+ F).

Because most research is performed to enhance commercial bakeries' quality, the home baker has a little more leeway. Still, a sourdough fed with rye will do better for you in arye bread recipeand a wheat-fed sourdough in a wheat recipe. If you want to make a lot ofrye sourdough bread, then try to find or start your ownsourdough with rye flour. Otherwise, atraditional sourdoughwill do fine for a start.

Ingredients

  • For the Rye Sponge:
  • 2 1/4 cups/300 grams​rye flour
  • 1 cup/250 grams water
  • 2 tablespoons/30 grams​sourdough starter
  • For the Final Dough:
  • 2 3/4 cups/340 grams bread flour
  • 3/4 cup/200 grams water
  • 2 teaspoons/12 grams salt
  • 1 teaspoon/4 grams instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons/7.5 grams diastatic malt powder (find it at Bobs Red Mill)
  • 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup (or light​ molasses)

Steps to Make It

  1. If you have a sack of whole grain or stone-ground rye flour, sift it through a fine sieve (1 millimeter or 1/32 inch mesh) and use the sieved portion for this dough. Retain the bran and large pieces of cracked rye for the crust. You will need to sift another cup or so, to get 2 1/4 cups of rye flour (300 grams). If you have medium or light rye flour, do not sieve.

  2. Mix the rye flour with a cup (250 grams) of water and about 2 tablespoons of rye starter (30 grams) which can come straight from the refrigerator. Feed the starter, while you are at it, then return to the refrigerator.

  3. When those three ingredients are thoroughly wetted, cover with a lid or plastic and let it ferment at room temperature (about 75 F) for 16 hours. If it is colder than 75 F, you might let it ferment a bit longer.

  4. You will not see any physical change in the wet, sticky dough, but you should smell a strong, sourdough smell.

  5. Use the entire rye sourdough and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix with a stand mixer for about 7 minutes on low with a dough hook.

  6. Turn onto a clean board and knead a few times with your wet hands. The dough is firm but sticky, wetting your hands will keep it from sticking too badly. Form into a ball, place in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth for 30 minutes at room temperature. You may see some rise.
    For rolls: On a lightly floured board, form dough into 100 gram balls, flatten to rectangles and shape into 4 inch baguettes. Dip the rolls into water and then roll in leftover rye bran or just roll in some white flour for a rustic look (no water). Makes 11 rolls.
    For bread: Divide dough into two parts and shape into boules (pictorial) or a batard (video).

  7. Let bread or rolls rise for 70 minutes on parchment paper, covered with a damp cloth.

  8. Preheat oven, preferably with baking stone, for 60 minutes at 450 F.

  9. Slash rolls or bread with a lame or razor blade.

  10. Slide the parchment with the rolls onto the baking stone, if you can. Bake with steam (5 minutes of steam) for 25 to 30 minutes (bread 40 to 50 minutes) and turn oven down to 400 F as soon as you put the dough into the oven.

  11. Cool bread on racks for dry crusts and eat or freeze as you like. The rolls make great co*cktail breads when cut into thin slices.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
115Calories
4g Fat
18g Carbs
3g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 11
Amount per serving
Calories115
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g5%
Saturated Fat 1g4%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 809mg35%
Total Carbohydrate 18g6%
Dietary Fiber 2g8%
Protein 3g
Calcium 56mg4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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German Rye Bread with Sourdough Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best German flour for sourdough bread? ›

Wheat 550 – flour with even higher binding power, ideal for baking with yeast and sourdough.

Which rye flour is best for sourdough? ›

Whole wheat's counterpart: Pumpernickel flour

This is also the kind of rye flour you'll usually find in sourdough recipes, as it's best for fermentation. Because the whole kernel is present in this whole grain rye, pumpernickel flour is coarser than white or medium rye and makes heavier baked goods.

Is German rye sourdough healthy? ›

As long as they're made with whole grains and have limited or no added sugar, both rye bread and sourdough bread are healthy bread options. Sourdough bread may be even healthier than regular bread because the fermentation makes certain vitamins and minerals easier for our bodies to absorb.

How much rye flour to add to sourdough starter? ›

Scoop in 75 grams of the mixture from the jar that fermented overnight, add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 115 grams water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let rest for 12 hours.

Why use rye flour in sourdough? ›

Whole wheat and rye flours provide more nutrients for your starter and ferment more actively, but working with rye flour makes starter maintenance easier than whole wheat. Rye provides increased fiber and nutrients similar to whole wheat flour, but because of its lower gluten amount it's much easier to stir.

What is the healthiest flour for sourdough bread? ›

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.

Does rye sourdough take longer to rise? ›

Adding a little rye flour to a sourdough starter can increase its activity. Sourdough bread made with rye will often ferment a little faster because micronutrients in rye flour encourage fermentation. Rye is most often used in combination with wheat flour to get the best benefits of both flours.

Can I use rye flour for sourdough? ›

Using rye flour in your sourdough baking (or any bread baking) is a fantastic way to give your baked goods a higher nutritional profile.

Is it OK to eat sourdough bread everyday? ›

Is it healthy to eat sourdough everyday? You could eat sourdough every day, but it isn't necessarily healthy to do so. A healthy diet is characterized by balance and moderation. Whether or not it is healthy for you to consume sourdough every day depends on the rest of your diet.

Is rye sourdough anti inflammatory? ›

Refined grains, such as the grains found in white bread and white pasta, are known to increase inflammation across the whole body. Sourdough bread and rye bread are both good options for an anti-inflammatory diet. The best sourdough and rye bread varieties to reduce gut inflammation are those made from whole grains.

What is the healthiest German bread? ›

Fünfkornbrot (five grain bread) is the healthiest bread in your bread basket. It is made of five kinds of grains, namely wheat, rye, barley, oats and maize.

What happens if you feed your sourdough starter too much flour? ›

The colony of wild yeast and bacteria inside your starter jar are fairly resilient, however, like most living things, they can be overfed. When you overfeed a sourdough starter you dilute the natural population of yeast and bacteria, making your sourdough culture weak and inactive.

Why is my sourdough rye not rising? ›

The most common issue is not kneading enough between rises. The yeast cannot float through the dough, so it has to just eat the flour near it. If it exhausts that supply, it's stuck. Kneading the dough a bit - and it doesn't take much - puts the yeast and bacteria back in touch with fresh food.

Why is my rye sourdough starter not rising? ›

Part of what makes a starter rise and become bubbly is the yeast. Yeast will become dormant when kept in colder temperatures. If your house is particularly warm (or if you keep your starter in the fridge), it could be sluggish. Try keeping it somewhere warm.

What flour do Germans use for bread? ›

The two types of flour most commonly used for bread in Germany are wheat flour Type 1050 and rye flour Type 1180.

What is Type 405 flour in Germany? ›

Germany's Flour Type 405 is equivalent to pastry flour. Pastry flour is made from soft wheat and has a gluten content of 8-10%. It is soft and ivory in color.

What is Type 812 flour Germany? ›

Type 812 is bread flour and produces foods with a chewier texture than all-purpose flour. It also gives bread the proper elasticity and strength needed to rise properly and maintain its shape while baking. It is made from hard wheat and has a gluten content of 11-13%.

Why is German sourdough bread considered healthier? ›

It has a lower glycemic index.

Compared to many other types of bread, sourdough is fermented in a way that depletes bad starches within it. This means that it won't cause your blood sugar to rise so drastically upon eating it.

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