Old Milwaukee Rye

⇐ Bread

Ingredients

Ingredient	Overall	Baker's % overall	Sponge	Baker's % sponge	Final dough	Baker's %final dough	Glaze
Bread flour, wheat	240g	55%			240g	68%
Medium rye flour (type 1370)	200g	45%	90g	100%	110g	32%
Water (41℃)	230g	52%	130g	144%	100g	28%
Salt	7g	1.5%			7g	2%
Instant yeast	3g	0.7%			3g	1%
Molasses (or treacle)	35g	8%			35g	10%
Butter, melted	17g	4%			17g	5%
Egg, beaten	22g	5%			22g	6%	yes
Caraway seed	6g	0.6%					6g
Rye sour culture	24g	5%	24g	27%
Sponge					244g
Total	784g		244g

Method

1. Sponge. Mix the sponge ingredients until well incorporated, cover and ferment at room temperature overnight, i.e. 10-12 hours. It should have doubled in size, be bubbly and have a clean sour smell.
2. Final dough. In the stand mixer bowl, place all of the sponge, ⅔ of the bread flour, the rye flour, butter, eggs, yeast and molasses. Add the water and mix at low speed (Kenwood 1) for 2 minutes, gradually adding the remaining flour, till mixed. Check that all flour is incorporated and no wet sponge left at bottom. Mix for 8-10 minutes at higher speed (Kenwood 2) - the dough should be leaving the sides of the bowl. Allow to ferment for 45-50 minutes until doubled in size. There will be some egg left over - use this to make an egg wash with 1-2 Tbsp milk and refrigerate.
3. Bench rest. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough down to its original size. Form into a ball or baton and allow to rest on a peel dusted with semolina/polenta. Alternative place in a well floured banneton. Cover and proof at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. Pre heat oven to 190℃.
4. Bake. Steam the oven. If using a banneton, tip loaf onto a dusted peel and brush off excess flour. Brush the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle with caraway seed. Slash the loaf according to your preference. Bake for 10 minutes with steam. Then remove water from oven and bake for a further 30-35 minutes until baked - internal temperature should reach 92℃.

Stanley Ginsberg The Rye Baker