Rye Sourdough Bread

For the Bread

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together by hand to form a rough dough
2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it can be stretched out thinly enough to start to see through it
3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a cloth. Allow to prove at room temperature for 1 hour
4. Fold the dough – bring in the sides to the middle first, then fold both ends into the middle
5. Place the dough back in the bowl (seam down) and cover again. Prove for another hour or until the dough has doubled in size
6. Divide the dough in two and turn it over to form a ball in your hands
7. Place each ball in a floured proving basket or bowl and cover with a cloth again. Allow to prove for one more hour or until the dough has increased by another third
8. Preheat the oven and baking tray, skillet or casserole to 230°C
9. Turn the dough out onto a floured peel or your pre-heated baking tray and slash the dough with a sharp knife
10. Transfer your dough to the skillet or casserole, or leave it on the tray, and bake for 35-45 minutes until crusty and golden brown. If using a casserole, you can use the lid to trap steam and help form a crust in the first 15 minutes of baking (remove after this time). Once baked, the loaves should sound hollow when the underside is tapped.

For the Rye Sourdough Starter

Day 1-3

1. Mix water, 35°C, with flour and grated apple in a stainless steel bowl. Pour into a 2L glass jar with a lid
2. Place the jar in a warm place, ideally 26-30°C, for 3 days. Speed up the process by stirring once a day

Day 4

Transfer this starter base to a large bowl. Add 200g flour and 200g water, 35°C. Stir carefully with a ladle and leave for another 24 hours at the same temperature as before.

Day 5

The sourdough is now ready to use. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.

To keep your starter active, discard some daily and feed the remainder with equal parts of flour and water.