All-Rye Sourdough, Loaves One and Three of Two

[lwood]

The previously mentioned loaves were successfully proofed, and rose well.

Until....*doom chord*!

I was happily ensconced in Greyhaven's kitchen for the publication party for the glorious new novel, Sword of Avalon. Loaf one went into the oven, loaves two and three perched on a shelf over the stove, the better to rise in the warm air.

Then I went to scrape Loaf Two from its bowl onto the breadstone. I turned the bowl in my hands to get a better purchase...

...

...and my hand found a spot that had been warmed too much by the steam of the pot underneath it.

And to keep my hand from being burnt, my six-quart glass mixing bowl fell to the floor, shattering into a thousand thousand tiny cubes, with the proto-loaf in the center of the splash pattern.

About the only thing you can say for it is that it did happen at just the right time in the chapter dpaxson was reading to enthralled partygoers--there was no picking the glass from that dough, and I considered it a sacrifice to all and sundry as I put the loaf in the trash, sprinkled with the debris of its demise.

But Loaf One was eaten yesterday at Greyhaven's Sunday Tea; the taste isn't as aggressive as I would have thought! On reflection, dpaxson and I realized that much of what we think of as a "rye" flavor actually comes from caraway; should I make this recipe again, I'll be sure to add some.

The crumb was exceedingly dense, and paired well with soft cheese (a chèvre), semi-soft cheese (a cheddar with carmelized onions) and honey (an otherwise unnotable Sue Bee). Tomorrow, it'll be served with some kind of soup.

-- Lorrie

Comments

Re: Interested in the sourdough AND the rye

[lwood.livejournal.com]

Oh! The big difference between wheat and not-wheat here is that other grains will have less (or none) of a pair of proteins that combine to make gluten, the stretchy net that gives all those yeast farts someplace to go. Even another grain that can glutinize, like rye, won't have as much--so a loaf will be denser, and have far fewer holes.

-- Lorrie