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Bavarian rye bread

Corina Gaffney <corinaesq@gmail.com>
Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:56:25 -0400
v111.n029.2
>I just returned from a trip that included Munich and Vienna and 
>would like to duplicate two wonderful breads I had there.  All the 
>rye breads I tasted were delicious, some with a sour tang and some 
>not.  The other wonderful treat at the bakerei was a squarish whole 
>wheat roll with all manner of seeds on top.
>Thanks so much!
>Jolie

Be prepared to take a long time to bake these breads (at least the 
Bavarian rye bread). This bread would have been made with a natural 
sourdough starter, which is absolutely essential to the success of 
the bread. So, not only will you be spending about 10 days to get a 
starter going, you would likely spend 2 to 3 days just preparing the 
dough for baking. I took a professional bread baking class last 
August at the King Arthur Bakery in Vermont, taught by master baker, 
Jeffrey Hamelman. We made all manner of rye breads (and others), all 
using only the natural starter as leavening. If anyone is interested 
in the rye bread that takes 3 days, I can provide a baker's 
percentage formula, which you will have to adjust down to home baking 
needs (it is a production-level recipe) on your own, as that was my 
greatest stumbling block (I really don't like math!). As for the roll 
with all manner of seeds on top, it likely was made with a natural 
sourdough starter as well (most German breads are), but you can get a 
nice assortment of seeds for topping breads at the King Arthur Flour 
website (no, I am not affiliated with King Arthur in any way, nor am 
I being paid to advertise them, though I highly recommend their flour!).

Corina

[[Editor's note: Please do post the recipe. We can do the math.]]