Finnish Sour Rye Loaf, Wholegrain and Dense

What you need

• 50 g (1/4 cup) active rye sourdough starter, bubbly, fed within 12 hours
• 500 g (4 cups) wholegrain rye flour, divided, 100 g for the starter build and 400 g for the dough
• 450 ml (1 3/4 cups) warm water, about 35 °C (95 °F), divided
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp butter, for the tin

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   The evening before, mix the starter, 100 g (3/4 cup) of the rye flour and 100 ml (1/3 cup) of the water in a large bowl. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 10-12 hours, until domed and bubbly.

2. 2

   In the morning, add the remaining 400 g of rye flour, 350 ml of water and the salt to the bowl.

3. 3

   Stir with a wet spoon for 3-4 min into a thick, sticky, spreadable dough. Rye dough is meant to be wet and it will not turn elastic.

4. 4

   Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until it looks puffy and shows bubbles on the surface, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

5. 5

   Grease a 1.5 l (9 x 5 in) loaf tin with the butter and dust it with a little rye flour.

6. 6

   Scrape the dough into the tin with wet hands and smooth the top. Prick it all over with a fork, 15 times or so.

7. 7

   Cover and let it rise for 45-60 min, until the dough has risen about a third and shows cracks on top.

8. 8

   Heat the oven to 230 °C (450 °F) while the dough rises.

9. 9

   Bake for 15 min, then lower the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Bake for a further 35 min, until the crust is dark and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

10. 10

    Turn the loaf out, wrap it in a clean cloth and cool on a rack for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight. Slicing sooner gives a gummy crumb.

11. 11

    Slice thinly and serve with butter, cheese or smoked fish.

Imported from cookgem.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.