This may be a silly question, but this is my first time making a rye sourdough bread and the recipe calls for “just-boiled water”. Is there a certain temperature range that falls into? Or is it just water right after it comes to a boil?
Thanks!
I’m not sure if the recipe writer is trying to distinguish a simmer from a rolling boil, but I’d go with around 212F (boiling point).
If the water is bubbling, whether at a simmer or a rolling boil, it is 212F. The rolling boil just converts liquid to gas faster (i.e., more bubbles) but does not increase the temperature. So I don’t think it should matter for purposes of using in a recipe. But Melissa knows 1000x more than I do about making bread.
Many Scandinavian and Eastern European rye breads call for a scald, i.e., the flour is mixed with a given amount of boiling water and left to sit for a period of time before continuing with the rest of the process. I’m guessing that’s what’s going on in your recipe. Recipes I’ve seen say that to scald, use “boiling water” so I think “just-boiled water” means water you just boiled and didn’t let cool down. You can also google “scald, rye bread” to learn more about this process. Good luck!
Mr. Science to the rescue! I remember our exchange about superheated steam 
Hahaha. Me to. I couldn’t resist commenting on boiling water again.
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