I’ve been making both the no knead sourdough and the sourdough rye breads. They turn out okay but fairly flat.
When working the dough it is very gooey and won’t hold the shape. I have increased flour each time but it still spreads out like slime. I can’t even pick it up to get it in the basket. I’m at high altitude (4200 feet) so I’m not sure if that’s the issue or not.
Any ideas on how I can get more structure and firmness?
Looks great to me. I have never seen a freestanding 100% rye sourdough that’s any taller. I think it looks very typical.
A recipe would help though. What’s the crumb like?
I’m using the Breadtopia recipe (Artisan Sourdough Rye Bread | Breadtopia). It’s pretty heavy but delicious. When I put it in my baking vessel it’s almost like a stiff cake batter and doesn’t hold its shape at all. I have to just sort of glob it in and smooth it back to shape before it goes in the oven. Here’s a picture of it cut.
That is a very nice looking slice. Love the recipe myself and understand where you’re coming from. At best it is a sticky dough but a few factors will affect the outcome. There are a lot of types of rye flours out there and very possibly you aren’t using exactly the same thing as in the recipe. Even your bread flour is probably different. These factors will definitely affect the hydration and handling. What you might need is either a change in flour and/or hydration. For best results I think using a bread flour of 14% protein or higher will make a big difference. Don’t forget it’s 50% rye and the stronger the bread flour the better the structure of the final dough. If this doesn’t work or you can’t find very strong bread flour then dropping the hydration will help. Try 10% and see how that goes. If you find the dough really has no structure then you can always make a pan loaf.
But honestly, I think your resulting loaf is typical of this type of rye recipe.
Awesome. Thank you! I love the taste of this loaf. This is my second attempt so hopefully I’ll get it perfect with practice. I appreciate your responses!
My pleasure. Best of luck. Whatever the outcome it’s always tasty. I’m sure with a very strong bread flour and if need be lowering the hydration you’ll find it handles better. Looking forward to seeing some more of your bakes.
P.s. I also forgot to say that if you think the dough needs more strengthening then give it a few more mixes. And I also find the ferment is quite long so it might be over fermenting. Might help to start in the morning and keep your eye on it.
Good ideas and input. Thank you so much!