Recipe request

I am looking for a sourdough NK rye recipe for a good Jewish rye or New York style rye; a rye that does not rely on molasses as one of the ingredients. The incredible NK sourdough rye recipe that I just made, and LOVED, is more “pumpernickel” than the typical Jewish rye I grew up with. On a side note, my 88 year-old mom declared the NK sourdough rye the “best pumpernickel ever!” Pumpernickel was always my mom’s favorite and she adored it when I shared some with her just yesterday. My husband has told me that he LOVES the way bread comes out using the NK technique and the covered clay baker. Now the search is on for a good NK sourdough Jewish rye!

Hi Leah. What do you mean by a New York or Jewish rye? I live in New York and find that all of the rye breads from bakeries that I’ve tried have too much white flour. I’ve been making the Breadtopia artisan sour dough rye bread for a while and it is a big hit every time. My modifications are to eliminate t the molasses (who needs extra sugar) and I only use a healthy amount of caraway seeds (probably about 1/3 cup) and skip the other seeds mentioned in the recipe.

Lucy

@ltrabulus, I guess the “rye bread” I grew up with really did have more white flour in it than rye flour. It’s a taste from my childhood I was hoping to recreate. BTW, the Breadtopia sourdough rye bread is the one I’ve been making and it’s SPECTACULAR! I love it! But, it’s much more “pumpernickel” than the rye I remember as a child. I was wondering about the amount of molasses myself. Is it all the molasses that makes the bread so much darker and more pumpernickel? Now, I haven’t modified the recipe yet BUT have been thinking about eliminating the molasses. I just don’t know if the bread needs any “sugar” in it to ferment properly. I do love the fennel and anise seeds as well as the caraway. To me, they add a great dimension to the flavor. IF I eliminate the molasses and don’t add honey or sugar, will the finished rye bread be lighter in color, more like “commercial rye bread?” Maybe that’s the only modification I need to make if I want more of a NY style or Jewish rye? Just eliminate the molasses and stick with the Breadtopia sourdough rye recipe we both seem to love? You’ve given me a lot to think about, Lucy. Thanks. Any other insights you might have would be appreciated.

Leah

Take a peek at Jeff Hamelman (Bread) and Stanley Ginsburg (The Rye Baker).

@ltrabulus, WOW! I took your suggestions to heart and decided to modify the Breadtopia sourdough rye bread recipe like you suggested today. Those simple modifications indeed produced what my husband decided was a great NY/Jewish-style rye bread! Like you suggested, I eliminated the molasses. I decided to leave out the orange zest too. Instead of the three different types of seeds, I just put in caraway, about 5 teaspoons worth. Since this rye bread is about 50% Breadtopia Select Bread Flour and 50% Whole Rye berries that I fresh milled, the bread is still much heartier and more “rye” than what was sold as “Jewish rye” when I was growing up. BUT, it’s a wonderful, rich, hearty rye bread perfect for sandwiches, to have with steaming bowl of soup, or just plain snacking. I got SO excited when this bread was done that I literally forgot to take a picture of the whole loaf before slicing into it! It’s a shame too, because the loaf was so pretty.


So, my picture is after I cut off a few slices, LOL…and a picture of some of those slices to show the crumb.

Thanks to your suggestions, this modification just may end up being my go-to rye bread. I really can’t thank you enough.
Leah

Hi Lucy,
I accidentally posted my reply to you to myself in this thread and didn’t know how to send it to you. So, please take a look at the end of this thread for my latest attempt at making a NY/Jewish-style rye bread. It was a success, all thanks to your suggestions. I’m thrilled. Again, many, many thanks!
Leah

I know the rye bread you mean and I would also love to find a way to replicate it. Growing up, it was the best part of a deli sandwich for me. Great memories.

@SingKevin, Hi! I baked a loaf of the sourdough rye bread here on Breadtopia’s site but made a couple modifications suggested by @ltrabulus to make the bread more like the Jewish NY style rye I remembered growing up. I omitted the molasses and the orange zest. I used all caraway seeds instead of a mixture of seeds. The resulting bread was a fabulous rich rye. True, it wasn’t exactly the same as the rye bread I remember as a child BUT it was wonderful and my husband LOVED it. I have decided that particular modification is my choice for baking rye bread. In fact, I’m going to be mixing up the dough for one tonight and baking it tomorrow. With this one, I’m going to use the mixture of seeds instead of all caraway, just so see which way my husband likes it best. Personally, either way would be wonderful. The rye we grew up with from our favorite deli or bakery wasn’t made with sourdough. That in itself will give it a different taste and texture. The amount of rye flour in those breads was considerably less than the 50% rye flour used in this Breadtopia recipe, probably less than 20% rye. The type of rye you use will also impact the taste. I buy whole rye berries and grind them myself as needed. That results in a rye flour that would be considered more “dark rye” or “pumpernickel.” Light rye flour wouldn’t have as strong a taste, in my opinion. The bread flour that I used was Breadtopia organic select bread flour. Give those modifications a try if you’d like. I do think you’ll be pleased. Will it be a taste from our childhood? Not quite. But it will be delicious.

Leah

It is sad/embarrassing, but the closest I have come to the old deli rye is using the rye bread mix from Bob’s Red Mill.