There is another thread about sauerkraut in bread: here is the link.
In the thread there is note of a recipe that someone makes, but she notes that the bread is “flatish”.
I’m wondering if your recipe and maybe yours have a lot of rye to white flour ratio. Rye is tricky anyway … I don’t think the sauerkraut itself is going to make a bread flat … but maybe the fermentation in the 'kraut along with starter moves things along faster. Do you think maybe your tries were over proofed and thus nothing left to give in the oven?
My suggestions, baring someone having a recipe that has worked well for them:
30-40% rye max and the rest white flour
keep a close eye on the bulk and after shape rise … go for a bit under proofed vs over.
I like this light deli rye from The Rye Baker blog and as I have a lot of rye and I make my own sauerkraut … maybe I’ll give a rye sauerkraut a go and report back 