Name: Sour Rye Bread with Caraway Seeds
Yield: Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients: 2 cups active Rye Sourdough Starter, stirred down before measuring, at room temperature; Cornmeal (for sprinkling the baking sheet); 1 package dry yeast; 1 teaspoon cornstarch, cooked in ⅔ cup water until translucent (2 to 3 minutes), then cooled; ¼ cup warm (110-degree) water; Pinch of sugar; 1 tablespoon salt; 3 tablespoons caraway seeds; 1 cup gluten flour; 1 cup tepid (80-degree) water; 2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup medium rye flour, or as needed

Preparation info

Makes
2
loaves

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Better Than Store-Bought

By Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1979

About

These tawny-crusted loaves have a crackled surface and the proper rye tang, enhanced with caraway seeds (which you can omit, if you like, but they lend much character to the bread). If you keep the bread for a few days (we think it improves in flavor for at least 24 hours after baking), restore the crispness of the crust by warming the loaf briefly in the oven before slicing it.