Freshly Milled Rye and Wheat Flour Bread
This is my go-to recipe for bread. I absolutely love to eat it on the day it was made because the crust is extra crispy, and the center is nice and soft. The crust gets a little soft the next day and the center gets a little dryer as the days go on. This bread only lasts a day or two in our household. I keep the bread under a cake dome. If you like to give the slices a new life, toast it for a bit and the flavor will surprise you. Super good when you let butter melt into the toasted bread.
This bread is a denser dark brown dough bread. It has a smoother top crust and will not burst open much at all. It is not meant to be cut prior to baking or have intense oven spring. The finished bread has a soft and even crumb. No large air pockets should form. It’s perfect to hold jam without seeping through. But let’s stop talking and let’s get to making.
First, take your rye and hard red wheat berries and run them through your mill. I grind on the finest setting. You can weigh the berries out first and then grind them or weigh everything as the flour hits the bowl. I prefer the latter.
Next, measure out the yeast and water and mix everything a few times. Then add the salt and give it a good stir until all ingredients are just combined. No need to overmix, just make sure there is no more dry flour. I like to use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix everything. It makes it fast and easy.
Now you wait. Cover your bowl with a lid or kitchen towel and walk away for an hour. The dough will start its fermentation process. After an hour it’s time to stretch the dough. This dough is very forgiving and therefore this time is a bit flexible. You can start a little sooner or later, depending on your schedule that day. I promise it will be fine.
To stretch the dough, wet your hands, reach onto the side of the dough, grab and pull up. Fold the dough into the center. Repeat this step on all four sides. I sometimes stretch and fold a bit extra and form a dough ball as I go. You can also flip it over. Again, very forgiving dough. Repeat this step every 30 to 45 minutes. The dough will be very soft and loose at first and get firmer and stronger as you continue to stretch and fold. This is an easier way to develop gluten, while fermenting at the same time.
The dough will continue to rise faster and faster as time goes by. You can stretch and fold every time you see that the dough has doubled in size. I like to do this a few times. Some days I do it 3 to 4 times, others I go 4 to 5. Really depends on my schedule and when I can get the dough into the oven.
After the last stretch and fold, shape the dough into a rounder shape and let it rest while the oven heats up.
Place a cast iron pot into the oven and set the temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the oven is up to temp, carefully remove the very hot cast iron pot and remove the lid. Quickly, but carefully not to touch the pot at all, place the shaped dough into the center.
Close the lid and bake for 25 Minutes. After those first 25 minutes, the loaf will be done rising, and you can see the final shape.
Remove the lid and bake for another 25 minutes. to build the final color and crispy crust. The aroma in your kitchen will be magical.
Immediately remove the bread form the pot and let rest on a cooling rack for at least an hour, but better for two. This will keep the steam, which equals moisture, inside and settle into the final crumb.
Once cooled, cut and enjoy. The crumb will be soft and have small air holes evenly distributed throughout. This bread has a robust flavor and holds up well to liver pate, soft cheeses, like brie or camembert, and cold cuts. Try a side of pickles, or even pickled red onions with it. And don’t ignore it for breakfast with butter and jam, or honey. Or try some greens topped with an over easy egg for a delicious lunch. Sooo good!!!!
Bauernbrot - Freshly Milled Rye and Wheat Flour Bread
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mill your rye and wheat berries.
- Add yeast, salt, and water to the flour.
- Mix all ingredients together until just combined.
- Add lid or cloth cover and let rest until doubled. Roughly 1 hour, but this depends on your room temperature.
- Wet hand and gently pull one side of the dough up and fold over the middle. Stretch and fold all four sides. Add lid and let rest for 30 minutes. Dough will double again. The more you stretch and fold, the faster the dough will rise.
- After 30 minutes, but up to 1 hour and 30 minutes, stretch and fold again. Repeat this step 3-4 more times.
- During the last stretch and fold, form a gentle round loaf. No need to cut this one or shape specifically, but feel free to experiment with your loaf.
- Preheat oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit with a large cast iron pot inside. Pot must have a lid. A cast iron option will work as well.
- Caution - Cast Iron is heavy and gets incredibly hot. Remove the lid and drop the loaf into the center. Avoid touching the sides. Wet your hands slightly to avoid dough sticking to your fingers. Place lid back onto the pot and bake for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes remove the lid and bake for another 25 minutes.
- Remove loaf from pot and rest on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour, but better 2 hours.
- Slice with a serrated knife and enjoy. Delicious with sweet cream butter, liver pate, or strong and creamy cheeses.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
84.41Fat
0.34 gSat. Fat
0 gCarbs
18.01 gFiber
3.36 gNet carbs
14.65 gSugar
0 gProtein
3.81 gSodium
136.83 mgCholesterol
0 mgIron
0.21 mgVitamin A
0 IUVitamin B3
0.14 mgVitamin D
0 µgVitamin B5
0.05 mgVitamin B1
0.04 mgSelenium
0.03 µgPhosphorus
2.23 mgCalcium
3 mgCholine
0.11 mgFolate
8.19 µgMagnesium
0.39 mgPotassium
3.37 mgVitamin B12
0 µgVitamin B6
0.01 mgZinc
0.03 mgVitamin B2
0.01 mgVitamin E
0 mgAlcohol
0 gCaffeine
0 mgLycopene
0 µgVitamin K
0 µgVitamin C
0 mgManganese
0 mgFolic Acid
0 µgNutritional Information might differ slightly based on the specific ingredients you are using. If exact values are critical to your lifestyle, please check your products nutrition labels.
