Homemade Rye Sourdough Bread - the smell that makes a kitchen feel like home 🍞

Freshly baked bread has a special kind of comfort. It is not only about the taste. It is the smell of flour, caraway and a crisp crust slowly filling the kitchen. Once the bread is sliced while still slightly warm, all you really need is butter, cheese or a simple spread.

Sourdough baking can look complicated at first. But there are two ways to approach it. You can use Dr. Oetker Rye Sourdough Starter / Dr. Oetker Žitný Kvásek for a quicker method with added dry yeast, or you can revive the starter over several days and bake with a living sourdough culture. 

Dr. Oetker Rye Sourdough Starter is suitable for bread, rolls and sweet yeast recipes too. You can also use it for Czech sweet breads such as mazance, vánočka or rich bundt cakes. It contains plant-based ingredients and is suitable for vegan baking.

Two ways to bake with rye sourdough 🥣

Quick baking when you want bread today

The easiest way is to combine the dried starter with dry yeast. The starter gives the bread its light tang and characteristic aroma, while the yeast helps the dough rise well.

This option is useful when you do not have an active starter at home but still want to make homemade bread without several days of preparation.

Traditional baking with a living starter

The second option needs more time, but that is exactly what many people enjoy about sourdough baking. You revive the dried starter, feed it with rye flour and water for several days, and then bake bread without additional leavening agents.

A ready starter becomes bubbly, lightly tangy and gradually increases in volume. With regular feeding, you can keep it in the fridge and use it again for future baking.

Rye sourdough bread with caraway 🌾

This recipe is made with revived, active rye sourdough starter.

To revive the rye starter

• 1 packet Dr. Oetker Rye Sourdough Starter
• 2 tbsp fine rye flour
• the same amount of water
• extra rye flour and water for feeding

For the dough

• 340 g plain flour
• 160 g rye bread flour
• 280 g active rye sourdough starter
• 2 level tsp salt
• 1 level tsp crushed caraway seeds
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 300 ml water

Equipment

Tip: 🥖 Tescoma Basket w.dish f.homem.bread DELLA CASA – Perforated design for a classic crust 

• a larger jar with a lid
• cling film
• a mixing bowl
• a proofing basket or bowl lined with a floured cloth
• baking tray
• aluminium foil
• cooling rack

How to revive dried rye starter 🌿

In a larger jar, mix one packet of dried starter with a small amount of water and let it stand for about 30 minutes.

Then add two tablespoons of rye flour and the same amount of water. Mix well, cover the jar loosely and leave it at room temperature.

After 24 hours, feed the starter again with two tablespoons of flour and the same amount of water. From the following day, feed it twice a day.

After about 4 to 5 days, the starter should be ready for baking. It works best at around 21 to 35 °C.

Dough preparation and baking 🥖

1. In a large bowl, combine plain flour, rye flour, active starter, salt, crushed caraway, honey and water.
2. Knead the dough thoroughly by hand. It does not need to feel as firm as a standard wheat dough, as rye flour gives it a different texture.
3. Shape it into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 3 hours.
4. During the rise, roughly once every hour, gently pull the dough from each side and fold it back towards the centre. Repeat this about three times.
5. Line a proofing basket or bowl with a well-floured cloth. Place the dough inside, cover it and let it rise for another 1.5 hours.
6. Heat a baking tray in the oven, then lightly oil it. Carefully turn the risen dough onto the tray and cover with aluminium foil.
7. Bake for the first 10 minutes at:
   • 250 °C in a conventional oven
   • 230 °C in a fan oven
8. Then reduce the temperature to:
   • 220 °C in a conventional oven
   • 210 °C in a fan oven
9. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned.
10. Leave the bread to cool on a rack. It is tempting to cut it straight away, but a little cooling time helps the crumb settle properly.

Keeping some starter for your next loaf 🫙

When baking, you can save a small part of the active starter for next time. Put a few spoonfuls into a jar, but do not seal it too tightly, and store it in the fridge.

It will keep for about 5 days, or up to a week at most. Then feed it with rye flour and lukewarm water and let it become active again at room temperature.

Over time, you can build your own starter that is ready whenever you feel like baking bread.

A small tip for your first bake 💡

When you are starting with sourdough, do not expect every loaf to look like it came from a professional bakery. A slightly uneven loaf can still taste wonderful.

The important things are giving the dough enough rising time, avoiding too much extra flour while handling it, and allowing the bread to cool properly after baking.

You can find Dr. Oetker Rye Sourdough Starter on CzechiaFood and begin baking bread that smells just like home.

Wherever you are, we’re happy to bring a little taste of Czech home to your table.