A recipe from two starters, one a rye sourdough, the other one a spelt poolish. Very happy with the result, hope I can improve the cutting next time.

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[–] 3 points 8 months ago (8 children)

That sounds German, but do Germans like sourdough? Seems like Germans really like thicker dense breads. Sourdough is usually so light and fluffy.

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  • [–] [S] 6 points 8 months ago (7 children)

    It’s a bread from Brotbackbuch Nr. 1 (Book of Baking Bread, Vol. 1) by Lutz Geissler. The book is German to its core, and I adore it. Lutz emphasizes controlling all parameters of the baking process: weight, time, and temperature. All recipes include the ingredients' temperature, and he gives yeast and salt in hundredths of a gram.

    I recall that most of the breads discussed in the book rely on a sourdough starter. Rye-based breads are popular in Germany, and rye really requires a sourdough.

    The Rundbrot doesn't have an especially fluffy crumb, and I think it's fair to say that's true for traditional German breads in general. It's a wonderful bread though. Nutritious, with milled and wholegrain flours (wheat, rye, spelt), and a distinct sourdough taste and smell.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    Yeah in the last pic it looks very dense, like other breads I have had in Germany.

    In the US, sourdough breads are usually very light and fluffy on the inside. I don’t think I have ever seen or had such a bread in Germany.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    For reference in terms of density, this is a pic from the book of the crumb of another sourdough bread (Schwarzbrot) that’s almost entirely made of rye wholegrain:

    So yeah, not at all like the fluffy goodness others have posted here 😁

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    I grew up spending a lot of summers in wien visiting my family. I’d have rye toast bread with cherry jam every morning but ever since I moved to the states I’ve never found bread that tastes as good as there. Does this cookbook produce rye bread that’s spot on what I’d get in anker / billa or better bread places?

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 8 months ago (1 child)

    Austrian flours are milled to different standards compared to German flours, meaning that they have different recipes - so you won’t find any truly Austrian breads in Lutz‘ book.

    If you’re fine with that, you’ll find recipes for gorgeous rye breads in the book that probably taste close to what you had in Vienna.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

    Wow, beautiful bread with a lovely looking crumb. Unfortunately, I don't own the book but would love a little detail so that I can attempt something similar. Is the spelt poolish made with yeast?

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 8 months ago* (2 children)

    Thanks! This is the recipe. The poolish is 1 part spelt, 1 part water, and .01 part yeast. I added a chart from the book for converting German flour types, maybe that’s helpful.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

    That looks delicious. I know when I do a rye I aim for bouncy & dense, this looks so evenly risen for such a tight crumb.

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