Black Rye Bread with Coriander (Borodinsky-style)
A dense, dark rye bread with a tight, tangy crumb, perfumed with coriander, that keeps well and accompanies everything.
A dense, dark rye bread with a tight, tangy crumb, perfumed with coriander, that keeps well and accompanies everything.
Black bread is the ground bass of our table — under the borscht, under the herring, under the tea, it is always there. We make it with rye sourdough, heavy, almost black, with those little coriander seeds on top that smell so good when you break the crust. It is not tender like your baguettes in Paris; it is dense, it holds, it keeps for days. In exile, it is the tangy taste of that bread that I missed most, that taste of earth and fermentation.
- •Rye flour — in large proportion (body of the bread)
- •Rye sourdough starter — active (fermentation and acidity)
- •Malt or kvass — a little (dark color and flavor)
- •Coriander seeds — a spoonful (signature fragrance)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Black Rye Bread with Coriander (Borodinsky-style)
A dense, dark rye bread with a tight, tangy crumb, perfumed with coriander, that keeps well and accompanies everything.
Why this dish? Black bread is explicitly named in Exter's anchor: 'Russo-Ukrainian cuisine based on black bread.' Dense and long-lasting, it was the companion of every meal, from borscht to tea.
Black bread is the ground bass of our table — under the borscht, under the herring, under the tea, it is always there. We make it with rye sourdough, heavy, almost black, with those little coriander seeds on top that smell so good when you break the crust. It is not tender like your baguettes in Paris; it is dense, it holds, it keeps for days. In exile, it is the tangy taste of that bread that I missed most, that taste of earth and fermentation.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rye flour — in large proportion (body of the bread)
- Rye sourdough starter — active (fermentation and acidity)
- Malt or kvass — a little (dark color and flavor)
- Coriander seeds — a spoonful (signature fragrance)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Rye flour — 350 g (body)
- All-purpose flour — 150 g (structure)
- Active rye sourdough starter — 150 g (fermentation)
- Barley malt or molasses — 1 tablespoon (dark color)
- Coriander seeds — 1 tablespoon (fragrance)
- Warm water — 300 ml (hydration)
- Salt — 10 g (seasoning)
Method
- Mix flours, starter, malt, salt, and water into a sticky, dense dough.
- Let rise slowly for several hours (rye dough rises little but becomes tangy).
- Shape into a loaf pan, sprinkle with crushed coriander seeds.
- Let proof for another 1 to 2 hours.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in a hot oven; let cool completely before slicing (the crumb stabilizes after resting a day).
How it was made : Rye was the grain of the North and East, hardier than wheat. Sourdough black bread could keep for a week or more, and its acidity came from long fermentation. The coriander of Borodinsky became emblematic in the early 20th century.
The contemporary twist : Sliced thick and toasted, spread with smetana and dill for a minimalist zakuski.
Aleksandra Exter · Charactorium