Rye Sourdough Black Bread (Roggenbrot)
A compact, flavorful bread made with rye sourdough, perfumed with caraway, with a dark, tight crumb. The older it gets, the more its taste develops: the bread for a whole week.
A compact, flavorful bread made with rye sourdough, perfumed with caraway, with a dark, tight crumb. The older it gets, the more its taste develops: the bread for a whole week.
Bread, you see, is the foundation of everything with us; without it no supper. We kept a rye sourdough, living and tangy, which we fed with flour and water as one tends a fire. The dough is heavy, it does not rise like the white bread of the rich, but it keeps all week and sustains a man at work. Cut a thick slice, lay cheese and a bit of bacon on it: there is the evening meal of honest folk.
- •Rye flour — the greatest part (base)
- •Rye sourdough — a good handful (fermentation)
- •Water — as needed (hydration)
- •Salt — a generous pinch (seasoning)
- •Caraway — to taste (signature spice)
Rye Sourdough Black Bread (Roggenbrot)
A compact, flavorful bread made with rye sourdough, perfumed with caraway, with a dark, tight crumb. The older it gets, the more its taste develops: the bread for a whole week.
Why this dish? Rye bread is named in the very anchor of the sheet: it is the foundation of the Grimms' diet. At the cold supper, this dense bread supported cold cuts and cheeses, and kept for several days, a precious asset for a frugal household.
Bread, you see, is the foundation of everything with us; without it no supper. We kept a rye sourdough, living and tangy, which we fed with flour and water as one tends a fire. The dough is heavy, it does not rise like the white bread of the rich, but it keeps all week and sustains a man at work. Cut a thick slice, lay cheese and a bit of bacon on it: there is the evening meal of honest folk.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rye flour — the greatest part (base)
- Rye sourdough — a good handful (fermentation)
- Water — as needed (hydration)
- Salt — a generous pinch (seasoning)
- Caraway — to taste (signature spice)
Ingredients
- Rye flour (T130/T170) — 400 g (base)
- All-purpose wheat flour (T80) — 100 g (crumb structure)
- Active rye sourdough starter — 150 g (fermentation)
- Warm water — 350 ml (hydration)
- Salt — 10 g (seasoning)
- Caraway seeds — 1 tbsp (signature spice)
Method
- Mix flours, starter, water, salt, and caraway until a sticky, dense dough forms (no long kneading for rye).
- Place in an oiled loaf pan, smooth the surface with a wet spatula.
- Let rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature until cracks appear on the surface.
- Bake at 230°C for 15 minutes, then reduce to 200°C for 40 minutes.
- Unmold and let cool completely, ideally rest for a whole day before slicing.
How it was made : Rye grows better than wheat on the poor, cold soils of northern Germany: it was the people's bread. Lacking baker's yeast, families carefully kept a sourdough starter, passed down and maintained from batch to batch.
The contemporary twist : Incorporate toasted sunflower seeds and a drizzle of molasses for a 'Vollkornbrot' version with a darker crust.
Brothers Grimm · Charactorium