Rye#
Same two protein classes as wheat. No gluten.
Everything holding this loaf up is something else.
Pentosans take the water first#
| Flour | Pentosans | Gluten network |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 2–3% | yes |
| Rye | 6–8% | no |
Pentosans hold up to ten times their own weight in water. Three times as much of them, hydrating first, leaves the protein chains dry and boxed in.
So there is nothing to develop#
- no windowpane — there is no film to pull
- kneading tears the gel and smears the starch
- structure = hydrated pentosan gel + gelatinised starch
- 80% hydration reads as paste, and that is correct
Four minutes of mixing. Then stop.
Amylase eats the crumb#
Rye starch starts gelatinising near 55 °C — a few degrees earlier than wheat.
Alpha-amylase is still alive at that temperature, and gelatinised starch is exactly what it can digest.
Starch → dextrins → a sticky core that never sets.
The sour is structural#
pH 4.3 suppresses the amylase and pushes gelatinisation later.
Not a flavour decision.
Building one#
20–40% of total flour · 26–28 °C · 12–16 hours
Seed it from your wheat starter. Warmth, not balance, is what you are after.
Ready when it has risen, dipped in the centre, and tastes sharp enough to make you wince.
Filling a tin, not shaping a loaf#
Wet spatula, wet hand, smooth the top flat.
Fine cracks opening across the dusted surface mean bake now. Gaping fissures mean you are late.
250 °C with steam for 15 minutes, then 190 °C for another 45–60.
Wait 24 hours#
The crumb is still setting on the rack: the starch gel retrogrades and binds water that is currently free.
Cut it warm and it smears down the blade in a grey band.
48 hours is better.