Sourdough Rye Bread Recipe [hearty + rustic]

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If you long to bake sourdough rye bread, but you're worried it might be too hard, then this easy sourdough rye bread recipe was written just for you.

This delicious sourdough rye bread recipe uses a combination of rye flour and bread flour to give you a perfect balance between taste, texture, shape-ability and crumb. Seriously, it's going to be your go-to rye sourdough recipe in no time!

I've shaped this simple sourdough rye bread recipe into a boule, but you can shape it into an oval or batard or even bake it in a loaf pan if you'd prefer. It works really well for sandwiches and toast, so you can just choose the shape that best suits your needs.

If you're looking for more sourdough rye recipes you might enjoy these sourdough rye bagels or this sourdough rye pickle bread. Or if you're looking for a recipe that pairs whole wheat flour and rye together, try this easy whole wheat rye sourdough bread, or maybe this spelt sourdough bread is more your style.

This beautiful sourdough rye bread has a rich color and intense flavor. I've enhanced the look of this boule by dusting it in rice flour which has enhanced the scoring pattern.

What Is Rye?

Rye is a grass, closely related to the wheat family. Rye has an intense taste that can be overpowering if it's not complemented with other stronger flavors. This versatile grain can be used in beer, whiskey, vodka and of course bread and sourdough! You can even use cracked rye grains in salads and greens for increased flavor and texture.

There are different types of rye including a lighter rye flour and dark rye flour. The darker the rye flour the more vitamins and trace minerals present. Using rye flour in your sourdough baking (or any bread baking) is a fantastic way to give your baked goods a higher nutritional profile.

While rye flour contains less gluten, it's not considered gluten free.

Sourdough rye bread that has been sliced across the boule. The slices are laid out on a wooden board to reveal the soft crumb. There is a butter knife on the side of the slices of sourdough.

What You Need To Know About Using Rye Flour

This really is a great rye bread - but the best thing is, it's much easier to work with than a sourdough made only with rye flour. Being lower in gluten, rye flour really needs to be paired with another flour of higher protein content to ensure it's not too sticky to shape. The richer, more complex flavors of rye flour really do pair well with the fermentation process which only serve to enhance their complexity.

Dough made with rye flour will be wetter and stickier than you're used to. The dough can feel a bit overwhelming if you're not used to it, but rest assured the wet dough will firm up as you perform stretch and folds. As long as bulk fermentation is timed well, you'll find this dough isn't too difficult to shape (as long as you have a dough scraper and rice flour on hand).

A bowl of sourdough rye dough with a hand in front of it. The hand is covered in sticky rye dough that is not mixed properly.
You will find this sourdough rye bread dough stickier than conventional sourdough made with 100% high protein bread flour but don't panic. Wet your hands and stay focused.

The most important thing to remember when working with rye flour sourdough is not to panic! If the dough seems to tear, wet your hands and gently perform some stretch and folds to further agitate the gluten structure.

What is the Hydration of Sourdough Rye Bread?

This sourdough rye bread recipe is 80% hydration. It has less flour than a regular white sourdough recipe, as well as liquid molasses (which is not actually part of this calculation).

400g of water (350g of water + 50g from starter) divided by 500g of flour (450g of flour + 50g from starter) equals 80% hydration.

Rye flour absorbs more water than bread flour or all purpose flour, so you need to add more water to make the flour workable. If you feel the dough is too stiff after autolysing this dough, wetting your hands can be a good idea to gradually work extra water into the dough.

You can read more about how hydration in sourdough bread here.

A glass bowl with sourdough starter, water and molasses added into it and stirred together with a white rubber spatula. There is a black scale under the bowl and a small white bowl of pink salt in the background.
This sourdough rye bread is a higher hydration than regular sourdough and also has liquid molasses added to the water which further increases the liquid available to the rye flour.

Do I Need a Rye Starter?

You don't need a rye sourdough starter for this sourdough bread, but you can enhance the rye flavor by building a rye levain specifically for this loaf. You definitely do not have to though and you can use your regular active sourdough starter.

But if you do like the idea of using rye for your starter you could build a rye sourdough starter or use your existing sourdough starter to build a rye levain for this sourdough bread.

To build a rye levain, take 20g of your own sourdough starter and feed it with 50g of warm water and 50g of rye flour. Allow the levain to double before you use it in this recipe. This will give your bread an intense rye flavor and can help to build a more sour flavor profile.

A grey bowl with a dollop of rye sourdough levain in the bowl. There is a small white bowl with pink salt and a bowl of flour also visible in the photo.
This rye levain was built from 20g of my bread flour sourdough starter.

How To Make Sourdough Rye Bread

Sourdough rye bread can seem a bit overwhelming because of the way rye flour dough can behave. The great thing about this bread is that it still contains a percentage of bread flour which provides structure and fantastic oven rise to the bread.

Autolyse

Weigh out your bubbly starter, water and molasses into a large ceramic or glass bowl. Mix them together briefly. Then add your rye flour, bread flour and salt and mix altogether with the end of a wooden spoon.

The dough will be fairly shaggy and only just brought together.

Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour. This process is called the "autolyse" and allows your flour to soak in all the water and become hydrated.

Sourdough rye bread dough that has just been mixed together and ready to be autolysed. The dough is dry and shaggy and there is umixed flour visible.

Forming Up Your Sourdough Rye Bread:

After the dough has been through autolyse you need to bring it together into a ball. You'll notice that the dough is fully hydrated after soaking all the water up.

Work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself until a sticky ball is formed (remember that rye flour will make the dough stickier than you're used to).

Once the dough has formed into a rough ball, pop the plastic wrap or food cover back on and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Forming rye sourdough into a ball using small stretch and folds around the bowl.

Stretch & Folds:

Over the next few hours you need to create some structure for your dough by "stretching and folding". Aim to do around 4-6 sets of stretches and folds. For each set, stretch the dough up and over itself 4 times. Leave around 15 minutes in between each set. Again you do not have to be exact with time, but you need to do at least 4 sets over 2 hours.

You will need to really work the dough to develop the gluten - because rye flour has a lower gluten content. But do not worry if the dough seems sticky, it will be ok and it will get less sticky during the fermentation process.

*if you want to add caraway seeds, add them during the second stretch and fold*

Stretching and folding sourdough rye dough - the dough is tearing in the bowl.
You can see the dough is tearing in this photo. This is very normal when making sourdough rye bread. Just keep working with the dough and it will strengthen up.

Bulk Fermentation for Sourdough Rye

Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the plastic wrap or damp towel back over your dough and let it rest and ferment at room temperature until the dough has grown. For this recipe you are looking for the dough to sit just under double (you don't want over fermented rye as it will be a big sticky mess).

You can find a full guide to sourdough bulk fermentation here.

Sourdough rye dough sitting in a glass bowl with a black and white dish towel and black dough scraper next to it. The dough is puffy and ready to be shaped.

Shaping Your Dough

Once your dough has finished its first ferment, it's time to form it back into a ball and give it some shape and surface tension. You'll need to have a lightly floured surface to shape this rye bread. I don't normally use flour to shape however you'll need some rice flour to shape this sticky dough.

Use a silicone dough scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl. You want it to land upside down on your counter so that the smooth top of the dough is on the countertop and the sticky underside is facing up. This will make it easier to shape.

Sourdough rye bread dough tipped out of the bowl and onto the counter. There is a black dish towel, banneton and jar of rice flour in the photo too.

Once the dough is shaped into a tight ball, place it into your banneton smooth side down, so your seam is on the top - this way the top of your dough will get the pretty lines from the banneton. If you're using a cloth or tea towel in a bowl it's ok to put your dough with the smooth side up. Just make sure the dough is tight.

Lift your dough around the edges to pop a little more rice flour if you feel it needs it. Just try to handle the dough as little as possible and be really gentle as you really want to preserve all the gases and air bubbles that have formed during your bulk ferment.

You will need a floured banneton to put your dough into. If you do not have a banneton, then a bowl or basket lined with a floured tea towel is perfectly fine. Make sure your bowl isn't too big though, you want your dough to retain some shape.

Whatever you're using needs to be liberally floured with your rice flour. If you're using a banneton - liberally sprinkle it with rice flour. If you're using a cloth or tea towel, rub the flour into it to ensure it becomes non stick.

Sourdough rye that has been shaped into a boule. There is a round banneton sitting above the dough and lots of rice flour around it. There is sticky dough stuck to the black dough scraper.
You can see how much rice flour I used to shape this sourdough rye. It was definitely stickier than shaping my regular sourdough bread recipe.

Cold Ferment

Now your dough is in its proofing basket cover it loosely with a plastic bag or damp tea towel and place into the fridge. I use a large plastic bag to cover it - I just reuse it each time. It's not totally essential to cover it - you can place it in the fridge uncovered if you'd prefer.

Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum 5 hours up to a maximum of around 36 hours. The longer you leave it the better your bread will be! A longer cold ferment creates beautiful blisters on your crust and a deeper sourdough flavour. It will also ensure your dough forms a skin which makes it easier to score.

Preparing to Bake Your Sourdough Rye Bread

Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 230C/450F.

Place your Dutch Oven into the oven when you turn it on so it gets hot. Try to preheat for around 1 hour to ensure your oven is super hot - but you know your oven so just adjust this time if you need to.

Leave your dough in the fridge until the very last minute - placing a cold dough into a hot oven will give you a great "spring".

Baking Your Sourdough

When your oven is at temperature. Take your sourdough out of the fridge.

Gently place it onto a piece of baking paper.

Make sure that you make the baking paper big enough to use the edges as a handle to lower to dough into your Dutch Oven.

Gently score your bread with a lame, clean razor blade or knife.

Sourdough rye boule that has been tipped out onto a piece of parchment paper. The dough has been scored with a cross. There is a wooden handled lame in the bottom left hand corner of the picture.

Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven. Place the sourdough into the pot using the baking paper as a handle. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven. If you want to you can spritz your dough with extra water before you put the lid on.

BAKE TIME:

  • 30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F plus
  • 10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F

If you feel your sourdough rye isn't done, it's totally fine to leave it in the oven for a bit longer. Sometimes I find that taking it out of the Dutch Oven and placing it on the rack directly for an extra 5 to 10 minutes can help to give your sourdough a deeper, darker crust. This can be important due to the extra moisture content in this bread.

Finishing Your Bake

When you remove your dough from the oven, carefully remove it from the dutch oven as soon as possible and place on a wire rack to cool. Sourdough bread containing rye flour takes much longer to cool than white sourdough bread. I recommend letting your sourdough rye bread cool for at least 12 hours before you cut into it (with your Mercer Knife of course).

A sourdough rye bread boule sitting in a cream enamel Dutch Oven.

Does Rye Bread Always Have Caraway Seeds?

Caraway seeds are a very popular addition to rye bread, particularly in the United States. They are used as a spice in the rye bread and are used to boost the flavor of the bread. Caraway seeds add an aniseed flavor to the rye bread which is quite unique.

A fun fact - caraway seeds are actually the dried fruit of the plant.

You don't have to add the caraway seeds to your rye bread (and in fact I prefer it without). This is the great thing about making your own homemade sourdough bread - you get to choose what you put in it!

Caraway seeds sitting in a small brown bowl.
Caraway seeds are optional when baking your own sourdough rye bread.

Should I Add Vital Wheat Gluten To Rye Bread?

Vital Wheat Gluten is an additive you can add to flour to increase the protein and thus give you a better gluten network.

It's often used with low gluten flours like rye and whole wheat. It's certainly not essential to this sourdough rye bread recipe (because it contains some high protein bread flour) however it's worth experimenting with to see if you prefer working with dough containing vital wheat gluten.

What To Serve With Sourdough Rye Bread

This delicious sourdough rye bread is just asking to be topped with your favorite things! Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy this hearty sourdough rye bread:

Slices of sourdough rye bread on a wooden board. There is a grey and white dish towel in the background.

Does Sourdough Rye Last Longer Than Sourdough Bread?

Because rye flour absorbs more moisture than white flours (like bread flour), sourdough made with a higher percentage of rye flour has a more moist crumb than you might be used to. This means that it will stay fresher for a little longer than conventional white sourdough bread, which can go stale very fast. I have found that this sourdough rye stays fresh for at least a couple of days, after which it's perfect for toasting.

Because this rye bread is oh so pretty, I love to store this under a glass cloche on my kitchen counter.

You'll find more ideas on how to store sourdough bread here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does rye flour make sourdough more sour?

Yes using rye flour can enhance the sour flavors of fermented sourdough bread. Rye flour has an intense and more sour flavor than processed white flour. This flavor is further augmented when put through a fermentation process like sourdough (or beer and whiskey making). Using a rye sourdough starter or replacing some of the white flour in your recipe with rye flour is a popular way to make sourdough more sour.

What is the difference between sourdough and rye sourdough?

Sourdough and rye sourdough are both essentially sourdough bread, made using a sourdough starter. Conventional sourdough bread is made with high protein bread flour, whereas rye sourdough contains a percentage of rye flour, if not all rye flour for increased flavor and texture.

Does it make a difference whether you use light rye or dark rye in sourdough baking?

Using light rye or dark rye won't make all that much difference to the actual process of making sourdough rye. However, dark rye flour will give you a more intense flavor and color to your bread than light rye. Dark rye also contains increased levels of vitamins and minerals, giving bread make with dark rye a higher nutritional profile.

SOURDOUGH RYE BREAD RECIPE - PINTEREST IMAGE
SOURDOUGH RYE BREAD RECIPE - FEATURE RECIPE IMAGE

Sourdough Rye Bread Recipe

A simple rye bread with big intense flavors perfect for sandwiches. Bake it as a boule or batard or even in a loaf tin, the choice is yours!
4.51 from 91 votes
Prep Time 4 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 day 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 1 Loaf
Calories 1814 kcal

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Digital Scales
  • Banneton
  • Dutch Oven

Ingredients  

  • 100 g Sourdough Starter (fed and bubbly) see notes for using levain
  • 250 g Bread Flour
  • 200 g Rye Flour (darker or light rye is fine)
  • 350 g Water
  • 25 g Molasses
  • 10 g Salt

Optional

  • 15 g Caraway Seeds (approx. 2 tablespoons)

Instructions 

  • Autolyse:
    Weigh out your sourdough starter, water and molasses into a large ceramic or glass bowl.
    Mix them together briefly. Then add your rye flour, bread flour and salt and mix altogether with the end of a wooden spoon.
    The dough will be fairly shaggy and only just brought together.
    Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour. It's ok if it's a little bit longer, it's not going to matter too much.
    This process is called the "autolyse" and allows your flour to soak in all the water and become hydrated.
  • Forming Up Your Dough:
    After the dough has been through autolyse you need to bring it together into a ball. You'll notice that the dough is fully hydrated after soaking all the water up.
    Work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself until a rough ball is formed. You shouldn't need more than about 20-25 folds to form the ball (and remember that rye flour will make the dough stickier than you're used to).
    Once the dough has formed into a rough ball, pop the plastic wrap back on and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  • Stretch & Folds:
    Over the next few hours you need to create some structure for your dough by "stretching and folding".
    Aim to do around 4-6 sets of stretches and folds. For each set, stretch the dough up and over itself 4 times. Leave around 15 minutes in between each set. Again you do not have to be exact with time, but you need to do at least 4 sets over 2 hours.
    You will need to really work the dough to develop the gluten - because rye flour has a lower gluten content.
    *if you want to add caraway seeds, add them during the second stretch and fold*
  • Bulk Ferment:
    Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the plastic wrap or damp towel back over your dough and let it rest and ferment (see notes).
  • Shaping Your Dough:
    Once your dough has finished it's first ferment, it's time to form it back into a ball and give it some shape and surface tension. You'll need to flour your counter top with rice flour for this (we use rice flour because it has no gluten). Try to be quite sparing with the rice flour, you only need a very light dusting.
    Use a silicone dough scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl. You want it to land upside down on your counter so that the smooth top of the dough is on the countertop and the sticky underside is facing up. This will make it easier to shape.
    You can shape into whatever you like. I prefer this one as a boule but it also works well as a batard or even in a loaf pan.
  • Once the dough is shaped into a tight ball, place it into your banneton smooth side down, so your seam is on the top - this way the top of your dough will get the pretty lines from the banneton. If you're using a cloth or tea towel in a bowl it's ok to put your dough with the smooth side up. Just make sure the dough is tight.
    Lift your dough around the edges to pop a little more rice flour if you feel it needs it. Just try to handle the dough as little as possible and be really gentle as you really want to preserve all the gases and air bubbles that have formed during your bulk ferment.
  • You will need a banneton to put your dough into. If you do not have a banneton, then a bowl or basket lined with a floured tea towel is perfectly fine. Make sure your bowl isn't too big though, you want your dough to retain some shape.
    Whatever you're using needs to be liberally floured with your rice flour. If you're using a banneton - liberally sprinkle it with rice flour. If you're using a cloth or tea towel, rub the flour into it to ensure it becomes non stick.
  • Cold Ferment:
    Now your dough is in it's "shaping container" cover it loosely with a plastic bag or damp tea towel and place into the fridge. I use a large plastic bag to cover it - I just reuse it each time. It's not totally essential to cover it - you can place it in the fridge uncovered if you'd prefer.
    Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum 5 hours up to a maximum of around 36 hours. The longer you leave it the better your bread will be! A longer cold ferment creates beautiful blisters on your crust and a deeper sourdough flavour. It will also ensure your dough forms a skin which makes it easier to score.
  • Preparing to Bake Your Sourdough:
    Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 230C/450F.
    Place your Dutch Oven into the oven when you turn it on so it gets hot. Try to preheat for around 1 hour to ensure your oven is super hot - but you know your oven so just adjust this time if you need to.
    Leave your dough in the fridge until the very last minute - placing a cold dough into a hot oven will give you a great "spring".
  • Baking Your Sourdough:
    When your oven is at temperature. Take your sourdough out of the fridge.
    Gently place it onto a piece of baking paper.
    Make sure that you make the baking paper big enough to use the edges as a handle to lower to dough into your Dutch Oven.
    Gently score your bread with a lame, clean razor blade or knife.
    Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven. Place the sourdough into the pot using the baking paper as a handle. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven. If you want to you can spritz your dough with extra water before you put the lid on.
    BAKE TIME:
    30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F plus
    10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F
  • Finishing Your Bake:
    When you remove your dough from the oven, carefully remove it from the dutch oven as soon as possible and place on a wire rack to cool. You'll need to allow this bread a bit longer to cool due to its higher moisture content. It will take up to 12 hours for it to cool completely.

Notes

Notes on Rye Starter / Levain - You don't need a rye sourdough starter for this sourdough bread, but you can enhance the rye flavor by building a rye levain specifically for this loaf. You definitely do not have to though and you can use your regular active sourdough starter.
But if you do like the idea of using rye for your starter you could build a rye sourdough starter or use your existing sourdough starter to build a rye levain for this sourdough bread.
To build a rye levain, take 20g of your own sourdough starter and feed it with 50g of warm water and 50g of rye flour. Allow the levain to double before you use it in this recipe. This will give your bread an intense rye flavor and can help to build a more sour flavor profile.
 
Notes on Rye Flour - rye flour has a lower gluten content than bread flour and so will make the dough harder to work with. Stick to it though, it should become easier to work with as you move through the stretch and folds. You can use light rye or dark rye for this recipe. Darker rye will give you a more intense color and flavor.
 
Caraway Seeds - if you want to add caraway seeds you can add them during the stretch and fold stage. I would recommend adding them during the second stretch and fold. They will become fully incorporated by the end of the process.
 
Notes on Bulk Fermentation - 
The time this takes will depend on the temperature in your home. If your home is warm then your dough will ferment a lot faster and could be done in as little as a few hours.. If it's colder, it will take longer, possibly overnight. This recipe has 100g of starter and is a higher hydration dough so it will ferment fairly quickly. You can reduce the starter to 50g if you want to slow the ferment time. You can find more information on changing the amount of starter here.
You will know your dough is ready to move to the next stage when it is nearly doubled in size. It will be fairly wobbly and full of bubbles. You should be able to see large air bubbles under the surface of the dough. You don't want to let it go any further than doubled as it will be over fermented. You can learn more about bulk fermentation here.
Notes on Baking - 
If you prefer a less crusty loaf, wrap in a tea towel and let it cool under that. The tea towel will make the bread sweat a little and soften your crust.
If you're worried about your bread not being cooked all the way through, turn the oven off and place your dough straight onto the oven rack. Leave the door ajar and let your bread rest there for a few hours.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 1814kcal Carbohydrates: 377g Protein: 57g Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Sodium: 3916mg Potassium: 1566mg Fiber: 36g Sugar: 22g Vitamin A: 59IU Vitamin C: 3mg Calcium: 253mg Iron: 11mg
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4.51 from 91 votes (78 ratings without comment)

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55 Comments

  1. Hello! If I want to bake in a loaf pan would I put the dough in the pan for cold ferment stage? Then straight into a hot oven? What size loaf pan?!
    Bake time??? Temp??
    Thank you

  2. I plan to try this recipe, but just have one question regarding the temperature of the bread after baking. What should the bread’s
    Temperature read in Fahrenheit?
    I usually use 210-212f as a guide.

  3. Can I use my Stand Mixer to work this sticky dough? (instead of the stretch and folds can I just mix the dough more in my mixer too?)

  4. Is there a trick to getting a good rise? Mine was as tall as my bannaton but didn't really rise in the oven like reg sourdough does. Pre heated DO's at 500 deg for an hour prior to baking and took out of fridge to score right before baking.

  5. I've just taken my loaf out of the oven and am so excited for it to cool and slice up for Reuben sandwiches! It took about 2 1/2 hrs to bulk rise and was looking great until removing it from the bowl to shape and add to the banneton. It was so sticky that I felt it may have deflated some in getting it out and never recovered during the cold fermentation time. It still looks great.. just doesn't have as high of a rise as I feel it should. Is that normal and next time how do I keep that from happening due to the stickiness of the rye flour?

    1. Oh wow Reuben sandwiches with sourdough rye bread sound amazing! Yes the rye flour will make the dough sticky to work with and it won't have as much oven spring as you might be used to with sourdough bread made with bread flour 🙂 But it will taste amazing!

      1. 5 stars
        Good to read the rise won't be as high as I'm used to. This recipe was easy to put together despite being pretty sticky but I expected that. Threw it in the fridge and it still kept growing. Left it over 24 hrs and just finished baking it. Can't wait to cut into it later. Corned beef and cabbage being served up with it.

  6. 5 stars
    I am jonesing to make a sourdough marbled rye. If I divide the recipe in half and use medium rye flour in half and pumpernickel flour in the other should that work out?

  7. excited about my first try using this sour dough rye recipe...most videos show fancy stiching and folds at the end of stretch and folds....is this more for looks or added lift?

  8. I'm tempted to try this recipe but I don't for bread flour. What can I use instead? Will all-purpose flour work?

  9. 2 stars
    The flavor was great but it is way to wet to work with. I don't know what hydration this is but I am going to adjust it to 75% by lowering the water to 313 grams, 25 grams molasses, 90 grams of starter, 9 grams salt to make 75% and 250 Bread flour and 200 rye flour.

  10. First time with rye and it's not fun. I did stretch and folds then left it to bulk ferment. It was still a bit sticky but thought it would get better after the ferment. Nope..it was a goey mess that couldn't be shaped. I threw into a cloth lined bowl and it's in the fridge but I think it's hopeless. Any tips for next time? More stretch and folds?

  11. 3 stars
    This dough is extremely high in hydration, and it is very hard to manage, and the bread turns out to be dense… If I include the 25 grams molasses, the hydration is over 83%… My starter is active as I can make all other recipes successfully. Should I decrease the water to 325 grams?

    1. Molasses isn't included in the hydration calculation 🙂 Just water and starter 🙂 It definitely shouldn't be too hard to manage. If it's dense, it hasn't had long enough to bulk ferment 🙂

  12. If I am doing twice the quantity for one large loaf, will I need twice the amount of time? If not, how long? Your recipe doesn't calculate for larger amounts. thanks.

  13. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong but my dough never seems to get that "oven spring". Does scoring affect this, maybe I'm cutting too deep?

  14. Boy, did I epically fail on this one! Started out fine. Got to the bulk fermentation and kept checking. Had to go out for a bit. Came back and it still needed a bit more time. When I thought it was done, it ended up too done..lol. Floured my surface and tried to turn out the dough. It started spreading and then proceeded to stick to the surface. Was all down hill from there. What a mess. My son and I were able to get it into a small oiled bread dish. I let it sit while the oven pre heated for an hour in hopes of a bit of recovery. It did rise somewhat while baking. Will see if all was not lost. I was mad at first but, it is a learning curve for sure and just have to laugh about the whole comic scene prior to baking. Your recipes are great, and I have some favorites. This one was a user error on my part. Will have to try again.

  15. Can the sweetener be left out for this, is it for hydration or flavor? I’d prefer it more sour than sweet, but if it needs a sweetener, can I sub maple syrup instead?

    1. This will depend on how much starter you use and the ratio you feed it, how warm or cold it is etc. There's really no specific time, except that it needs to peak.

  16. 4 stars
    I've made this like 4 times already! Such a great recipe. I just sub molasses for honey. The hydration being high makes it a little trickier to manage, but tastes so good!

  17. 4 stars
    Happy New Year! Made this last night. First time with such a sticky dough. I wasn't sure if I should have kept working it or not (did 5 folds) since it came out pretty squat. It is very tasty though. I was surprised how much it rose while in the refrigerator overnight. My regular sourdough doesn't do that. Anyway thank you so much for the recipe. Would love a video of you working this sticky dough and what it looks like when shaping. That was the hardest part for me. Appreciate all you recipes and help.

  18. Hi! I know it may be subjective, but are you able to give an approximate range of hours for the bulk rise? I am new to sourdough baking and appreciate it! Thanks. 🙂

  19. 5 stars
    The loaf turned out great! My family loved it! I followed the recipe and instructions with no subs to the ingredients. It is a higher hydration dough and quite sticky when you first start but it will get better as you go along with the stretches and folds. I baked the loaf using a cloche and the crust was gorgeous! Thank you, Pantry Mama, for the detailed instructions and tips!

  20. 4 stars
    I, too, had troubles with a sticky dough. Twice it partially adhered to the banneton while I was turning out onto parchment. Despite using a lot of rice flour on the banneton. Also, as you mentioned. less than usual oven spring. However, it tastes good.

  21. 5 stars
    My first time making rye sourdough bread and it came out amazing! So delicious, way better than store bought! I created and used a rye levain and doubled the recipe to make a boule & a batard. I also added in the caraway seeds during the second set of stretch & folds, as you suggested. The dough was a bit stickier than regular sourdough, but I had no problem handling it with moistened hands. Second rise in fridge overnight, baked early this morning. Yum!

  22. How would you adapt this recipe for a rye sandwich loaf? If more than an adaptation is required, would you please create a rye sandwich loaf recipe? TIA.

  23. This is the first sourdough bread recipe I have tried. It looked good when I brought it out of the oven. It had a nice crust and subtle tangy taste. The texture was, however, a little doughy and squashy which made it difficult to slice and toast. Could this be because I hadn't bulk fermented it for long enough? I found it hard to judge as it was a sticky dough to work with. It was bedtime and I thought it would be too much to leave it overnight so just moved on to the next phase regardless and hoped for the best! But it was delicious though and not bad for a first attempt.

  24. 5 stars
    I tried this once and it tasted great. I used sorghum instead of molasses. Though, the high hydration was a challenge, as I’m not used to it. Have you done this recipe with a stand mixer/dough hook before? I’m wanting to try it

  25. Is it possible to mix this in an Ankarsrum mixer? Do you have any tips or advice on adapting it to the mixer?
    Thanks!

  26. Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but my dough was severely sticky all the way through the process, even after fermentation. Never gained structure after S&F. I had to put it in a loaf pan because it turned into a puddle and stuck even to the parchment paper. I believe I followed the directions, and used a scale. Is this a common problem? What am I doing wrong? Used baking molasses, light rye flour and bread flour.

  27. 4 stars
    I've done this recipe a few times now. I couldn't find the liquid molasses so used molasses sugar or honey instead. Yes, it's stickier, yes, it's harder to shape and yes, it doesn't spring as much when baked, but boy does it taste good.
    I've been making bread using your website for almost a year now and I've put on a few pounds, I can tell you, but I'm now addicted to sourdough and never tire of the magic involved.

  28. In your directions you said 50gm starter 350gm water but recipe says 100gm starter did I misunderstood ? Also deflated when I scored over proofed?

    1. I'm trying to find where we've said 50g of starter, but I think maybe it's in the hydration section where we talk about the 50g? And there we're talking about 50g of flour and 50g of water to build a 120g levain. Anyway, you can use anywhere from 50g to 100g of starter for this recipe, I prefer 100g, however if the weather is warmer, I would definitely reduce down to 50g.

      Rye is quite difficult to work with and can over ferment, so dough deflating when scored can definitely be from over fermenting 🙂

  29. 1 star
    The dough so sticky it was almost impossible to work with. I tried adding more flour and nothing helped. There was no "stretch and fold" elasticity to the dough, just gloop. I weigh measure everything. No idea what went wrong here, but I will not try this recipe again.

    1. Have you tried adding some vital wheat gluten to your rye flour? This can help if your dough is too wet 🙂 You can read about it here

  30. I don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe to a “T”. When I took it out of the fridge, I was so proud of how risen and beautiful the dough was. Until it immediately began to deflate. And I do mean immediately! Help?!