Recipes
Sourdough Rye Caraway Loaf Recipe
A deli-leaning rye with caraway — moist crumb, bold aroma, smarter hydration for rye's quirks.
Bake a rye caraway sourdough with a bread-flour backbone (or careful high-rye method), enough water for rye's thirst, and caraway toasted lightly for aroma.
Balanced formula
- 350g bread flour
- 150g medium or light rye
- 375g water (75%)
- 120g ripe starter (rye-fed starter is excellent)
- 10g salt
- 10–15g caraway seeds
Rye handling
Rye means less elastic gluten and stickier feel. Rely on time and gentle folds. Don't chase a windowpane. Pan loaves are more forgiving than freeform for higher rye percentages.
Baker's notes
Weights assume a digital scale. If your kitchen is warmer than ~75°F, expect faster fermentation and consider reducing starter percentage or using cooler water. If colder, extend bulk and rely on dough cues over the clock. Pat mix-ins dry; wet inclusions effectively raise hydration and can wreck strength.
Make-ahead and storage
Shaped dough can usually cold-proof overnight. Baked loaves keep best cut-side down on a board for a day, then bagged. For longer storage, freeze slices or whole loaves and reheat with a light sprinkle of water in a moderate oven.
One thing to remember
When in doubt, give fermentation a fair window before blaming your oven or your scoring.
Scaling
Double ingredients by weight, not fermentation time. Larger dough masses hold heat and may finish bulk earlier.
Fermentation cues for this style
Watch volume and bubble structure more than the minute marks. Enriched and inclusion doughs can feel ready differently than lean country loaves — look for airiness without fragility.
Field notes
Treat this topic as a checkpoint inside a full bake, not a standalone trick that overrides fermentation. Document one success in enough detail that you could hand the notes to a friend and they could reproduce it. Keep salt around 2%, know your dough temperature, and judge readiness with rise and feel before you invent exotic fixes. Season the process to your kitchen, then play with inclusions once the base loaf is trustworthy.
Also useful: weigh everything, preheat longer than you think, and cool fully before you judge crumb quality. Those three habits make every other tip more reliable.
Frequently asked questions
100% rye?
Different playbook (often denser, pan-baked); start blended.
Toast caraway?
Lightly, yes — opens aroma.
Gummy rye crumb?
Fully bake, cool long, and don't underferment.
Rye ferments fast — SourdoughAI temperature-aware timing prevents overshoot.