our friend the rye grass

I like to bake rye bread for you regularly for three reasons:

1. ​it has a fine flavor - a little sour, almost bitter
2. ​the dough is a challenge to work with - sometimes the dough can feel like spackle.
3. ​it comes from a long tradition of sourdough backing in Northern Europe - the variety of rye breads in Germany is amazing

As most of you know, rye was long considered the poor man's grain; it  grows well in marginal soil and in cold climates and was used widely through Northern Europe in the middle ages.  It doesn't have as much gluten as its wheaty cousins so it is much harder to work with.   Rye berries have  a greyish cast - fitting given their dour Northern roots.

​This Saturday's Bake
​I will bake a whole grain rye bread for you, with 30% organic fresh ground whole grain, 30% organic rye flour and 40% organic white (this helps keep the dough workable and crumb somewhat open.)