## 40% Rye with Caraway

***_JMonkey_***

> There is no other bread for a Reuben.
>
> This recipe was adapted from _Bread_ by Jeffrey Hammelman.

**Formula**

* Whole rye flour: 40%
* White flour: 60%
* Water: 75%
* Salt: 1.8%
* Caraway seeds: 1.8%

40% of the flour (all the rye) is in the starter at 100% hydration.

**Ingredients**

* White flour: 300 grams or about 2 generous cups
* Rye starter (at 100% hydration): 400 grams or 1¼ cups
* Water: 175 grams or ¾ cup
* Salt: 9 grams or 1.25 tsp
* Caraway seeds: 9 grams or 1 Tbs + 1 tsp

**Mixing**

Dissolve the starter into the water, and then add the salt and caraway
seeds. Add the flour and mix until everything is hydrated.

**Dough development and the first rise**

You’ll want to do either the stretch and fold or traditional kneading.
Either way, it’ll be a little tricky because the rye will make the
dough sticky. Keep at it – the dough will come together, though it
will be more clay-like than a 100% wheat dough.

**Shaping**

Be gentle. You want to retain as many of those air bubbles as
possible. Rounds and batards are the traditional shapes.

**Second rise**

You can let it rise for another 2 hours at room temperature. You can
also speed things up (and increase sourness) by placing the dough on
an upturned bowl in the bottom of a picnic cooler, throwing a cup of
boiling water in the bottom and covering it quickly. After an hour,
throw another cup of hot water in. The rise should only take a 90
minutes this way.

**Baking**

Score the bread as you like. Hash marks are traditional for rounds,
and batards usually take a single, bold stroke down the center or a
couple of baguette-style slashes.

While you can certainly bake this bread on a cookie sheet, it benefits
from a stone and some steam, or a covered baker. However you do it,
bake at 450\degree F for about 40 minutes.