Sourdough bread made from rye is a healthy alternative to wheat, has a rich history and is so tasty! Learn how to create 100% wholegrain rye sourdough breads in your own kitchen, whether you are a novice or seasoned baker.

Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics

Rye is an ancient grain packed with a rich, deep flavor that has a long history of being used to make bread. It’s low in gluten and brought to life in sourdough loaves, making an exciting, tasty, and healthy alternative to wheat.

In Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics, you’ll learn everything you need to know to create delicious, nutritious 100% wholegrain rye sourdough bread in your own kitchen, whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned baker. You’ll be taught why rye is a wonderful flour for sourdough starters, and be walked through, step-by-step, creating your own. Then, armed with this starter, you’ll create a rye bread you can make and eat daily, along with a more adventurous Russian-style rye loaf. You’ll also also learn ways in which you can use your sourdough discard to create even more rye deliciousness!

You will learn:

• From over 240 minutes of step-by-step video, plus photos and downloadable instructions (all available to keep, forever)
• Why rye is such a great choice for sourdough bread, including its health benefits and history
• How to create a 100% wholegrain rye starter from scratch and how to easily maintain this starter, no matter how often you bake
• How to create a reliable, delicious everyday wholegrain rye sourdough bread
• How to use more advanced techniques to create a Russian-style wholegrain rye sourdough bread
• How to use your sourdough discard, including recipes for wholegrain rye pancakes and spice bread

Course curriculum

Welcome & Course Overview

Module 1: Why Rye & Why Whole Grain?

• The rich history of rye and rye breads
• Why rye, why wholegrain and why sourdough
• Bread-making with rye: The low down – part 1 – introduction
• Bread-making with rye: The low down – part 2 – comparison
• Bread-making with rye: The low down – part 3 – the bottom line
• In pictures! Bread-making with rye v. bread-making with wheat
• Sourcing your flour, grinding grain and storing rye

Module 2: How To Make & Maintain a Rye Sourdough Starter

• Get ready for this module!
• What is a sourdough starter and why use wholegrain rye?
• The equipment you’ll need
• In pictures! Downloadable starter creation and maintenance graphic.
• How to create a rye sourdough starter
• How to maintain a rye sourdough starter
• Rye sourdough starter FAQs

Module 3: The Breads: Equipment & What To Expect

• Useful equipment for baking rye sourdough bread
• Equipment listing to download
• How to tent a loaf tin with aluminium foil
• What to expect from your breads

Module 4: Everyday Rye Sourdough Bread

• Introduction to the everyday rye sourdough loaf
• Everyday rye sourdough bread recipe to download
• Making the pre-ferment
• Mixing the main dough
• Panning your fermented bread
• Is your bread ready to bake?
• Just out of the oven!

Module 5: Russian Borodinsky-Style Rye Sourdough Bread

• Introduction to the Russian Borodinsky-style rye sourdough bread
• What to expect from the Russian Borodinsky-style rye sourdough bread
• Russian Borodinsky-style rye sourdough bread recipe to download
• Making the scald
• Making the sponge
• Combining the sponge & scald
• Mixing the main dough
• Shaping and panning the fermented bread
• Is your bread ready to bake?
• Just out of the oven!

Module 6: Recipes for Sourdough Discard and Leftover Rye Bread

• Sourdough porridge, polenta and polenta bread
• Sourdough pancakes
• Rye discard spice bread
• Traditional Danish Rye Bread Porridge Øllebrød
• Russian Rye Bread Kvass
• Wholegrain Rye Sourdough Crackers

Module 7: Where Now? Inspiration, Thank You & A Gift

• Where next with your rye sourdough bread
• Thank you and a gift for you
• More inspiration and help

Do you want to make sourdough but feel overwhelmed by the starter process? Maybe you’ve tried before and it didn’t work or maybe you’ve never quite got to it?

Join me for an hour-long pre-recorded Zoom session that’ll walk you through how to create and look after a rye sourdough starter from scratch.

What you’ll learn:

• Why wholegrain rye is such a great flour for sourdough starters
• What ingredients and equipment you’ll need
• Step-by-step how to, from scratch, create your starter
• Routines that will help you succeed
• How to troubleshoot issues
• How to look after your starter, however often you bake

This course is a recording of a Zoom session held live in February 2022.