Easy Light Rye and Caraway Sourdough Bread

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This beginner-friendly light rye and caraway sourdough bread recipe simplifies the process, stripping away most, but not all, of the fancy techniques. If you’re new to sourdough baking and want a straightforward approach to creating a delicious light rye and caraway loaf, this method is perfect for you. It focuses on the basics, ensuring that you can achieve a satisfying result without feeling overwhelmed by intricate details or specialized equipment.

Read all the way through to understand the basics of sourdough bread-making before making this light rye and caraway sourdough bread loaf!

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Light rye with caraway is a timeless combination, often overlooked but incredibly satisfying when done right. Rye bread, with its chewy texture and unique flavour, has a way of surprising me every time—I always forget how delicious it is until I take that first bite.

While working with whole grains in bread can sometimes feel like a challenge, I’ve found ways to simplify the process to make it more approachable. This recipe focuses on creating a loaf that’s not only beautiful on the outside but also delivers the right texture on the inside—because, in the end, it’s all about the crumb.

One of the key techniques I like to use in this recipe is autolyse, while optional, it’s a practice that I believe makes a significant difference when working with whole grain flours. Autolyse involves mixing just flour and water (sometimes with the starter), while holding back the salt for a period of time. We’ll dive into the reasons why this technique is beneficial, but I highly recommend incorporating it into your baking routine—it truly elevates the final loaf.

Sourdough Starter

If you’re here, I’m assuming you have a sourdough starter and generally know how to use it. It is beyond the scope of this post to teach you how to create and maintain a sourdough starter.

However, if you don’t already have a starter and you want to make one and learn how to maintain it, sign-up down below and get yourself a free e-book guide. There, you’ll learn how to create your own sourdough starter with just flour, water, warmth, and time.

Once you have an established sourdough starter and you know how to identify when it’s active or needs a fresh feeding, you’re pretty much good to go. It doesn’t matter much whether its thin, batter-like, or stiff, a healthy starter will make healthy bread.

Do I need a rye sourdough starter to make light rye and caraway sourdough bread?

No, you don’t. You can use whatever starter you have on hand. I use my all-purpose starter for all the bread I make. I’m sure there is some benefit to having a whole grain starter or a blend but I honestly couldn’t be bothered. All-purpose flour is cheap, accessible, consistent, and versatile so that’s what I use.

Rye Flour

Rye flour is one of my favourite whole grain flours. It is earthy, nutty, deep, dark, and rich. It produces a denser crumb compared to wheat flour, with a delightful chewiness that pairs perfectly with hearty toppings like a generous amount of butter, a thick layer of cheese, or even some liver pate.

Beyond its taste, rye flour is rich in nutrients like fibre, magnesium, and iron, making it a nourishing choice for baking. It’s the perfect grain to incorporate into your baking for a more wholesome, rustic, flavourful loaf.

What is Rye?

Rye is a type of cereal grain that is closely related to wheat and barley. It is known for its hardiness, growing well in cooler climates and on poorer soils where other grains may struggle.

Rye has been cultivated for thousands of years, particularly in northern Europe and parts of Asia. It is most commonly used in the production of rye bread, whiskey, or animal feed.

Rye flour is made by grinding the whole rye kernel, which includes the bran, germ, and endosperm. Rye flour is typically darker and denser than wheat flour, and its lower gluten content results in denser, more compact loaves. Rye flour also has a higher water absorption rate, which helps create a moist and hearty texture in bread.

Is Rye Flour Gluten-free?

No, it is not! It is lower in gluten than modern wheat but is not suitable for celiacs.

Where To Source Fresh-Milled Rye Flour

If you’re living in a city, you can mostly likely find a bakery or fancy grocery store that sells fresh-milled flour. You can also buy rye flour online.

If you’re living in the country and you can source whole-grains, you may want to consider milling your own flour. You can start without making a large investment by using a powerful coffee grinder or blender that you already own. A step up would be purchasing a KitchenAid grain mill attachment.

If you’re really enjoying working with fresh-milled whole-grains and you have a reliable source of grain, you can also consider a Harvest NutriMill which is the one I use almost everyday and love both for its beauty and practicality.

Get your Harvest NutriMill when you’re ready to invest using this link and my discount code BRONSBREAD20 at checkout to get $20 off your order!

To Autolyse or Not to Autolyse

Autolyse is not always an essential step, but I’m realizing that it really does make a difference in the final result. I’ve always incorporated autolyse into my baking process, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ve been skipping it for beginner-friendly recipes.

While the loaves still turn out fine, I’ve noticed that the crumb tends to be tighter, drier, and denser—especially when using whole grains that absorb more water, like spelt and rye.

Incorporating the autolyse step helps improve hydration and strength, yielding a softer, more open crumb and a more moist loaf overall that lasts longer.

What is autolyse?

Traditional autolyse involves mixing just flour and water, allowing them to rest before adding the starter and salt.

My preferred method is a variation called “reverse” autolyse or “starter” autolyse, where I mix the flour, water, and starter together and let it rest before adding the salt.

This method kick-starts the fermentation process with the starter, helping to develop the dough’s texture and flavour before the salt is introduced.

How does holding back salt during an autolyse affect the dough?

Holding back the salt during an autolyse allows the flour to fully hydrate, which enhances gluten development and encourages the dough to become more extensible. Then, once salt it added, the dough has a perfect balance between elasticity and extensibility.

Without salt, the dough can absorb more water, which helps create a looser, more relaxed texture. This also kick-starts fermentation, as the starter can begin to work more effectively without the salt inhibiting its activity.

Salt, when added too early, can pull moisture from the dough, tighten the structure, and slow down the fermentation process, so waiting to add it gives the dough a better chance to develop a lighter, airier crumb.

What is the texture of a loaf that has undergone autolyse?

The texture of the crumb of a loaf that has gone through an autolyse is softer, shinier, more open, chewy, and hydrated.

I find loaves that haven’t undergone an autolyse come out with a tighter crumb that crumbles and stales quicker.

What Do I Do If I Want to Try The Autolyse Step For Light Rye and Caraway Sourdough?

1. Mix the Dough: In a sturdy mixing bowl, combine lukewarm water and active sourdough starter. Break up the starter into small, shaggy pieces using your hands or a spatula.
2. Autolyse: Add white flour, rye flour, and caraway seeds. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, and there are no dry bits. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
3. Add Salt: Sprinkle salt on your dough with a splash of water. Work the salt in until fully incorporated. Let rest for 30 minutes.
4. Proceed with stretch-and-folds.

Water

The type of water used in sourdough baking is a topic of debate among bakers. In my experience, I’ve tried various kinds—city water, well water, filtered water, and even chlorinated water—and haven’t noticed a significant difference in the final loaf. Some bakers swear by their specific water choice, claiming it produces superior results, but I haven’t found that to be the case.

While water quality can influence the health of your sourdough starter, the variations in water types seem to have minimal impact on the outcome of the bread itself. Ultimately, use the water you have available and focus on other key factors like flour quality and fermentation time. I think if you can drink the water, you can make bread with the water.

Salt

Salt is another topic of debate among bakers. While I don’t think you’d notice much of a difference between salts, the salts that are less refined with a higher mineral content tend to support the fermentation process.

For example, Himalayan sea salt, Celtic grey salt, and Redmond real salt, will all support fermentation. Highly refined table salt may inhibit fermentation.

Warmth

Fermentation thrives in warmth, and maintaining the right dough temperature is key to achieving the perfect loaf. For optimal fermentation and a balanced flavour, aim for a dough temperature between 23-26°C (73-79°F).

When the dough temperature falls below this range, the bulk fermentation process can become very long, resulting in an excessively sour loaf and possibly tight crumb structure. On the other hand, temperatures above this range can lead to over-proofing, which weakens gluten strength and also produces a very sour loaf with a sticky crumb.

With practice, you’ll be able to adapt if the dough temperature goes out of range. For example, if its too warm, I’ll pop my dough in the fridge for an hour or so. If it’s too cold, I’ll keep it in the oven with the light on or with the ‘proof’ setting on until it reaches ideal temperature.

When the house is particularly hot, I’ll use cold water to mix my dough. If its particularly cold, I’ll use very warm water to mix my dough.

Time

The time your dough takes to achieve optimal fermentation relies on dough temperature, hydration of the dough, and health of your sourdough starter. It is difficult to predict how long things will take when you’re just starting out.

If your dough is on the warmer side, wetter, or made with an active starter, it will proof faster.

If your dough is on the colder side, stiffer, or made with an immature, cold, or over-fermented starter, it will take much longer to proof.

Once you get the hang of it and understand how the dough behaves in your environment and how to manipulate it, timing will become more predictable.

Caraway Seeds

The caraway seeds are optional, people either love them or hate them. They have a bit of a liquorice-like flavour to them and can be quite fragrant.

Leaving out the caraway seeds will not negatively impact the outcome of the loaf. However, it is a very traditional way of making rye bread so perhaps it will be frowned upon to leave them out.

You can find caraway seeds in any local grocery store, really, or online.

Materials You’ll Need

Medium-Sized Mixing Bowl: A heavy set ceramic mixing bowl would work best.

Bowl Cover: Anything that covers and seals the bowl. I use these reusable elastic bowl covers but you can use a plate or wet kitchen towel.

Dough Whisk (optional): It is cleaner to get things started with a dough whisk but it’s definitely not necessary. I like using my hands to mix, it probably makes the dough better.

Plastic Bench Scraper: I find this tool very handy for cleaning and scraping the dough out of the bowl. It can also be used for dividing dough and pre-shaping.

Metal Bench Scraper: I use this tool for dividing dough, pre-shaping, and cleaning the table. Not essential though, as the plastic bench scraper can serve similar purposes, but I like using both.

Kitchen Scale or Measuring Cups and Spoons: I prefer using a kitchen scale but if measuring cups and spoons is all you have then that’s all you need to get started.

Razor Blade or Sharp Knife: I haven’t found a bread lame I really like so I just use razor blades as is. They’re cheap and sharp and easy to control. You can also use a sharp kitchen knife or any bread lame of your choice. A bread lame is a tool used to hold razor blades for scoring.

Dutch Oven: I’d like to say this one isn’t essential but it is very practical. Especially when you’re just learning and don’t understand steam. You can get great results as a beginner by just using a dutch oven.

I’m using a Challenger Bread Pan which is the crème de la crème when it comes to baking sourdough bread but it is very expensive and I only have it because it was generously gifted to me.

Parchment Paper: For lining your dutch oven so your loaf doesn’t stick.

Cooling Rack: For cooling down your loaf.

Ingredients

White Flour: I use Rogers all-purpose flour, nothing fancy.

Rye Flour: I use fresh-milled organic whole-grain rye flour but any rye flour from the store will get the job done.

Active Sourdough Starter: An active sourdough starter is bubbly with large bubbles, a domed top, double to triple in size, sweet and sour smelling, and floats in water. A perfectly active starter is essential for the perfect loaf but it’s not essential to make sourdough bread. You can work with the starter you have even if it’s not perfectly active, just expect inferior results.

Caraway Seeds: From the store or online.

Salt: I use Himalayan sea salt but any salt is good. Avoid highly processed table salt. The more mineral content, the better.

Water: Any drinking water can be bread-making water.

How To Make Light Rye & Caraway Sourdough Bread

Mix the Dough: In a sturdy mixing bowl, combine lukewarm water and active sourdough starter. Break up the starter into small, shaggy pieces using your hands or a spatula.

Add Flours and Salt: Add white flour, rye flour, caraway seeds, and salt. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, and there are no dry bits. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour.

Stretch-and-Fold: After the rest, perform the first round of stretch-and-folds, gently stretching the dough and folding it over itself until the dough becomes tight (4-8 times).

Second Stretch-and-Fold: Repeat the stretch-and-fold process for a total of 2 rounds.

Bulk Fermentation: Allow the dough to rest until it doubles in size. This can take anywhere from 4-12 hours, depending on the ambient temperature (longer in a cooler environment, shorter in a warmer one). The garlic also slightly slows down the fermentation process so keep that in mind.

Shaping: After the bulk fermentation, turn the dough out onto the counter. Divide the dough into two equal portions, using a scale or by eyeballing it.

Rest: Shape each portion into a round ball and let them rest on the counter for 30 minutes. If the dough doesn’t feel gassy or relaxed after this time, allow it to rest for an additional 30 minutes.

Final Shape: After resting, flip the dough over (smooth side down) and perform a gentle final shaping. Place each shaped dough seam side up in a lined 10″ proofing vessel.

Cold Proof: Cover the loaves and refrigerate them for 8-24 hours for a cold proof.

Bake the Bread: Preheat a Dutch oven in your oven for 1 hour at 500°F (260°C).

Score: Once preheated, flour the bottom of a loaf and carefully flip onto parchment paper or a silicone mat, lightly flour the surface, and score the top.

Insert Loaf: Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, place the scored loaf inside, cover with the lid, and return it to the oven.

Bake: Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes at 425°F (220°C) until the crust reaches your desired colour.

Cool: Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven and place it on a cooling rack. Repeat the baking process with the other loaf. Allow the loaves to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Enjoy: Once cooled, enjoy your light rye and caraway sourdough bread with a generous amount of butter!

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