Public Recipe
Henry's Artisan Rye Sourdough Boule
Shared on 8/9/2025
Rye ferments quickly—watch for over‑proofing. The purple‑brown crust develops with full bake and proper steam.
Prep Time
45 min active; 3–4 days total
Bake Time
45 minutes
Difficulty
advanced
Yield
1 large boule
sourdough
whole grain
Ingredients
- Rye Starter (build over 3–4 days): 50g dark rye flour, 50g bread flour, 100g water, 20g active starter; daily feeds 25g rye + 25g bread + 50g water
- Final Dough:
- Bread flour — 400g (3¼ cups)
- Dark rye flour — 100g (¾ cup)
- Water (room temp) — 375g (1½ cups)
- Active rye starter — 100g (½ cup)
- Salt — 10g (2 tsp)
- Optional: cooked rye berries — 50g (¼ cup)
- Optional: caraway seeds — 5g (2 tsp)
Instructions
1
Build rye starter 3–4 days ahead with daily feeds until it doubles in 4–6 hours.
2
Autolyse: mix flours and water; rest 30 minutes.
3
Final mix: add rye starter and salt; mix using Rubaud 5–7 minutes. Fold in rye berries and caraway if using.
4
Bulk ferment 4–5 hours with coil folds every 45 minutes for first 3 hours until 60–70% rise and jiggly.
5
Pre‑shape, rest 20–30 minutes, then shape a tight boule and place seam‑up in a floured banneton.
6
Cold retard 12–18 hours.
7
Bake at 475°F/245°C in Dutch oven: 22 min covered, 20–23 min uncovered to ~205°F/96°C internal; cool fully.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Bench scraper
- Kitchen scale
- Banneton
- Dutch oven or Brød & Taylor Baking Shell
- Lame
- Clean towels
Baker's Notes
Rye ferments quickly—watch for over‑proofing. The purple‑brown crust develops with full bake and proper steam.
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