OXO Good Grips 11 lb Stainless Steel Food Scale
For seeing the display past a wide bowl
OXO Good Grips 11 lb Stainless Steel Food ScaleA pull-out display helps keep the reading visible under larger containers.
11 lb (5.0 kg), reads in 1 g steps
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Baking bread with rye flour
Rye flour builds very little gluten; it holds water with gums called pentosans instead. That makes rye dough sticky, paste-like and quick to ferment, with a deep, earthy flavour. A little rye adds flavour and colour to a wheat sourdough (King Arthur suggests starting with a quarter of the flour and judging the loaf before going higher, since more rye gives a lower, denser bread); high-rye loaves need a sour leaven, a pan and patience.
Start at about 25% rye: King Arthur's starting point for yeast bread, for flavour and colour; judge the rise before using more. Much more (our rough line: 40% and up): sticky, shape with wet hands, bake in a pan. 100% rye: a paste, proofed and baked in a pan, rested a day before slicing.
Why rye behaves differently
Rye proteins do not form a stretchy gluten network. Its pentosans absorb a lot of water and make the dough sticky, and its enzymes break starch down quickly; sourdough's acidity keeps that in check, which is why rye breads are traditionally sourdough. Many bakers keep a rye starter or add rye to the feed because it ferments vigorously (see feeding ratios).
Types of rye flour
Light (white) rye has most bran removed and is mildest; medium rye is in between; dark and whole rye (pumpernickel meal is coarse whole rye) are strongest in flavour and absorb the most water. Hydration for rye-heavy dough is high; see the hydration chart.
Handling and baking
Use wet hands and a scraper, not flour. High-rye loaves proof less (judge by surface cracks rather than the poke test) and bake longer at lower temperatures in a loaf pan. Let a high-rye loaf rest before slicing so the crumb sets: 24 hours in King Arthur's high-rye recipe.
Questions bakers ask
How much rye flour should I add to sourdough?
Start with about 25% of the flour, as King Arthur suggests for yeast bread, and judge the loaf before going higher: more rye gives a lower, denser bread.
Why is rye dough so sticky?
Rye builds little gluten and its pentosans hold water as a sticky gel.
Equipment for this job
Keep what you own when it does the job. These are the other exact models we profile.
OXO Good Grips 11 lb Stainless Steel Food Scale