Pain de Seigle Recipe

French Rye Bread - Pain de Seigle

This rustic French rye bread recipe, known as pain de seigle, mixes wheat, rye, and barley flours flavored with a pain de campagne starter to produce a hearty loaf with a chewy crust. It tastes best fresh, with salted butter, to accompany savory main dishes. This is artisan bread at its best!

Prep Time: 24 hours

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 24 hours, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• Starter:
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rye flour
• 1/4 cup barley flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sourdough or pain de campagne starter
• 1 1/4 cups water
• Dough:
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup rye flour
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Whole starter
• 2/3 cup water

Preparation:

Stir together the starter ingredients and store, loosely covered, in a warm place(80F), for 18 to 24 hours.
To make the bread:
Stir the remaining dry ingredients into the starter and 2/3 cup water. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 1/2 hours.
Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil and turn the dough out onto it. Shape the dough into a large round or oval, loosely cover it, and allow it to rise until it has nearly doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450F, spray the surface of the bread with water, place 3 diagonal slashes in it, and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes, until it turns golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Cool the rye bread on a wire rack.
This pain de seigle recipe makes 1 large loaf, or approximately 12 to 14 servings.

Source:  frenchfood.about.com