Sourdough Frisian Black Bread

Rye flour does not have much gluten so it does not rise very much. Traditional rye breads tend to be heavy. Moreover, if allowed to rise for too long a period of time enzymes present in rye flour will break apart what little structure the rye flour has, and the final bread can be exceedingly dense. Sourdough, because of its natural acidity, inhibits the enzyme and is therefore a natural partner for rye breads.

Frisian Black Bread, courtesy Stanley Ginsberg's excellent The Rye Baker, takes nearly two days to assemble and even after all the ingredients have been well mixed, it still pours like a batter into a loaf pan. Like many rye breads, too, the loaf requires another 24 hours after it comes out of the oven to release moisture or its innards will be gummy. I was surprised that I got as much oven spring as I did and even more pleasantly amazed at how tasty the bread was with some cream cheese, gravlax, and rings of thinly sliced red onion.