Latvian rye bread

It took me several tries to get the taste of this bread right. It's not quite the same as the authentic bread from Latvia, but it's close and much cheaper than ordering it from overseas! Try it and let me know how yours turns out.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Latvian
• Latvian rye bread
• break baking

[lookin4space]

I made it and it was pretty dense, so next time I'm going to incorporate some things I do when I make mine, while leaving the ingredients as is.

[perl1011]

@lookin4space: Do share! You're right, it's a very dense bread -- what tricks do you use to "lighten" the crumb? You'll find this bread keeps very well in a plastic bag on the counter -- gets better in fact :)

[lookin4space]

@perl1011: I think to lighten it, I think I would work it a little more. I don't feel like it gets kneaded very much. Also, I would give it its final shaping/rise in a banneton (for a round loaf), turn it onto parchment, then bake @ 450 for five minutes, then turn down to 400 for maybe, I don't know, a half hour? I'm just suggesting off the top of my head. Next time I try it I might experiment and let you know.

[perl1011]

@lookin4space: Sounds like a good plan -- let me know how it turns out w/your ideas for modifying. I was wondering if it needed a second rising, though no recipe I've found for this type of bread seems to call for it. Odd.

[lookin4space]

I typed this recipe in Word for my recipe file. I'm used to another recipe (NYC Jewish-style), which I've made several times and I was wanting to try something different.  I like the apple cider and vinegar part!

Question: since you first posted this, are there any variations you've started doing in the recipe? You said it wasn't quite how you remembered.

[perl1011]

@lookin4space : No, no modifications really. You could possibly let it rise longer if you want it to be less dense. I was referring to it not being quite like what I remembered the authentic made-in-Latvia bread that you buy over there, but it's close!

[coffeejogurt]

Looks incredibly good and perfect. Watch out for these ladies. They will build a bread making empire in no time . . .

[coffeejogurt]

Watch for these ladies. They wil build a bread making empire some day . . . The bread looks perfect and probably tastes incrediby good.

[perl1011]

@gardeneva: sorry for the long delay in responding! You can use any sourdough starter -- there are many recipes on the internet. I think I used an "overnight" sourdough starter recipe, because I'm impatient! Then I kept it going, refrigerating it between uses.

[gardeneva]

What starter recipe do you use?