Recipe: Honey rye sourdough bread

This is a nice sourdough to get started with using your starter.  You will need to have a little dark rye flour on hand, and it's always best to use bread flour if possible as the added gluten will help hold the shape as the yeast expands.  As with using a sour starter which will have a variable moisture content, you may need to adjust the flour to get the texture right - keep a little flour aside during the initial mixing, then add enough it to the dough to bring it together.  Depending on your style, this recipe will make one large or two smaller loaves.

You will need:

440g            bread flour
60g              rye flour
150g            sour starter
20g              honey
10g              fresh yeast
250ml          warm water (not hot)
10g              kosher salt

Method:

 - if using a dry yeast, bloom it in the warm water
 - weigh out all ingredients
 - keep aside a little flour, add everything else into a mixing bowl and mix with a dough hook
 - if necessary, add some flour to "dry" it out a little
 - when you have a good smooth and firm ball of dough that doesn't stick to the bowl, move to the counter
 - knead the dough a little, round it up and place it in a bowl
 - cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it proof to double its size
 - punch it down, shape the loaf and place it on a paper lined baking tray
 - cover and let it proof again
 - preheat the oven to 365F / 185C
 - when the bread has doubled in size, make a few cuts along the top
 - bake for about 20 minutes
 - check the bread by knocking it, if it sounds hollow remove, if not give it a little more time
 - cool on a rack
 - serve