At a Glance
A rustic, moist rye bread with the nutty aroma of toasted walnuts. Long, cool fermentation increases acidity and enzyme activity, improving flavor and digestibility [1]. Toasted walnuts add texture and a depth that complements rye's natural sour notes [2].
Not suitable if:
- • You've never baked sourdough before → start with the beginner recipe
- • You don't have an active starter → create a starter
🛒 Recommended Products
We recommend the following tools for this recipe:
Digital Kitchen Scale
Essential for accurate flour and water measurements
Banneton Proofing Basket
Shapes the loaf and creates beautiful patterns
Dutch Oven
Creates steam for perfect crust without hassle
Dough Scraper
Makes handling sticky rye dough much easier
Bread Lame
For scoring the dough before baking
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Ingredients
Weigh all ingredients on a kitchen scale; don't use volume measures. Accuracy is essential for rye bread because hydration and flour extraction strongly affect crumb and fermentation speed [1].
| Ingredient | Amount | % | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium rye flour | 400g | 80% | German Type 1150 or similar |
| Bread flour | 100g | 20% | for better structure |
| Water | 380g | 76% | lukewarm, 95-100°F / 35-38°C |
| Active rye starter | 100g | 20% | 8-12h after feeding |
| Salt | 10g | 2% | |
| Walnuts | 80g | 16% | roughly chopped, optionally toasted |
Schedule
Weekend Version
Relaxed Saturday baking for a full room-temp ferment and afternoon bake [1].
Weekday Version
Prep at night, bake after work — a cold retard develops flavor and fits a busy schedule [2].
💡 Tips
- Dough rising too fast? → Fridge slows fermentation [2]
- No time to bake? → Shaped dough keeps 48h in fridge (cool retard improves flavor) [1]
Step by Step
Mix ingredients
Combine flours in a large mixing bowl. Add water, starter, and salt. Mix with a dough scraper or spoon until no dry spots remain. The dough is sticky — this is normal for rye; avoid adding extra flour which makes the crumb dense [1].
⏱ 5 minutes
Add walnuts
Place walnuts on dough. With wet hands, fold them in from outside to center so they distribute without excessive handling.
⏱ 2 minutes
Bulk fermentation
Cover bowl with a large mixing bowl, damp towel, or lid. Rest at room temperature (68-72°F / 20-22°C). Rye ferments faster than wheat — watch the dough, not the clock [1].
⏱ 5-6 hours (varies with temperature)
Shape
Generously flour work surface with rye flour. Turn dough onto it using a dough scraper. With floured hands, shape into oblong loaf (don't knead, just shape). Place in a floured banneton, seam side up.
⏱ 5 minutes
Final proof
Cover and rest until dough has noticeably risen. A cold retard (12–18h in fridge) develops flavor and makes scoring easier [2].
⏱ 1.5-2 hours at room temp, or 12-18h in fridge
Bake
Preheat oven to 480°F/250°C with your Dutch oven inside (30 min). Turn bread onto parchment paper, score with a bread lame. Place in Dutch oven, lid on. After 15 min, remove lid and reduce to 400°F/200°C. Steam and high initial heat give better oven spring and crust [1].
⏱ 55-65 minutes
Cool
Use oven mitts to transfer bread to a wire rack. Cool for at least 2 hours. IMPORTANT: NEVER cut rye bread while warm — the crumb will become gummy due to ongoing starch gelatinization and moisture redistribution [1].
⏱ 2+ hours
Tips & Variations
Variations
With honey
Add 1 tbsp honey to water
→ Milder flavor, browns faster
Seed version
Add 50g sunflower seeds
→ More crunch, nuttier
Pro Tips
- 💡 Slice bread next day with a serrated bread knife – flavor continues developing [2].
- 💡 Use walnut oil for greasing to enhance nutty flavor.
Common Issues
Not going as planned? Common issues:
Storage
Bread box/bread bag
5-7 days
Cut side down
Kitchen towel
3-4 days
Linen, not cotton
Freezing
3 months
Slice before freezing, thaw individually
⚠️ Don't store bread in the fridge – it stales faster (starch retrogradation) [1].