Should I use rye flour in my starter?

— 3 minute read

I'm not going to keep you in suspense - yes, you should!

Starters using rye flours instead of white or wholemeal flour are sometimes called "rye sours". And the naming is appropriate - they make for some delicious bread!

Nutrient-rich - for yeast and for thee

The standard for rye flour makes it much like a whole wheat flour. Unless it is listed as "medium" or "light" rye flour, it is likely to contain most of the bran and germ from the rye berries. This means that, even though it won't help you build a gluten network, it's full of proteins that you and your yeast will love.

The Power of Amylase

Amylase is an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar. You don't find quite so much of it in wheat flour, but there's a ton in rye and it has power! But with great power comes great responsibility. Too much amylase and your crumb will turn out very gummy. Just enough, and your bread will be enhanced with all the beautiful sour flavors of rye. So using a rye starter is a perfect way to get those flavours while reducing the risk to your gluten network! In your starter, the amylase has time to work its way on the weak rye starches before your wheat flour even enters the picture. Though the amylase can still eat away your gluten network once you add bread flour, the acidity you've already created in your starter will regulate the amylase in your dough, slow its attack on your wheat flour, and protect your gluten network.

Live slow, die whenever

Another benefit of using a rye sour is that its peak isn't quite as explosive as a wheat starter's peak. A rye starter will rise slowly, peak slowly, and — because the dough is sticky and thick — just kinda sit there. It won't sink back down or liquify like a bread flour starter does. I've never seen a rye starter produce hooch. (Please let me know in the comments if you've experienced this though!)

This slow life means that your rye starter is much easier to maintain and use. If you're a little late to feeding or you only want to feed it once per day, that's probably not going to cause any issues. If you want to make a loaf 18 hours after your feed, instead of 12 hours, that's also going to work just fine.

Detmolder rye readiness

One classic (but complex) way of making rye loaves is called the Detmolder method, in which a rye sour is progressively built up over three stages. In each stage, rye flour and water are added to the sour and it is fermented at a slightly different temperature than before, to encourage the production of a different flavor. Over the three stages, the method optimizes for yeast production, acetic acid, and lactic acid.

Now I'm not expecting you need to be ready to make a Detmolder rye loaf at a moment's notice...or possibly ever! But the same flavour benefits can apply to any loaf you make. By using a rye starter instead of a bread flour starter, you get those flavors working early, and you can control the fermentation to suit the flavor profile you want.

Ryes up!

I hope I've convinced you to give rye starters a try. I've thoroughly enjoyed mine and I would love for you to do so as well. If you have any questions or need any help, just leave me a message in the comments. Happy baking!