Finnish Rye Bread (with starter), Ruisleipä recipe
When there is no more rye bread..
I was inspired to make Finnish Rye Bread when I noticed my very last bag of rye bread from Finland very quickly disappearing..
Rye bread like this is not commonly available in most countries outside Finland.
Well, there is rye bread from Germany, but it is sweet and moist, Finnish rye bread is not like that at all.
I of course freeze my treasures (Finnish rye bread) that I buy from Finland when visiting or online, and enjoy them as a treat, but this rye bread would be also something my stomach enjoys more than fluffy white bread..
So how to make sure I can have all the rye bread I want (and need!)?
I thought: "It's time to make a starter and bake the rye bread myself!"
Sure rye bread can be made without a starter, but it does not taste the same.
Traditionally, starter was the remains of the last dough that dried up in the bread-making bowl walls. There are many ways to make a starter, but I wanted to make something quick and easy, so I used my last piece of Finnish rye bread to make a starter.
And the result is so much beyond my expectations that I cannot even say how surprised I was when the bread I made was so good! It even looks like famous Vaasan ruispalat bread, wow!
How to keep the rye bread starter alive?
I will definitely try to keep my starter alive. Next time the starter will be a piece of the ready-made dough.
You can dry the starter, just spread it on baking paper and let dry, store in a closed jar. Or you can freeze a dough ball. Or just close the starter jar and store it in the fridge, it will stay good for 2 weeks.
Note: When making the starter, remember always to use a clean spoon to mix the starter to avoid too much / wrong kind of bacteria growth. Also boiled water is better than tap water.
6 comments
Hi Satu, whether your starter is dried or frozen, you can take e.g. a half of it and start to revive it and feed it with the instructions in “How to bake next time with the frozen ball of dough?” Just remember to always use clean utensils and keep the starter away from bacteria or other harmful things (easy to keep it in an oven, in a jar, for example! But no lid, just a cloth on top. You can see from transparent jar if it has risen e.g. during the night..)
Here’s a video how I used my starter from the freezer: https://youtu.be/IKO5gh9BO0I?si=FtpVWHSTTLUFBwXH
I have a 200 year old ruileipa starter and I’m so scared to start it. I became ownership when my cousin passed away. I would love to learn how to continue on with this tradition. Please help in anyway.
Satu grasso
Satugrasso@me.com
Do you have any suggestions for high altitude (over 5000 feet)? I am putting the dough in a loaf pan for extra support so that it will hold its rise. I greased and dusted the pan with rye. I’ll slice it like a loaf. In general I can’t do freeform loaves because they spread too wide at altitude. Thanks for any of your tips. The starter was quite active!
Thanks for the recipe, I’m looking forward to trying it! Would you say I need to find whole grain rye flour, or will I be good with “regular” rye flour you find in the us?
Thanks!
Hi Marcelle, thank you for your question! I usually have a couple of days worth of rye bread in a plastic bag, on the countertop (never fridge). It will be good for about a week, but will dry out. In the fridge they would get more moist, not good, so don’t try that.
Most Finns like their rye bread fresh, so I keep it in the freezer for months (if I don’t eat it before) and warm up my daily slice in the toaster.
How did your rye bread turn out?