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Ruisleipä, pain de seigle finlandais en couronne plate trouée au centre, en partie tranché, avec des tartines au beurre, au fromage, au saumon fumé et au concombre
Team Curcuma

Ruisleipä (Finnish sourdough rye bread)

Finland's national bread: a 100% rye sourdough loaf, with no yeast and no wheat flour, shaped into a flat ring with a hole in the centre. Its dense, slightly tangy crumb keeps for a long time and makes delicious open sandwiches.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Fermentation 16 hours
Total Time 17 hours 15 minutes
Servings : 20 slices
Course : Side Dish
Cuisine : Finnish
Calories : 115
Ingredients Préparation Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g active rye sourdough starter
  • 500 ml lukewarm water (about 35 °C / 95 °F)
  • 300 g wholemeal rye flour (for the day 1 sponge)
  • 350 g wholemeal rye flour (for the day 2 dough)
  • 2 tsp salt (12 g)
  • rye flour for shaping

Préparation
 

  1. Day 1, in the evening: in a large bowl, dissolve the starter in the lukewarm water. Add 300 g of rye flour and stir with a wooden spoon to a thick, smooth paste, like porridge. Cover and leave to ferment for 12 to 18 hours at room temperature: the mixture should be bubbly and smell pleasantly sour.
  2. Day 2: take out 100 g of this mixture and put it in a jar in the fridge for your next loaf. Add the salt and 350 g of rye flour, then mix with a wet hand or a spoon for 5 minutes. The dough is very sticky, which is normal: only add more flour if it is really runny.
  3. Cover and leave to rise for 2 to 3 hours in a warm place, until the dough has grown by about half.
  4. Flour the work surface generously with the remaining flour. Divide the dough in two and, with floured hands, shape two flat round loaves about 3 cm (1¼ in) thick. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and make a 4 to 5 cm (2 in) hole in the centre of each one. Prick the surface with a fork.
  5. Leave to rise for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, until small cracks appear on the floured surface. Preheat the oven to 225 °C / 440 °F (fan 210 °C).
  6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped underneath. As soon as it comes out of the oven, brush the crust with a little hot water, then leave to cool completely on a rack, under a tea towel, before slicing.

Notes

You need an active rye sourdough starter: ask a baker for a little, or make your own in 5 days (see the FAQ). On day 2, before adding the salt, set aside 100 g of the dough: this is your starter for next time (it keeps 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge in a closed jar). The bread slices best the day after baking.