Currant Bread with Rye and Buckwheat
Tart and sweet currants are packed into this delicious sourdough bread inspired by a classic from Poilâne Bakery in France. The rye and buckwheat flavors are complex and earthy, and the crumb is wonderfully chewy. Enjoy it plain, with butter, or paired with cheese for a sweet-and-savory combo.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- Currant Prep
- 260 g currants (2 cups)
- 712 g boiling-hot water (3 cups) for soaking the currants, reserve the liquid after draining
- Final Dough
- 260 g bread flour (2 cups)
- 260 g home milled rye berries or rye whole grain flour (2 cups)
- 65 g home milled buckwheat groats or buckwheat flour (1/2 cup)
- 318-356 g water, a portion of the currant soak (1 1/3-1 1/2 cups)
- 130 g sourdough starter (scant 1/2 cup)
- 13 g salt (2 1/3 tsp)
- all of the currants, thoroughly drained
- Baker's Percentages
- 44 % bread flour
- 44 % rye flour
- 12 % buckwheat flour
- 54-61 % reserved water from the currant soak
- 22 % sourdough starter
- 44 % currants (dry weight)
- 2.2 % salt
Instructions
- 1
For a small Pullman pan 9 x 4 x 4 inches or medium USA pan 9 x 5 x 2.75 inches. See the recipe Notes for more information on loaf pan size.
- 2
Put the currants in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Set aside to soak and cool for at least 10 minutes.
- 3
Drain the currants in a colander over another bowl, pressing out the water with the back of your hand. Save the warm currant-water for the dough and dough wash. You most likely will not use all of this water.
- 4
Measure out the lower end of the range for the currant water. Once it is lukewarm, under 100°F, mix it with the rest of the dough ingredients. Only add additional currant-water if needed after the damp currants are incorporated into the dough. There is no need to knead the dough or run the mixer after the ingredients are well mixed together.
- 5
Cover and let the dough rise by about 1/3. With such a large amount of currants, the dough won't aerate much even when well fermented. About 33% dough expansion takes 4-6 hours depending on the ambient temperature and how much the currant-water cooled before mixing.
- 6
On a floured work surface, de-gas the dough and shape it into a tube. Place it in a greased loaf pan. I used a small Pullman pan but a medium USA pan will work too, just with more doming of the bread. Sometimes the transfer of the dough to the pan goes off without a hitch, but if not – if the dough is smeared or lopsided – push a thin spatula down the sides of the pan and adjust the dough until it is centered and has a curve to the surface. Dampen the spatula if it sticks to the dough.
- 7
Cover and let the dough double in size, about 3-5 hours.
- 8
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- 9
Brush the dough with plain water or with some of the reserved currant water for extra browning.
- 10
Place a foil tent on the pan and bake on the middle shelf at 450°F for 15 minutes.
- 11
Lower the oven temperature to 425°F and continue baking 30 minutes.
- 12
Remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is over 190°F.
- 13
Let the bread cool on a rack for several hours before slicing.