Black bread in the Rhenish style

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 300 g rye grains
• 200 g natural sourdough
• 300 ml water, lukewarm (adjust the amount as sourdough varies in strength)
• 300 g wholemeal rye flour
• 300 g wholemeal wheat flour
• 1 tbsp salt, heaped
• 2 tbsp beet syrup
• ½ cube of fresh yeast
• Oat flakes, as desired, for sprinkling the mold

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 day 3 hours; Total time approx. 1 day 3 hours 50 minutes

Let the rye grains soak in plenty of cold water for 24 hours. Mix the sourdough with 100 ml of lukewarm water and stir in the wholemeal rye flour. Cover and let stand in a warm place for about 12 hours. After these 12 hours, dissolve the yeast in 200 ml of lukewarm water and also add the beetroot syrup. Combine the sourdough, yeast and beetroot syrup mixture, and the remaining ingredients, except for the rye grains, in the food processor and knead thoroughly. Cover and let rise for about 3 hours. Meanwhile, bring the rye grains to a boil in a saucepan with plenty of water and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Drain and add to the dough before kneading again. Grease the baking pan, sprinkle with oatmeal as desired, and pour in the dough. Seal the pan tightly with aluminum foil before baking. Bake at 200°C for 60 minutes, then reduce to 180°C, remove the aluminum foil, and bake for another 90 minutes. If the bread isn’t cooked yet, tap it and bake for another 10 minutes. Let it rest for at least 12 hours before slicing.