Rye has been a staple in my native Russia ever since the beginning of the recorded history. The unpretentious little grain is extremely hardy and requires little to no human intervention as far as pest and drought control, and can withstand cold where other grains perish. That’s the reason that little has been done to modify its original makeup, leaving us with a nutritious unhybridized grain.
WHAT IS RYE STARTER
Rye starter is a mixture of rye flour and water.
Flour has yeast and bacteria naturally present within it; and when mixed with water, an environment favorable for growth of microorganisms is created. Naturally occurring enzyme amylase starts converting starch into sugar.
Bacteria, lactobacilli mostly, ferment (metabolize, or simply eat) sugar, and the by-product of that fermentation is consumed by yeast. Again, the by-product of all that together is carbon dioxide, which is what leavens the dough. Much like commercial yeast, rye starter is added to dough where it works to give rise to breads.
RYE STARTER MAKES BREADS MORE NUTRITIOUS THAN REGULAR YEAST
Unlike commercial yeast, sourdough rye starter works to make breads more nutritious and easier digestible.
It breaks down grain proteins and sugars into simpler compounds. It also enriches dough with by-products of its metabolism – additional vitamins and minerals that were not originally present in the flour.
RYE STARTER IS EASIER TO HANDLE THAN WHEAT SOURDOUGH STARTER
Rye starter is a lot easier to mix during feedings because it doesn’t have strong gluten bonds that make regular wheat starters so viscous. Rye (especially whole rye) is higher in nutrients than wheat. Fermentation-driving bacteria seem to prefer those nutrients, and so rye starter springs back up after feedings a lot faster that wheat starters.
Rye starter can be used to leaven any wheat breads, and it’s a little known fact that professional bakers add a touch of rye to their breads to make them more moist because rye has the ability to bind a lot more water than wheat. If you’ve ever had all rye sourdoughs, you’ve probably noticed how moist and chewy they are.
HOW I USE MY RYE STARTER
I use my rye starter to leaven breads, make pancakes, add it to kvass to jump start fermentation, and to Russian brined apples (mochenie yabloki). It’s so strong that I see fermentation activity in liquids within 6-8 hours. I also notice that I don’t ever see spoilage in kvass or other ferments where rye starter is present. I only keep a small amount on hand because that’s what works for me, and it allows me use less flour during feedings. I save the discards from feedings in a mason jar in the refrigerator, and use it every now and then to add to pancakes.
WHAT ELSE?
When you begin growing a rye starter, you will notice a lot of bubbling on day 2, which might seem too soon. In Russia, folks think that it happens because of metabolic activity of multiple bacteria – good and bad – during the early fermentation. It’s also during that time that you may (or may not) notice unpleasant smell, which would indicate presence of bad bacteria. As you continue feeding the starter, the acidity builds due to the growing presence of lactic bacteria (think of it as PH level dropping), which eventually inhibits all the bad guys and allows good yeast and bacteria to thrive. That acidity is also what contributes to the superior taste of breads leavened with natural starter.
HOW TO MAKE RYE STARTER
Ingredients
Rye flour (whole ground, or store bought)
Water
Instructions
DAY 1
Place 1 cup of rye flour into a jar with an air tight lid (I use Weck jars).
Add 1/3 cup filtered water; mix until no dry bits remain. I like my starter to be the consistency of thick porridge. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
DAY 2
Add 1/3 cup rye flour and 2 tablespoons water. Mix. Cover. Leave.
DAY 3
Scoop out half the starter out of the jar; add 1/3 cup rye flour and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix.
DAY 4 and beyond
Repeat DAY 3 steps.
How to make rye starter
Ingredients
- Rye flour whole ground, or store bought
- Water
Instructions
DAY 1
- Place 1 cup of rye flour into a jar with an air tight lid (I use Weck jars).
- Add 1/3 cup filtered water; mix until no dry bits remain. I like my starter to be the consistency of thick porridge.
DAY 2
- Add 1/3 cup rye flour and 2 tablespoons water. Mix. Cover. Leave.
DAY 3
- Scoop out half the starter out of the jar; add 1/3 cup rye flour and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix.
DAY 4 AND BEYOND
- Repeat DAY 3 steps.
Notes
- You will notice active bubbling on day 3, but the smell might not be that pleasant; right now there is a food fight between good and bad bacteria so even if it seems that the starter is ready - not just yet! With regular feedings, beneficial wild yeast and lactic bacteria settle in and create an acidic environment that keeps unwanted bacteria out and allows your starter to thrive.
- I think you can get a strong rye starter by day 6 or 7, when the rise after feedings is consistent and the smell is pleasant.
- You can continue with regular feedings if you plan on using your rye starter often, or place it in the fridge at that point.
- You can feed it once every week or every other week while in the fridge and remove it 6-8 hours before using.
32 comments
I would like to do this but have no idea how to use it. Do you feed it before you use it and does it replace the flour and/ or yeast. Thanks Joyce
Hi Joyce, a sourdough starter does the same function as bakers yeast – allows dough to rise. It makes those holes in the bread that we all love. Forgive me if I’m saying something you know. You would use sourdough starter instead of store-bought yeast, and you can get an idea of proportions here. Normally, you would feed your starter 6-12 hours before intending to use it, although rye starter gets very active even earlier than that. If you are new to sourdough, I would suggest that you follow sourdough recipes instead of trying to convert recipes that call for yeast.
Valeria,
My rye starter after day 4 has a strong alcohol or acetone smell to it. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?
Thank you,
Harry
Hi Harry, it’s not unusual but not desired, it indicates presence of extra bacteria besides the ones you want, I think this is what causes that smell – clostridium acetobutylicum. To get rid of the smell, the PH needs to be lowered (the starter needs to become more acidic). It will probably happen on its own as your rye starter matures, or I know some folks add a few drops of vinegar if it persists (the live kind with mother, like raw apple cider vinegar). The other trick is putting a bit less water, even though it makes it more difficult to mix (smart folks would call it ‘reducing starter hydration’). Hope this helps 🙂
Thank you Valeria, I will certainly try your suggestions. I do enjoy your blog. ?
Harry
Hello~
I was looking for this for long time :). Just like to ask when is the starter actually ready and how much do I need for one loaf of bread. Thank you.
Hi Tatyana, (it’s my mom’s name, love it ?). You would know when the rye starter is ready once you see that it gets active / bubbly, fluffy – within a couple of hours after a feeding (when you add flour/water). It should smell pleasant, yeasty and bready, not too acidic or pungent. I usually add a couple of tablespoons per loaf, or just follow a recipe instructions. ?
Valeria: All kinds of conflicting information out there about how to cover the starter. Tight lid? Cheesecloth? Plastic? (I really like the notion of your tight lid, but what’s up with this?) Heck, maybe I’ll try both ways… I normally ferment in Kilners, but this sourdough thing is a whole new world!
Lol – confusion is completely warranted! There is no right or wrong answer really. Sourdough starter is a mixture of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast. LABs are aerotolerant anaerobes, which means that even though they don’t need air to proliferate, they tolerate its presence. Yeast can be both anaerobic and aerobic. I like to keep my starter covered with a lid thinking it would prevent at least some of the ‘funny’ smelling yeasts from taking over my starter, like those that produce that strong peachy smell sometimes. That’s me. I think you can make a good starter either which way you do it. 🙂
Hi, I have a rye sourdough starter that I’ve been feeding for over a week (recipe from a different source). I was wondering why you scoop out half your starter starting day 3? The recipe I use just continually adds feeder. Since it is different, would it still work with your rye sourdough bread recipe? I add 1c water and 1c rye flour every day.
Hi Jennifer, as long as your starter is active and bubbly – it will work with this, or any other, sourdough recipe. There are a lot of ways to get the same result and no single way is the only correct one. This works for me, especially because I don’t like having more large jars on my counter than absolutely necessary, I have a tiny kitchen.
Hi Valeria! My family and I love your website. Your health philosophy strongly resonates with our own, and we’ve been blown away by the quality of the content and presentation. (It looks like you’ve got a team of people working for you.)
Following your notion that rye sourdough and kefir are the greatest common denominator for overall health in your hometown, we’ve begun with kefir and rye starter. Today is Day 2 of our rye starter. It has taken substantially more water to get our starter to the consistency you describe. Do you think this is because we failed to sieve the flour? It was fluffed around before scooping. Also, we live in the coastal plains of Texas, so humidity/altitude may be a factor?
Also, in your starter, do you consider the PH of the water used? We’ve recently started drinking naturally alkalized spring water with a reported PH of 7.9. Went ahead and used that based on your comment about the good bacteria thriving greater in an alkaline environment.
Thank you!
Awww… you are too nice! It’s just me and my camera 🙂
My take is – don’t overthink the proportions of the flour/water ratio, if the starter seems too thick – add more water, if it’s too thin – more flour. There is no exact way, despite what some smart websites want you to believe. I guess what I’m trying to say is there are too many variables to worry about perfection 🙂 I keep my starter pretty thick. Some folks like it thin. Alkalized water is just fine!
Thank you for the clear and encouraging explanation. Our starter looks just like your photo; seems we’re on the right track.
Hello!
Does the starter have to be made from rye flour ? Can I use whole wheat to make a flour starter?
Hi there, you can make a starter from anything you want to, even gluten free! I just happen to be a fan of rye 🙂
I need help with what sort of flour to use in rye starter.
I have seen Light Rye, Medium Rye. . . dark rye. . .
Help !
What are all these different types of Rye and what do I use in starter ?
Hi Genet, from what I know – the dark rye is whole grain, so the entire rye berry milled with nothing removed. Light rye flour has germ and bran removed so basically like white flour. And medium probably has either bran or germ removed, not sure which. I use home-milled flour, which is 100% entire grain, which is that I would recommend. But ultimately it’s your call and you can use anything you have on hand. 🙂
Hi. I’m wondering what uses, if any, you’ve found for the portions you’re removing as you feed the starter?
Hi Debra, I add the discarded starter to pancakes and waffles. This recipe for rye cakes also uses discards.
Hi Valeria, I love your blog and the fact that you consistently answer questions. I have LONG wanted to try my hand at sourdough/starter..as well as finding and using rye flour. Believe it or not it has been about a year ive been looking for it in the 4-6 grocery stores I shop. I finally got some yesterday. It is stone ground dark rye. No one has asked this question..regarding your statements of day 3 when you first remove half if it smells funny it is still not ready til about day 6-7..however you state that you use these discards. IF they smell odd and are not ready is it safe to use the discards from day 3-6 in cooking? Also Ive heard tell of some keeping starter in freezer to rest it. I cant say for sure how often I would use it-probably not everyday. You mention feeding once a week keeping it in fridge–how long can you do that? Also if you freeze the starter or discards how long can you do that? Then once removing I think you let it come to room temp? Then do you feed it again before use? Im sorry for all the questions I have NEVER done this before and who knows if I will ever have rye flour again..i don’t want to mess it up. THanks.
kim
I’d like to learn the response to this as well.
Hello Valeria, I too would like to know the answers to all of Kim’s questions! Thanks!
I’ve failed to keep alive two different starters, so I’ve got questions that I hope will help me if I try again. First, f the discards from days 3-7 smell funny is it still safe/tasty to use those discards? Also, I tend to bake every couple of weeks, if feeding once a week while keeping it in fridge, do I bring it to room temperature before I feed? Can I follow this weekly fridge feeding regimen indefinitely?
Hi, I am trying your Rye starter for the first time and I’m on day 5 except I went about 32 hours between feedings. I had lots of bubbling on day 2 but now it doesn’t seem to be bubbling much and isn’t rising as much either. Did I do something wrong? We are super excited to make ancient grains sourdough so I want to get it right.
Hello ! I followed instructions well until day 6 when accidentally forgot to remove half of the starter mix before adding in the fresh 1/3 cup rye flour. So on day 7 I went again to remove half and then add 1/3 c fresh rye flour and water. I was expecting to be back on track today on Day 8, but instead opened the box to find bubbles and an alcoholic smell! Not good 🙁 I should add that I’ve had to use a bit more hydration than the recommended 2 tbsp because I thought my flour was just drinking it all up. Consistency was more of a smooth porridge.
Do you think I can still salvage this starter or do I need to start all over again? Pls help!?
Oh I also wanted to mention that the weather has been incredibly hot last 3 days here in California. I know my milk kefir matures at double speed in such conditions – not sure rye starter works the same way? Should I feed it more?
As you can probably tell, I am a complete newbie at baking bread. Hope you can help ?
Smell can also be described as acetone like.
Valeria had replied earlier to this post stating this “it’s not unusual but not desired, it indicates presence of extra bacteria besides the ones you want, I think this is what causes that smell – clostridium acetobutylicum. To get rid of the smell, the PH needs to be lowered (the starter needs to become more acidic). It will probably happen on its own as your rye starter matures, or I know some folks add a few drops of vinegar if it persists (the live kind with mother, like raw apple cider vinegar). The other trick is putting a bit less water, even though it makes it more difficult to mix (smart folks would call it ‘reducing starter hydration’). “
HI Valeria! I’m excited about having found your site! Thank you! I have been working on the rye starter, following your recipe. The only thing is that I have to use more water to achieve your consistency. I am using Bob’s Red Mill Dark Rye flour. I’m on day 7 and I don’t think I have seen any bubbling at all all this time. Don’t think it rises either, unless it’s just a tiny bit. The smell has been mostly on the pleasant side, almost sort of like strawberry. 🙂 I am wondering if I’m doing it wrong… I guess I will find out once I try making lavain out of it?
It is wonderful and helpful presentation. I love it and will use your recipes.
what do you do with the part that is scooped out? add everything back to the jar? kind of confused