Rye sourdough calculator
Polish-style all-rye sourdough: plenty of water, a big starter dose, baked in a tin, no kneading.
Chleb żytni — 100% rye on sourdough, the Polish way: very high hydration, a big dose of zakwas, a loaf pan, and no kneading whatsoever. Rye has virtually no gluten, so everything you know about wheat dough stops applying here.
How it works
No gluten to develop
The base is all rye — the verified Polish formula blends 75% light rye with 25% wholemeal. There is no gluten network to develop: mix to a uniform, clay-like mass and stop. Structure comes from pentosans and starch, set by acidity — which is why the 38% sourdough dose is not optional.
Wet dough, single proof
Water runs 87% of flour (excluding the zakwas) with 2.8% salt. Spoon or wet-hand the mass into a greased loaf pan (~860 g for a 10 × 20 cm form), smooth the top with a wet hand, and give it one single proof until visibly risen and pocked with holes.
Bake, then wait
Bake well — a dark, thick crust protects the moist crumb. Then the hard part: rest the loaf a day before slicing. Fresh-cut rye is gummy; rested rye is dense, moist and clean-slicing.
Sources & methodology
Every percentage in this calculator traces to the published sources below — nothing is invented. Where respected sources disagree, the default sits inside the documented range.
- Justyna Dragan — chleb 100% żytni na zakwasie — The chosen Polish pan rye: light + wholemeal rye, 87.5% water, 2.75% salt, 37.5% rye starter.
- Moje Wypieki — 100% chleb żytni — The scald variant of the same family, recorded alongside.
FAQ
Can I bake it with wheat starter?
A rye zakwas is strongly preferred — rye sours faster and deeper, and this bread depends on that acidity for both structure and flavor. Convert a wheat starter with two or three rye feedings first.
What is the German Vollkornbrot version?
Hamelman’s Vollkornbrot is the same species, different tradition: rye meal plus whole rye berries soaked overnight, sunflower seeds, and a tiny 0.55% yeast spike alongside the sourdough. Polish chleb żytni is the plain, all-flour interpretation.
Moje Wypieki adds a scald — should I?
Their variant pours boiling water over part of the rye (a zaparka) and rests it up to a day — it sweetens the crumb and deepens the color. A worthwhile experiment once the base loaf is routine.
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