Kontinentbrot | Continent Bread

My friend David of Hearth Baked Tunes contributed this recipe to the Artisan Bread Bakers Facebook page for the February Bread of the Month. David is currently on a quest to bake the perfect German breads (brots). His favorites include a rye starter, lots of rye flour, and lots of seeds. Hearty breads. It's been fun to see what comes out of his oven. Did I mention that he is a Dead Head?

I've had my challenges with breads with a high percentage of rye flour. Rye flour can get very sticky when kneaded.  Fortunately, Cathy of Bread Experience attempted this recipe first, so I was able to benefit from her recommendations.

One other thing.... this recipe calls for pumpkin seeds, which I love. A lot. But I couldn't find my pepitas. While rummaging through the bottom of my baking freezer (did I just admit I have a freezer for baking ingredients?), I came across some pine nuts and decided to substitute them. They worked out well, although next time I might toast them first and add a bit more salt to the dough to compensate.

Verdict: This is a very dense bread that lends itself to salty toppings and cheeses. It goes well with salty/savory toppings such as feta, Boursin, or tapenade. After the second day, I recommend slicing it thinly and then freezing the slices for toasting and topping.

Here is my version of this bread. To see David's version, click here. To see Cathy's version, click here. I don't know if mine turned out correctly, but it's pretty tasty.

Kontinentbrot

Ingredients

Sourdough Build

110 g whole rye flour

11 g sourdough starter

85 g water

Quellstuck (soaker)

77 g whole rye flour

22 g rolled oats

35 g pumpin seeds (or pine nuts)

20 g sunflower seeds

13 g flax seeds

15 g toasted sunflower seeds

127 g water

Final Dough

73 g whole rye flour

106 g bread flour

10 g salt (I would recommend a bit more)

All of the sourdough build

All of the Quellstuck

4 g yeast

138 g water

Instructions

Make the sourdough build

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, cover and let it rest for about 14 to 16 hours.

Make the Quellstuck

Mix all of the ingredients, cover, and let it soak overnight at the same time that the sourdough build is fermenting.

Make the dough

• Mix all of the ingredients (including the sourdough build and quellstuck) in the bowl of a stand mixer until mixed. Don't overmix.
• Cover and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. 
• Form the dough into a ball and place it into a banneton/proofing basket, spray with spray oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Proof for for about an hour in a warm environment. I let it rise in a warmed microwave. (Don't microwave the dough, heat water in the microwave to warm the oven and then add the dough). 
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a cast iron Dutch oven in it. When it is time to bake the bread, remove the Dutch oven, turn out the dough into it (no need to slash the dough), cover, place the contraption into the oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove the cover from the Dutch oven, reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes more. The internal temperature of the bread should be 205 to 210 degrees F. 
• Allow the loaf to cool completely on a wire rack. 
• Wrap the bread with a towel and allow it to sit for about 24 hours before slicing. 
• Enjoy!

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