h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Talking of rye bread flour; I'm having real difficulty buying the stuff anywhere. Was there a poor harvest or something? Used to get it in all the supermarkets, but last couple months can only find it in posh deli style shops costing rather more than usual.

I've not, clearly, done any bread with rye flour in ages and ages... I think the last bag I bought was just from Tescos, may have been organic or 'fancy' stuff, I can't quite remember I must try and get round to using more differnt flours, but I just don't have any space left for storing them, until after I fix the cealing in the utility room, have the utility room painted and decorated, and tiled, and then, as part of it, convert the strange old cupbaord in it, to a sensible, usable massive s storage area for dried/tinned/packet foods etc

There's something quite profound about the sentence "I must try and get round to using more differnt flours, but I just don't have any space left for storing them, until after I fix the cealing in the utility room.." Maybe it's just me. QOTD anyone?

Anyway, I just love using rye flour though I usually mix it with white or wholemeal flours, because as much as I love 100% rye bread, to do it properly is I think beyond the capabilities of a bread maker. I've also heard that more than one day is required to properly prepare such a loaf However when mixed with other flours it tends to bake quite nicely in normal recipes, adding a lovely taste and texture.

I live a profound life. It is a zen-like life, where the interconnectiveness of all things, ultimately controls, regulates and governs even the most smallest, and seemingly inconsequential action. And, as for each action having its counter reaction, so in turn, each reaction has its own interconnectiveness of reactions and actions, which in turn can regulate and control back furhter forwards within the interconectiveness of all things... Hence, fixing my leaking bath, was a key moment, on my quest to ultimattely creating more storage space for kitchen things and cooking ingredients... seriously...

There is a great recipie, err, that I can't remember the name of now, in the guide, for a rye bread, which takes several days; the one thing rye flour is good at, in particular, is that if you get decent (probably meaining expensive or/and organic), it has a lot of nice natural little beasties livign on it; and therefore makes a rahter good sourdough starter, which can be used to create overnight poolishes, and thereby doughs, that can undergo slow fermentations, and ultimately make bread
Of course... I've never yet got round to trying this myself
But I will try it one day... and therefore, ultimately, due to the interconnectiveness of all things, the fixing of my leaking bath, was the first step, towards my making this bread really... fix leaking bath - stop leak into utility room - then can fix utility room cealing - then can paint and decorate utility room - then can do storage cupboard - then have space for stuff, including flours - then can make sourdough rye starter-poolish-bread

I'm always amazed I manage to get out of bed in the morning without accidentially triggering a nuclear holocost...

Doing any bread, though, with 100% wholemeal, rye, or simular is tricky; its got lower glutin content in teh flour, so its more difficult to get a good structure to the dough, without which its near impossible to get gases from fermentation to trap correctly, to give it a light texture.... I useually only go 50% or morelike 25% (my multigrain today was 25% multigrain flour, to 75% bread white flour)