"We are all so guilty at the way we have allowed the world around us to become more ugly and tasteless every year that we surrender to terror and steep ourselves in it."

-Norman Mailer

This bread doesn’t strictly have origins in Finland. Like me, it has never visited Helsinki. I was going to bake a 40% rye, but was informed kindly by a Finnish friend that ryes ought be at least 70%, and I agreed, so I drank a lager and threw this together. Tragically, I did not account for the mass of the wheat sourdough, so the final rye percentage is just under seventy.

Rye Sour

Component	Home	Volume	Baker's
Rye Flour	12.8 oz	3 ½ cup	100%
Water	4.2 oz	1 ¼ cup	80%
Mature Culture	0.6 oz	2T	5 %

Wheat Sour

Component	Home	Volume	Baker's
Type 85 FlourType 85 refers to a wheat flour with 0.85% ash content. A mixture of two parts bread flour to one part whole wheat flour will suffice if no Type 85 flour is available for your use.	0.95 oz	¼ cup	100%
Water	1.2 oz	⅕ cup	125%
Mature Culture	0.2 oz	1 ⅓ t	20 %

Final Build

Component	Home	Volume
Rye Flour	8.3 oz	1 ⅛ cups
Type 85 Flour	9.95 oz	2 ⅓ cups
Water	12.6 oz	1 ½ cup
Sea Salt	0.6 oz	1 T
Rye Sour (Spongy)	1 lb 7.4 oz	All less 1 T
Wheat Sour (Liquid)	8.25 oz	All less 1 T

Get Some

1. One dozen hours before the final mix, make both rye and wheat sours (in parallel) and allow to stand in covered containers at about about 70°F. Both loads can be started with a wheat culture if you don't maintain a rye culture.

2. Add both sours, rye flour, Type 85 flour, and water to a mixing bowl (do not add salt). Mix well (first speed if using an electric mixer) until ingredients are combined. Correct hydration if required.If you don't know what this means, don't do anything Cover and wait for ten minutes. After ten minutes have elapsed add salt and knead for three minutes with an electric mixer on second speed, or until weak gluten strength begins to develop. Due to the low wheat content, gluten formation will not be strong. Desired temperature situation: Either 76°F or 25 °C.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic and let bulk ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes.

4. Shape into one large loaf (recommended) or two medium- sized loaves (acceptable) or three or more smaller loaves (for you roll lovers, you know who you are).

5. Proof for one 1 hour at 76°F. Alternatively, retardIt’s okay to say ‘retard’ in this context because it refers to slowing down the fermentation. overnight in a refrigerator for a more complex taste.

6. Bake

   • If you’re using a steam oven, steam for 20 minutes at 450 °F, then vent off
     and bake without steam for 15-20 more minutes.
   • If you’re using a Dutch Oven, bake with at 450 °F with lid on for 20 minutes
     and then for 15-20 more minutes with lid off.