Ukrainian Rye Bread with Kefir (GOST Recipe)

Ukrainian rye bread with kefir, baked to the old GOST standard, is a savory loaf - not sweet, lightly salty, with a fine, even crumb and a crackly crust. A simple dough of rye and wheat flour with kefir and water, baked with steam, gives you a proper homemade loaf of that beloved everyday bread. I highly recommend baking it!

Ukrainian Rye Bread with Kefir (GOST Recipe)

A savory, lightly salty rye-wheat loaf made with kefir: fine even crumb, crackly crust, baked with steam to the old GOST standard.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Rising and proofing 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings: 1 loaf

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Home cooking

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 200 g rye flour
• 200 g wheat flour first-grade or all-purpose
• 8 g salt
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 150 ml kefir warm
• 150 ml water warm: 50 ml for the yeast + 100 ml for the dough

Method

 

1. Activate the yeast: pour 50 ml of warm water over 1 tsp of dry yeast and let it stand for 10-15 minutes.
2. Sift the rye and wheat flour into a bowl, add the salt, the warm kefir and the remaining 100 ml of warm water.
3. Pour in the activated yeast and knead the dough. Dust in a little extra flour only if needed: the dough should stay tacky, but not glue-like.
4. Gather the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl greased with vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 40 minutes.
5. Punch the dough down, knead it for about 3 more minutes, then cover again and let it rise for another 40 minutes.
6. Punch down and knead once more, shape into a ball, place on a flour-dusted baking sheet, cover with plastic and proof for 1.5 hours.
7. Mentally divide the loaf into 4 segments and score one of them. This is mandatory: carbon dioxide escapes through the cut, otherwise the loaf will tear badly.
8. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) with an empty tray on the bottom. Put the bread in, pour a cup of boiling water onto the tray and bake with steam for 5 minutes.
9. Remove the tray and bake for another 20 minutes at 200-220°C (390-430°F). Cool the loaf on a rack before slicing. Enjoy!
   

Notes

Don't overload the dough with flour - it should stay slightly tacky. Steam at the start of baking gives the crackly crust; the score keeps the loaf from tearing.

Secrets of a good rye loaf

• Sticky dough is normal. Add extra flour very sparingly: the dough should stay tacky without turning into glue. Overload it with flour and the crumb comes out dense.
• Kefir and water should be warm - the yeast works faster and the dough rises on schedule.
• Wheat flour: a first-grade (not top-grade) flour is closest to the original GOST flavor; all-purpose flour works too.
• The score is mandatory: carbon dioxide escapes through the cut during baking. Skip it and the crust will tear in a random spot.
• Steam in the first minutes of baking is what makes that crackly crust - don't skip the cup of boiling water.

Storing homemade bread

Cool the loaf completely on a rack - slicing warm rye bread squashes the crumb. Store it in a bread box or wrapped in a kitchen towel at room temperature to keep the crust crisp. Sliced bread also freezes well; refresh slices in the toaster as needed.

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