Südtiroler Bauernbrot

Name: Südtiroler Bauernbrot
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Alpine Italian
Ingredients: 150 g active rye sourdough starter; 300 g dark rye flour; 200 g strong white bread flour; 340 ml lukewarm water; 12 g Fine sea salt; 1.5 tsp Caraway seeds; 1 tsp fennel seeds; 0.5 tsp Coriander seeds; 0.25 tsp blue fenugreek (zigerklee)

Südtiroler Bauernbrot, known in Italian as pane contadino altoatesino, is a hearty sourdough loaf spiced with caraway, fennel, and coriander.

🇮🇹Italy· Trentino-Alto Adige

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: 85 min
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 210 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

150 g active rye sourdough starter — fed and bubbly
300 g dark rye flour — Type 1150 or whole rye
200 g strong white bread flour — unbleached wheat flour
340 ml lukewarm water — around 30 degrees C
12 g Fine sea salt — unrefined
1½ tsp Caraway seeds — essential bread spice
1 tsp fennel seeds — slightly crushed
½ tsp Coriander seeds — slightly crushed
¼ tsp blue fenugreek (zigerklee) — ground, optional traditional Alpine herb

Equipment

•Dutch oven or heavy baking sheet
•Banneton or proofing bowl
•Pestle and mortar
•Large mixing bowl
•Kitchen scale

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 210 kcal
fat: 1 g
carbs: 44 g
fibre: 6 g
protein: 7 g
calories: 210 kcal

Instructions

1
Crush the caraway, fennel, coriander, and blue fenugreek coarsely using a pestle and mortar.
2
Whisk the sourdough starter into the lukewarm water in a large bowl until dissolved.
3
Stir in both flours, the sea salt, and the crushed bread spices until a sticky dough forms.
4
Knead gently in the bowl for five minutes; rye dough stays tacky and will not become elastic like pure wheat.
5
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise at warm room temperature for three hours.
6
Dust a proofing basket or bowl lined with linen thoroughly with rye flour.
7
Tip the dough onto a floured board, shape it into a round loaf, and place seam-side up in the basket.
8
Cover and let the loaf prove for ninety minutes until puffy and showing fine cracks on the surface.
9
Preheat your oven with a heavy Dutch oven inside to 240 degrees C for forty-five minutes.
10
Carefully turn the dough into the hot pot, cover with the lid, and bake for twenty-five minutes.
11
Remove the lid, lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees C, and bake for another twenty-five minutes until deeply browned.
12
Cool completely on a wire rack for at least twelve hours before slicing to allow the crumb to set.

Chef's tips

Resist cutting the loaf on the day it is baked; rye bread requires resting so the interior crumb finishes setting and stops being gummy. A cast-iron Dutch oven creates the necessary steam environment to produce a thick, crackling crust.

Ingredient substitutions

blue fenugreek (Zigerklee) → an extra pinch of crushed fennel and ground aniseed
active rye sourdough starter → 150g wheat sourdough starter fed once with rye flour

Storage

Wrap the cooled whole loaf in a linen bread towel and store in a bread bin for up to one week.

Reheating

Toast thick slices lightly under a grill or in a toaster to revive the crisp crust.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Slicing the bread while still hot, which ruins the texture of the rye crumb.
•Over-kneading the dough, which breaks down delicate rye gluten chains.

Serving suggestions

Slice thinly and serve with South Tyrolean Speck, mountain butter, and pickled gherkins for a traditional Marende.Pair with alpine cheeses such as Graukäse or Stelvio DOP.