It's done. I successfully revived my grandma's rye starter that had spent at least a decade in the back of the freezer, and made bread with it!
It's not the prettiest loaf and the crumb is a bit dense, but I'll chalk that up to my lack of experience. It was still a pleasant slice of bread and I'm satisfied with the results! The taste was fairly mild but enjoyable with noticeable sourness but not a lot of tang. I'll probably add more rye to the dough in the future since I really liked its taste. There's still some of the starter in the freezer and I'll definitely come back to it later! For now I'll keep feeding this starter and make it my own.
I want to thank everyone for your interest, advice and nice words! I was kinda surprised by all the positivity in this community. You guys made this experience even more fun! I still haven't decided on a name for the starter. I might name it after grandma. Either that or Cryo-rye-o.
Here's the recipe:
-100g grandma's frozen rye starter
-300g wheat flour (12% protein)
-40g rye flour (10% protein)
-225g water
-9g salt
I mixed everything up and gave it a couple sets of stretch and folds in the first hour. Then I let it ferment for 4 hours more before shaping the dough and letting it proof for 90 minutes (6.5 hours total). Baked in a dutch oven at 275°C for 18 minutes covered and about 10 minutes without cover (lost the track a bit here and pulled it out early because the top was looking dark enough for my liking).
Thanks for sticking along for this experiment!
by Nuppusauruss
9 Comments
**Hello Nuppusauruss,**
**FRIENDLY [RULE 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/) BOT HERE – GENERAL REMINDER**.
**Sourdough Bake photos & videos** are removed if **Rule 5** isn’t met (**include ingredients & process**). If yours is removed, we confirm by modmail.
**Need help or feedback?** Be clear & specific, include a crumbshot. Read [ Rule 5 FAQ/TIPS & TRICKS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/) 🙂 .
***
Still have questions? [Modmail us :-)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Sourdough).
– #**[READING CRUMB GUIDE ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/reading_crumb/)**
[Wiki index](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/index/), & [FAQ Beginner starter guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/gnqFg7osBO)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Sourdough) if you have any questions or concerns.*
OP you’re the best for providing these updates! This was so fun to see!!
Thank you, OP- I came to Reddit today for this update. Carry on.
This is amazing! And I would not chalk up the dense crumb to your mis-doings, you used only rye and (whole?) wheat flour, it will always be more dense that way because they absorb more of the moisture and hold it, often to get a lighter crumb you’ll want a ratio of white bread flour to rye/wheat for a more delicate bite. Not that dense is wrong, I like a good dense loaf, great for holding spreads 🙂
This has been such a lovely journey. Thank you. What was your grandma’s name?
Bravo! You did great by your grandma. Now, get the butter!
Thanks for sharing. Today is 4 years since I lost my grandmother and I wish I could have shared my bread journey with her. This is such a beautiful way to share something with her. ❤️
So cool and what a special way to stay connected with your grandma! <3
What a touching story. Congratulations!