Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød) & Baking with Whole-Grain Winter Rye with Jennifer Kouvant
Six Dutchess in the Kitchen | Live, Hands-On Virtual Class
Taught by Jennifer Kouvant, co-hosted by Six Dutchess Farm & The New York Women's Culinary Alliance
There are few breadbaking accomplishments greater than making your very own loaf of Classic Danish Rugbrød. It takes a solid 48 hours to make, plus an extra 24 hours of cool-down time. But once you succeed in making your first loaf, you will continue making it for life. Not only is rye essential to the farmer, as one of the heartiest winter crops around and a trusted late-season cover crop, but it's also an enormously fiber-rich grain, loaded with nutrients that support a healthful diet for the consumer. Plus, for the bakers' palate, the depth of rye flavor adds such a unique twist to otherwise ordinary baked goods.
During this class, we're going to take you on a hands-on journey to understanding and embracing the humble whole-grain origins of rye and maximizing it to its fullest potential in your baking kitchen. You'll develop the knowledge and confidence to "read" rye and appreciate its tendency for low and slow baking, you'll learn about the differences between wheat and rye, and you'll learn to appreciate the many advantages of baking with whole grain rye instead of processed white rye.
Two days prior to class, you'll receive a recorded Zoom demo guiding you through the first steps of making your rye bread: this includes making your seed mixture, called a soaker, and preparing your Leaven with ripe sourdough, water and rye flour. You'll prepare that the night before our class, and during our Sunday class, we'll mix our doughs, prepare our loaf pans, and discuss what to look for in the fermentation process for rye. While our doughs rise, we'll make a quick-bake treat, chocolate rye brownies, and delicious, crunchy rye-caraway crackers. As our class comes to an end, you'll be in charge of monitoring your dough rise and bake, since rugbrød rising time can take up to 6 hours. We'll give you all the information you need to know when you bread is ready for baking, how to handle the oven bake and when it's ready to eat.
Here is the menu for this class:
Sourdough Danish Rugbrød with Whole Grain Rye
rye chops, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds & flax
Chocolate Whole Grain Rye Brownies
Rye Crackers with Toasted Caraway Seeds
This class will be limited to 15 registrants, first-come, first-served.
INGREDIENTS
This class requires special equipment and ingredients. Required ingredients include a sourdough starter, whole rye flour (also knows as Pumpernickel flour) and rye chops. You will receive a list of mail-order links where you can order all three items or make your own sourdough starter. Also recommended is a Pullman loaf pan.
PREPARATION
We welcome and encourage you to bake and learn along with your loved ones. Recipes, a full ingredient list, and a Zoom link will be provided one week prior to class. Though you are not required to cook along, it does make the experience more immersive and it provides you with a real Sunday treat.
CANCELLATIONS
Please note, due to the small size of this class and its virtual nature, registration is non-refundable and class credit is not given should you find yourself unable to attend.
RECORDING
This class is recorded in full and you will receive the live recording, along with the recipe packet, within 24 hours of the class to enjoy and cook along on your own time. This ensures that you will not miss any class content should you be unable to attend live.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR I JENNIFER KOUVANT
A native of New York City, Jennifer currently runs Six Dutchess Farm in partnership with her husband Hans.
Before entering the food and farming community, Jennifer worked for more than a decade in war-torn regions of Former Yugoslavia and the Middle East as an international humanitarian worker and United Nations officer, focusing on post-war reconstruction and food policy. She credits her career change to an infectious love of food, the warmth of kitchens and cooks and farmers across the globe, and the deep-rooted influences of her father—a New York City restaurateur for over 40 years.
From her Danish mother and Grandmother, she learned all about natural fibers and flowers and Nordic crafting traditions. More than anyone, they taught Jennifer the beauty and grace of serving one's community through food and hospitality. Jennifer holds professional certificates from the French Culinary Center's Bread Baking and Pastry Arts programs and has apprenticed in the bread kitchens of Per Se and Bouchon Bakery. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College with a Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University.