It’s easy to bake homemade bread in the oven; here you don’t have to adhere to GOST. There is one standard for bread and every great baker practices it. Your love and the warmth of your hands, so that it goes into a loaf of bread. You break the loaf, you inhale the aroma, you take in the smell of delicious bread through your nostrils and it immediately penetrates to the bones, the home baker baked it skilfully.

And even Lenten bread in his hands is more exquisite than the delicacies of the world; for bread, he quickly kneaded the dough with special ease and grace of a fakir. I added all the ingredients by eye with enviable precision worthy of a jeweler; I baked homemade bread in the oven not as a simple souvenir. Of course, he tried for the people, and that means everything should be very tasty, but if your Lenten bread is different, then believe me, it’s very sad.

The sadness will pass and only experience will remain; as everyone knows, you can’t drink it, and even after a million glasses, you will bake delicious homemade bread. I want to raise a glass to the glory of bread. Always, everywhere he will be a head and if his taste is far from ideal, then it’s not even a problem. I think it’s a disaster when our bread is thrown away and given to pigs to feed, they criticize on TV, I’m not a supporter of such reforms.

Yesterday I listened with one ear to a very popular program on TV, why I listened because I was busy writing this article and in general, lately all I’ve been doing is listening to TV, while the rest of my family is watching it. In this program I will not specifically say which one, so as not to arouse the anger of her fans, talked about the dangers of bread.

That bread is not our food at all, as if it contains some kind of “demon” gluten that prevents us from living normally. It was said about the Japanese, how beautiful and healthy they are because they don’t bake homemade bread in the oven and therefore live the longest on the planet. Guys, when will we stop looking up to someone else and start living by our own minds?

It’s not because the Japanese don’t eat bread; they live longer and look like teenagers. You look at their standard of living, the level of medicine, social programs, care for the elderly, what does bread have to do with it? I don't understand. They hide behind “bread,” trying to hide their own powerlessness and lack of desire, something, behind such questions.

Some people try to blame someone or something for everything, deliberately turning a blind eye to really serious problems, and worse, they also convince other people of this. I personally cannot imagine Russia without bread, just like the Japanese without seafood. But they also contain harmful substances, ranging from mercury to arsenic. With this approach, you can bring any product under the “monastery.”

Of course, it is up to each person personally whether he wants to eat bread or not. But no matter how it is, you need to treat bread products with respect. And after the broadcast, one gets the impression that there is no more harmful product in the world and whoever bakes homemade bread in the oven is almost a criminal, encroaching on the health of our people.

Okay, I’ll smoothly move on to the main topic of the article: how to bake bread at home. Yesterday, and it seems like such a tradition is already taking shape on my culinary blog that during Orthodox fasts I try to write about recipes for Lenten dishes. I'll try not to break it.

And today I will tell you how to bake lean homemade bread in the oven. My future plans are to write an article about baking rye bread in a slow cooker. I should have written this a long time ago, but I can’t find malt for it. As soon as I find it, I’ll report back.

Lenten homemade bread in the oven

  • a small packet of yeast;
  • three tablespoons of sugar;
  • 700 grams of flour;
  • five tablespoons of vegetable oil;
  • salt;
  • rosemary;
  • sunflower seeds;
  • water.

I dilute yeast in half a glass of warm water.

I add three tablespoons of sugar.

I add four tablespoons of flour.

I stir and leave in a warm place for twenty minutes.

When the dough has risen, I transfer it to a larger pan, add two glasses of water and...

400 grams of flour. I stir. The bread dough should turn out like thick sour cream. Cover with a towel and leave in peace and quiet for one hour.

Then I add 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil, two pinches of salt and...

all the remaining flour.

I love when homemade bread smells of seeds and the light aroma of rosemary.

I grease the mold with oil and transfer the dough into it. Let him rest for a few minutes.

I put it in the oven and 40 minutes later this golden loaf of bread was born. True, it didn’t stick to the mold much; it was necessary to sprinkle the mold with a little flour, but it didn’t matter. Now I’ll give you advice on how to fix this. Soak a towel in cold water, place the pan on it, and in ten minutes your delicious, lean homemade bread is on your table, safe and sound.

Concluding today’s article on homemade bread in the oven, I want to ask you, can Russia give up bread? When answering this question, do not forget that bread is our history, our national treasure, and we are being asked to switch to corn and rice. It seems to me that Comrade Khrushchev has already tried to do this.

Are you ready to change a warm, fragrant crust of homemade wheat or rye bread, which has just been taken out of the oven and at the same time it seems to be breathing with its entire plump body, absorbing all the incomparable smell that came out of it, so as not to lose a single molecule of its taste? , on dead, slippery, cold and smelly sushi or a cup of lean rice? May the Japanese and all lovers of Japanese cuisine forgive me. It’s a shame when our dear bread is insulted.

I made my choice a long time ago, homemade bread baked in the oven. What about sushi? You know in fairy tales there is living and dead water. So bread is alive, but sushi is dead. However, being dead also sometimes brings benefits.

Bon appetit! Sincerely

When baking lean bread, eggs, milk, and butter are not used.

For people who strictly follow Orthodox traditions, confidence in the correctness of the food they eat is very important.

Only home-baked bread can give you such confidence. And in general, homemade loaves, long loaves, rolls are much healthier, tastier, and carry special energy.

Homemade Lenten bread can be baked in the oven or bread machine according to a variety of recipes. Classic version involves the use of first grade wheat flour alone or in a mixture with rye flour.

However, you can diversify the recipes with any flour: corn, oatmeal, soy, flaxseed, adding it in the amount of 100-150 grams per loaf of bread.

Additional components can be added to the dough in the form of dried herbs, pieces of vegetables, spices, and seasonings. A properly baked loaf of lean bread remains tasty and soft for at least five days.

Lenten bread - general principles of preparation

The main task when baking lean bread, add airiness to the crumb. This is why proper fermentation is so important. Most often, modern housewives simply introduce active dry or fresh yeast into flour. The dough will rise quickly.

However, the classic yeast-free version is more useful, when the dough rises due to the leaven you prepare yourself. It makes the dough crumb light, and lean sourdough bread can be stored much longer – up to two weeks. Preparing sourdough takes a long time and is troublesome, but the bread turns out amazingly tasty.

Eat several recipes for making sourdough. For example, you can knead the dough from 150 grams of flour and 10 ml of warm water (knead only with your hands, without using metal or wooden spoons). Roll into a ball, lightly grease with oil (vegetable), and leave in a warm place for a day. Then add two tablespoons of water and the same amount of flour, and again leave it alone for a day. Repeat mixing on the third day.

After a day, the starter is ready. You can store it for two weeks, exclusively in the refrigerator. Replace the yeast specified in the recipe with the same amount of the prepared product.

To make the bread airy, you need to knead the dough correctly, achieving an elastic mass. The dough must be allowed to rest before baking, otherwise it will be a tasteless, overdried cake. You need to place the mold in a preheated oven. Baking temperature is from 220 to 250 degrees, the time depends on the weight of the dough: from half an hour to forty minutes.

Lenten bread “Quick” for the oven

Quick, but unusually tasty lean bread is baked without any hassle from a minimum of ingredients. The recipe can be used to gain your first baking experience.

Ingredients:

Four hundred grams of first-grade baking flour;

Gram of active dry yeast (quarter teaspoon);

Seven grams of salt;

Three hundred milliliters of water at room temperature.

Cooking method:

Mix dry ingredients.

Pour in water (you can use carbonated water), knead into a homogeneous dough.

Roll the mixture into a ball, place in a bowl, and cover with cling film on top.

The dough should ferment for 18 hours.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. To maintain a constant temperature, you can put a stone in the oven.

Place the dough on a board lightly sprinkled with flour and use your hands to shape it into a rectangular shape.

Fold the long sides inward (you should get a long bar).

Cut into two parts, pinch the cuts.

Leave to proof for thirty minutes, covered with a linen or cotton towel.

Transfer the dough to greased baking paper, seam side down.

Thirty minutes is enough for baking.

Lenten bread with fresh yeast

A quick recipe for wonderful lean bread made from a mixture of wheat and rye flour.

Ingredients:

Four hundred grams of wheat flour;

One hundred grams of rye flour;

A teaspoon of salt;

Ten grams of fresh yeast;

350 ml warm water.

Cooking method:

Mix both types of flour, be sure to sift.

Add the mole to the flour mixture and whisk again.

Grind the yeast with your fingers and mix with the flour mixture until smooth.

Pour warm (not hot!) water over the flour and yeast.

Knead the dough by hand or using any kitchen equipment (processor, bread machine, mixer).

Leave the resulting smooth dough in a warm place to proof (an hour is enough).

As soon as the dough mass has doubled in size, place it on a greased table surface.

Form a ball.

Cover the sheet with baking paper, grease it, sprinkle with a pinch of flour.

Place the dough pinch side down.

Let it melt for half an hour.

Bake at 220 degrees (no more than forty minutes).

Cool on a wire rack.

Lenten bread with potato broth

Delicious fluffy bread will be obtained if you replace ordinary water with potato decoction.

Ingredients:

Half a liter of potato broth;

Two tablespoons of granulated sugar;

50 grams of raw yeast;

A kilogram of flour;

A tablespoon of salt;

Two tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

Dissolve the yeast in a cooled (to body temperature) potato broth.

Pour a mixture of salt and sugar into the yeast liquid and dissolve completely.

Pour into a mixing container, add oil to the liquid.

Add flour little by little, kneading the dough with your hands.

The dough mass should not be sticky.

Cover with a linen napkin and place on a warm stove or radiator.

When it has doubled, press it with your hands and leave it alone again.

The dough should rise twice.

Form four balls from the mixture and melt for another forty minutes.

Bake until an even, nice golden color appears.

Remove the bread, wrap it in a warm towel, and let it cool.

Lenten rye-wheat bread with cereals and honey

Cereal bread made from mixed flour will successfully replace any buns, it is so tasty.

Ingredients:

One and a half glasses of warm water;

A tablespoon of active dry yeast;

One teaspoon each of salt and granulated sugar;

A large spoon of floral liquid honey;

Three tablespoons of oat bran;

Three hundred grams of wheat flour;

150 grams of rye flour;

Two tablespoons of sunflower seeds, flax seeds, instant oatmeal and buckwheat flakes;

A teaspoon of olive or sunflower oil.

Cooking method:

Dissolve yeast and sugar in half a glass of water slightly above body temperature.

Stir liquid honey in a full glass of water.

Sift rye and wheat flour, add salt and beat with a whisk (or fork).

Add remaining dry ingredients, whisking each time.

Pour oil into flour mixture.

Immediately add the diluted yeast and honey water.

Knead the bread dough, roll it into a ball and place it to proof under a film or linen napkin.

After an hour, divide the dough into three loaves (if there is a form) or loaves, roll them into balls again and leave to rise (in the form or on a sheet) for an hour.

Bake for about forty minutes in a preheated oven.

Wrap in parchment paper, then with a towel, and cool.

Eat as soon as the bread has cooled.

Lenten bread “Greek” with anise

According to a traditional Greek recipe, special Lenten bread with anise aroma is baked.

Ingredients:

Glass of water;

Half a teaspoon of anise seeds;

Five hundred grams of white flour;

Two teaspoons of active dry yeast;

Two large spoons of granulated sugar;

Olive (or sunflower) oil – two tablespoons;

Tablespoon salt;

A quarter cup of sesame seeds.

Cooking method:

Prepare anise infusion by boiling the seeds in a glass of water (five minutes of boiling is enough).

Cool by dissolving salt in hot liquid.

Sift the flour.

Mix flour with yeast and granulated sugar.

Make a hole in the mixture, pour in the oil and a third of the anise broth.

Knead the dough.

Melt for an hour.

Divide the dough mixture into two parts, form two cakes on a sheet covered with parchment paper.

Leave the cakes to rise for about fifteen minutes.

Brush with anise water and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake until deep brown (35-40 minutes).

Greek Lenten bread should be crunchy.

Lenten bread with honey and ginger in a bread machine

Delicate, original honey-ginger Lenten bread will add pleasant variety to a Lenten or everyday menu.

Ingredients:

Partial faceted glass of warm water (180 ml);

Half a glass of liquid flower honey;

A tablespoon of mustard (can be replaced) oil;

A teaspoon of coarse salt;

A quarter teaspoon of ginger powder;

Three glasses of white flour.

Cooking method:

Pour water into the bowl.

Add honey and oil.

Gently add salt and ginger powder.

Sift the flour.

Sprinkle flour on top of liquid.

Place unexpired dry yeast on top of the flour.

Bake on the baguette baking mode (choose a similar one for your bread machine).

Cool without removing from the mold.

Lenten onion bread in a slow cooker

The wonderful spicy aroma of onion lean bread cooked in a slow cooker will make you forget about boring store-bought loaves forever.

Ingredients:

Two medium onions;

Half a liter of warm clean water;

One tablespoon each of granulated sugar and salt;

A spoon of vegetable oil for a frying pan;

A kilogram of white flour;

A packet of unexpired dry yeast.

Cooking method:

Chop the onions very finely.

Fry the onion in oil until transparent.

Dissolve a mixture of granulated sugar and salt in water.

Sift the flour and add it little by little to the water, immediately kneading the dough.

After adding three quarters of the flour, add the packet of yeast to the dough mixture.

When almost all the flour has been used, add onions, favorite herbs, and spices to the dough.

Leave the fully kneaded dough to rise for an hour.

Knead and place in a greased multicooker bowl.

Turn on the heating mode for half an hour.

When the dough has risen a second time, turn on the baking mode for one hour.

When the slow cooker turns off, turn the bread over and bake for another fifty minutes.

Lenten bread “Rassolny” in a bread machine

Delicious bread made with any brine (cabbage, cucumber, tomato, watermelon) is simple and easy to prepare using a bread machine.

Ingredients:

One and a half glasses of any fresh brine;

Two tablespoons of vegetable oil;

Three standard glasses of white flour;

One and a half tablespoons of active dry yeast;

A tablespoon of granulated sugar;

Half a teaspoon of coarse salt.

Cooking method:

Load the ingredients according to the instructions for the bread maker.

Bake on the main mode or the mode of baguette, French bread.

After baking, take out the bread, wrap it in a linen napkin, and cool.

Lenten bread “Caraway” in a bread machine

A wonderful version of caraway bread can be baked very easily in a slow cooker. This is a traditional German recipe, which is very close to traditional Borodino bread.

Ingredients:

One and a half glasses of brewed grain (or instant) coffee;

A glass of any bran;

One and a half cups of white flour;

A full tablespoon (with a heap) of salt;

Two glasses of rye flour;

A quarter cup of cocoa powder (no sugar);

Two large spoons of vegetable oil;

A tablespoon of cumin seeds.

Cooking method:

Place all the ingredients into the bread maker bowl as directed in the instructions.

Sift the flour first.

Bake on the basic setting for wheat bread for about four hours.

Remove, wrap in a towel and cool as is.

Lenten bread "Monastic"

The recipe for monastery bread is as simple as it is delicious. Suitable for daily use with first and second courses.

Ingredients:

A kilogram of wheat flour;

One and a half glasses of warm water;

Half a spoon of dessert granulated sugar;

A teaspoon of active yeast;

The same amount of coarse salt.

Cooking method:

Place the dough by mixing sugar, 200 ml of water, a glass of flour, and yeast in a liter jar.

Mix with a fork until smooth.

Seal with a lid and place in an oven preheated to 30-50 degrees (or simply near the radiator).

When the dough rises to the level of the lid, pour it into the kneading container.

Pour in the rest of the water and salt, start kneading the dough, adding flour little by little.

Knead until the dough begins to easily move away from your fingers.

Leave to proof for about an hour.

Divide into several parts.

Grease the sheet, form several loaves, and again leave to proof in a warm place.

Bake at a temperature no higher than 200 degrees for about forty minutes.

Cool in the oven without opening the door for one and a half hours.

Wrap the cooled bread in a linen napkin and put it in a packaging bag.

  • Bread flour is sifted to saturate it with oxygen. Sifted flour produces airy, very tasty bread.
  • To diversify the taste and aroma of bread, you can add seedless raisins, chopped olives, pieces of bell pepper, canned or fresh corn, peas, peeled seeds, any dried or fresh herbs, chopped dried apricots and etc.
  • If the bread is baked in the oven, it should not be opened during the process: the dough will immediately fall.
  • All ingredients should be brought to normal room temperature before mixing.
  • To make sure that the bread is ready, you need to tap the bottom crust (turn the loaf over). The finished product produces a dull sound.
  • You can store homemade bread in the freezer, tightly wrapped in a grocery bag. Once defrosted, the bread will be soft and fresh.
In principle, every bread baked in a bakery - rye, wheat, Darnitsky, Borodinsky and other types of bread - is lean. But to be confident in the baked goods you eat during Lent, you can bake them yourself. In addition, homemade bread is always more aromatic, healthier, and tastier than store-bought bread.

Lenten bread in a bread machine

The easiest way to make lean bread is to bake it in a bread machine. At most, this will take the housewife about 10 minutes of time. The oven itself will do the rest. And he will knead and rise as many times as necessary for its good porosity, and bake it until ready.

Pour 700 grams of flour into the bowl of a bread machine for a one-kilogram loaf, pour 300 ml of water (preferably spring water or drinking from an eggplant, that is, not from the tap), add a packet of dry yeast (in this case, “Pak-Maya” yeast works very well) , “Saf-moment” in red packaging), one and a half teaspoons of salt, a tablespoon of sugar, three tablespoons of vegetable oil. Turn on (attention!) the “French bread” mode. It produces (such nonsense!) really good airy Russian loaves of bread.

When the bread is baked in the bread machine, we immediately take it out. Wrap in a waffle towel and let cool completely. Now bread can be eaten as a Lenten meal.

Rye or “Borodinsky” lean bread in a bread maker

A very simple option for baking rye or Borodino bread in a bread machine is to buy a ready-made mixture for such bread in the store, add it, add water as indicated on the package and bake the bread on the “rye” setting. This bread turns out very tasty, just like in the store, even better. However, you can try baking your own rye bread. To do this, use the same recipe as above. Just take part wheat flour and part rye flour for it. There should be a little more wheat than rye, otherwise the bread will be a bit low.

If you don't have a bread machine

It will be a little more complicated. But you can make this bread yourself. For example, bake the dough, prepared from the ingredients indicated in the first recipe, well kneaded (it should rise twice to knead), in a mold. Remember that the mold must first be greased with vegetable oil. And also let the dough rise well in it before baking. Then the mold is placed in a preheated oven and the bread is baked in it until done.

People who strictly adhere to church instructions during the prescribed fast cannot be sure that the bread they buy in a store is Lenten. Even if there is a corresponding note on the label, it is quite possible that there was something savory among the ingredients. In order not to even accidentally break the rules, you will have to bake lean bread yourself - in the oven, bread maker or slow cooker, depending on what your kitchen is equipped with. Since an ordinary stove, gas or electric, can be found in any home, let's start with recipes for the oven.

White bread, lean

A little secret for getting a more fluffy and tasty result: instead of half a liter of warm water, take the same volume of potato broth (naturally, the potatoes should not be boiled “in their uniforms”). It contains fresh yeast, a third of a standard packet, a spoon of salt and two of sugar. When everything poured in has dissolved, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil and add flour - approximately about a kilogram, until the dough stops being sticky. Once kneaded, it is covered with a napkin and placed in a warm place for two hours to “rise”, after which the dough is divided into four flattened balls and left for another forty minutes. Such a lean should remain until an even tan, how long depends on your stove. Once taken out, it is wrapped in a heated towel and cooled in it to retain its fluffiness. And tomorrow your lean bread will become even tastier. Many people think that fresh is the best, but in this case that is not the case.

Multigrain bread

Lenten with wheat flour and additions of other grains turns out very tasty. First, add a spoonful of sugar to half a glass of warm water. A spoonful of honey dissolves in the remaining water (another glass). A third of a kilogram of wheat flour and half a kilogram of rye flour are sifted and mixed with a spoonful of salt, sunflower seeds, and flakes - buckwheat and oatmeal (take two spoons in total). Two and a half tablespoons of olive oil are also poured into this. Lastly, the appropriate yeast is added and the dough is kneaded, a ball is formed, placed in a container, covered and left warm for an hour. Next, it is divided into three equal parts, each is rolled into a ball or loaf, covered with a cloth and left for another half hour. The loaves are baked for about forty minutes, then wrapped in parchment and a towel. After cooling, this lean bread can be eaten immediately.

Lagana

Greek Christians also bake Lenten bread. Its recipe differs from the one we are used to both in the method of preparation and in the ingredients. Boil anise in a glass of water for about five minutes. Then it is strained and the broth is cooled. Almost half a kilo of flour is sifted, mixed with two spoons of dry yeast, two large spoons of sugar. Two tablespoons of vegetable oil are poured into the hole in the center of the pile (naturally, it is better to give preference to olive oil). The dough is kneaded with the gradual addition of anise broth (don’t pour in all of it, just so it doesn’t stick); At the very end, add a spoonful of salt. After an hour of standing, the dough is rolled out into two finger-thick cakes, they are laid out on a baking sheet and rise uncovered for about a third of an hour. Before placing in the oven, the surface of the lagana is smeared with the remaining anise water and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Lenten Greek bread is baked for 45 minutes in a medium-heat oven. The color of the lagana should be juicy brown, and the crust should be crispy!

Honey-ginger version

If you have acquired the latest kitchen gadgets, the baking process is greatly simplified: preparing lean bread in a slow cooker is much less troublesome than in the oven. The miracle device is responsible for everything. You can make the most primitive bread, but if you have the opportunity, why not treat yourself. We offer to bake lean bread, the recipe of which will delight you not only with the delicate pulp of the finished baked goods, but also with a wonderful aroma and original taste. 180 ml (not a full glass) of water, a spoonful of mustard mala and half a glass of liquid natural honey are poured into the bread pan, a spoonful of salt and a quarter of it - ground ginger are poured in. Pour in almost three glasses of sifted flour and a teaspoon of dry yeast. The bowl is placed in the multicooker, the “baguette” mode is selected, the weight of the baked goods will be half a kilogram. The finished lean bread should be left to cool directly in the bowl. But your loved ones will fight for the right to be the first to try!

Onion bread

Another unusual lean bread in a slow cooker. Two onions may be finely chopped and golden in a very small amount of oil. While they are cooling, salt and sugar are dissolved in half a liter of heated water - a tablespoon at a time. Add flour little by little; its total weight is a kilogram, when three quarters are already mixed in, add a package of dry yeast. As the end of kneading approaches, onions and spices (for example, Provençal herbs) are added. The dough should rise for half an hour. Then the multicooker bowl is coated with vegetable oil, the dough is laid out in it, and the heating is turned on for another half hour so that the dough rises again. Afterwards the mode changes to baking, the time is set to an hour. It beeps - the almost finished lean bread is turned over, and the multicooker starts in the same mode, but for 50 minutes.

White bread in brine

For those who have already bought a bread machine, God himself ordered them to bake their own Lenten bread. Even kneading should not bother you, since the machine will do everything for you - isn’t that tempting! We will not describe how the simplest lean bread is prepared in a bread machine: those who have mastered this wonderful technique already know the details of the process. Let's pay more attention to unusual recipes. For pickled bread, the following are loaded into the mold:

  • one and a half glasses of brine (tomato, cucumber, watermelon and cabbage will do);
  • two tablespoons of vegetable oil;
  • three glasses of sifted flour;
  • half a spoon of salt and a full spoon of sugar;
  • one and a half spoons of quick yeast.

It is better to check the loading sequence with the instructions - there may be nuances in different models. The “Russian cook” mode is turned on (or “Basic”, or “French bread” - depending on what is provided in your bread machine). After turning off the machine, the loaf is taken out, wrapped and cooled “in clothes”.

German bread

A recipe from Germany allows you to prepare incredibly tasty lean bread in a bread machine. For this purpose, the following are placed and filled into the device:

  1. A glass and three quarters of coffee. The original uses boiled, but it is acceptable to replace it with instant.
  2. A glass of bran. Which ones exactly are left to your discretion.
  3. A glass with a third of wheat flour. Don't forget to sift!
  4. Two glasses of rye, also sifted.
  5. Two spoons of salt.
  6. Two tablespoons of sunflower (or other vegetable) oil. Many people praise the use of corn in this recipe.
  7. A quarter cup of cocoa powder.
  8. Two spoons of cumin. As always, clarifications are possible: if you find this lean bread too spicy, you can reduce the amount.
  9. Two and a quarter spoons of yeast.

The “Wheat bread” mode is selected (and don’t be confused by the fact that in real life it is mixed). In most models, this mode takes four hours - but during this time you are free!

Lenten bread without yeast

There are people who believe that yeast during Lent is an unnecessary component when baking bread. In principle, you can do without them. But keep in mind: Lenten needs sourdough. Without it, you'll end up with hard, dull cakes. And sourdough doesn’t take a day or two to make. If you are ready for such feats, get down to business. Slightly warmed up to 36 degrees. water is poured into a liter jar. Sifted rye flour (a glass) is poured in there and kneaded well - there should be no lumps left. The neck is covered with gauze and secured with an elastic band. The jar is placed in a warm place: at least 25 degrees, and the temperature should not change. After two days, another half glass of water is added to the jar and a glass of flour is added. And in another day the starter is ready. Only two spoons are taken into the dough, water is poured in and now wheat flour is poured in - as in ordinary yeast dough. The main difference is that sourdough dough will rise not for an hour, not two, but for a full day. So you need to wrap it well and not touch it - otherwise it will fall off. Lenten bread is baked without yeast in the same way as yeast bread.

Step 1: prepare the starter – days one and two.

First of all, you need to prepare the starter! Let's take 4 tablespoons of warm, clean distilled water and pour it into a liter jar; the liquid can be heated in any way convenient for you, in the microwave or on the stove. The water temperature should be approximately from 39 to 40 degrees Celsius. Then we enter into the same jar 4 tablespoons of sifted rye flour. Mix the ingredients to a homogeneous consistency without lumps, cover the container with the viscous mass with a piece of sterile gauze, seal with an elastic band and place in a warm place, for example, near a stove or radiator. In order for the starter to begin fermenting, the ambient temperature must be positive at least 25 – 30 degrees. Initially, the flour mass will not show signs of fermentation. Through 1 day, that is in 24 hours it will begin to increase in size. A in 48 hours will release bubbles to the surface, it’s time to begin the second phase of preparing a high-quality sourdough starter for lean bread.

Step 2: prepare the starter – day three.


After 48 hours, we also heat the water, remove the gauze from the jar, add it to the container 2 tablespoons of warm liquid and 2 tablespoons of sifted wheat flour. Mix the ingredients with a tablespoon until smooth, cover the jar with gauze again and place in a warm place. for 24 hours. Do not close the container tightly, leaving a small gap, otherwise the starter may become moldy. Total time for preparing sourdough 72 hours, that is 3 days.

Step 3: knead the dough.


After the required time has passed, take a jar of sourdough and separate it from the total mass. 2 tablespoons, transferring the viscous mass into a clean deep bowl. Exactly this amount of starter is needed for preparation 1 loaves of bread weighing 880 - 900 grams. Again, heat the water in any way and add it to the bowl with the starter 180 milliliters of warm liquid. There we also introduce the required amount of salt, brown sugar and sifted wheat flour. Knead the dough using a wooden kitchen spoon.
And when the kitchen appliance stops helping, continue kneading with clean hands for 5 minutes. The texture of the dough will be a little sticky, so periodically sprinkle it with flour for better kneading.
As a result, you will get a small flour bun, roll it into a loaf of bread and place it in a greased, heat-resistant, round baking dish. A frying pan with a removable handle or any other deep container for baking baked goods is also suitable. Cover the container with the semi-finished flour product with plastic cling film, cover with a waffle towel and place in a warm place for 24 – 27 hours. Do not touch or mix the dough, otherwise it will settle!

Step 4: bake lean bread without yeast.


In 24 – 27 preheat the oven until 220 degrees Celsius. We remove the towel and plastic cling film from the dough; during the resting time it has increased slightly, but do not forget that the dough is not yeast and will not be very airy. Sprinkle the formed bun with a generous portion of wheat flour, 2 tablespoons is enough, and place in a preheated oven for 40 – 45 minutes. Approximately after 10 minutes baking, reduce the temperature of the stove up to 200 degrees Celsius.
After the required time has passed, remove the pan with the finished rye bread from the oven and place it on a cutting board placed on the kitchen table. Let the flour product cool slightly, then lift the loaf with a kitchen spatula and transfer it to a metal wire rack. Cover the bread with a towel so that there is a gap left and let it cool to room temperature. Then place on a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut the bread into portions. Place them on dessert plates in portions of 3 to 5 pieces and serve them on the table along with salt.

Step 5: serve lean bread without yeast.


Lenten bread without yeast is served for dinner, lunch or breakfast along with salt. This bread is delicious without any additions, just with tea, cocoa or juice, but as an exception during Lent, it can be savored with lean dishes, for example, apple mayonnaise, jams, preserves, stewed vegetables, almond cheese , peas, soy or with your favorite lean first hot dishes. Prepare and enjoy! Bon appetit!

- – Instead of brown sugar, you can use regular sugar or beet molasses.

- – The starter can be stored in a closed, sterilized container for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. Before baking, such leaven should be allowed to stand in a warm place for at least 1 hour, then 10 milliliters of water and 3 times 100 grams of rye flour should be added to it at intervals of 10–12 hours. After the third portion of ingredients, after 3 - 4 hours you can start kneading the bread dough.

- – If desired, you can add herbs such as cumin, sesame, poppy, and coriander seeds to the dough.