What's the difference from a Mischbrot?

Mostly style: Bauernbrot is rustic and free-formed with more rye, a thicker crust and bread spice; a Mischbrot is the everyday sliceable rye-wheat mix, often baked in a tin.

Will a free-form loaf spread flat?

Not if you shape it tautly, use a banneton, and don't over-proof. The rye keeps it from being too slack; the wheat holds the dome.

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Farmhouse sourdough bread (Bauernbrot, rye & wheat)

Grandma's rustic loaf: a rye sour for deep flavour, wheat for lift, and a thick dark crust. Free-form, no tin needed.

Recipe

Bread

Rustic

Finn GlasCo-Founder + Engineering

·June 13, 2026·

2 min read

Step by step

Build the rye sour

Mix Anstellgut, rye flour and water; leave warm 12 to 16 hours until bubbly and sour.

Mix and short knead

Combine the sour with both flours, water, salt and spice. Knead about 5 minutes - just until the wheat develops some stretch. The dough stays tacky.

Bulk ferment

Cover and rest 2 hours at room temperature.

Shape a round

With wet hands, shape into a taut round and set seam-up in a floured banneton.

Final proof

Proof 1 to 2 hours, until visibly puffed and fine cracks start to show.

Bake with steam

Turn out, score a cross, and bake at 250 C with steam for 15 minutes, then 200 C for 35 to 40 minutes until dark and hollow-sounding. Cool fully.

The loaf that tastes like memory

Bauernbrot is the rustic, free-standing farmhouse loaf: more rye than a Mischbrot, a thick crackly crust, and that unmistakable tang. The rye sour does the flavour and most of the rise; a portion of wheat gives just enough gluten to shape a round that holds its dome.

What you need

Makes one round loaf (about 1 kg). Roughly 60% rye, 40% wheat.

Rye sour: 30 g rye Anstellgut, 150 g rye flour (1150), 150 g lukewarm water

Main dough: all the sour, 200 g rye flour (1150), 250 g wheat flour (1050), 280 g warm water, 13 g salt, optional 2 tsp bread spice

Kit: a banneton (or a bowl + floured cloth), a Dutch oven or stone + steam

Notes and swaps

More rye = deeper flavour but a flatter, denser loaf; more wheat = a taller, lighter one. Bread spice (caraway-forward) is what makes it taste 'like the bakery'. A lively starter matters - feed it the day before. For the everyday wheat version see our everyday loaf.

FAQ

Frequently asked

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Written by

Finn Glas

Co-Founder + Engineering

Finn is one of the Co-Founders. He owns the engineering side, the infrastructure, and most of the late-night fixes that ship before anyone notices.

finn.glas at aicuflow dot comLinkedIn Website