Salinātā rudzu rupjmaize is a bread baked in Latvia from rye flour. It owes its distinctiveness to the traditional recipe and techniques used for its production. The recipe does not allow the baker to use yeast but requires the caraway seeds to be added to the mixture.
Before the preparation of the dough, around 30% of the rye flour has to 'be sweetened' then set aside and fermented for at least 12 hours. The distinct sweet taste of Salinata bread comes from breaking down the starch into sugars by the malt, and the sour taste is formed during the fermentation of lactic acid.
It is easily distinguished by its hand shaped elongated form with rounded ends, its smooth and glossy dark brown crust that is coated with starch paste, and its aromatic crumb. It is traditionally baked on a hot hearth without using baking trays or moulds.
It is a very famous bread that can be found in many cookbooks and publications that describe traditional Latvian dishes since it is considered to be a significant component of Latvian national identity.
