WGB#8 Transitional Rye Hearth Meteil

This is a rye bread that I enjoyed more than the BBA NY rye.It has a rich flavor of rye and wheat, nutty,tangy from the buttermilk, and a hint of orange and anise flavor from the a seed ,chewy crust and completely satisfying eating experience.We enjoyed it soo much, decided to thaw out the last half of our home made pastrami and have Reuben sandwiches tonight.The bread utilizes a soaker and a biga, next day the final dough is made, with the addition of caraway seeds or anise, or orange or lemon zest.For one loaf I used orange zest and anise seeds, the other caraway. I was inspired by  Joe ,to be a little creative in slash cuts of my bread, he has some of the most artistic breads I have seen. 
 I had rye bran ,sifted out during the white rye bread from the BBA, added an ounce as part the final amount of rye flour.Used molasses as well.Rye and whole wheat flour takes longer to hydrate,so I let it rest during the kneading to fully hydrate before adding additional flour, then again after the final knead just to be sure.The dough rose rather quickly,less than 45 minutes, and after shaping it rose in less than 45 minutes.
I dusted the tops with Rye flour prior to shaping, next time I'll use bread flour for a stronger color contrast .Since I made 2 loaves I reduced the baking time to 30 minutes total, rotating the sheet pan after 15 minutes, used a steam pan as directed.

the one left  contains caraway seeds , the other orange zest and anise seeds

orange zest visible in crumb

the crumb was dense but tender and a bit moist.I find the bread usually firms up the next day and loses that moisture.To date this is the best tasting rye I have made.