BEST RYE BREAD RECIPE
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2 cups very warm water
2 packets dry active yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 tablespoon ( or more ) caraway seeds
1 egg, separated
2 cups medium rye flour
4 1/2 to 5 cups white bread flour
cornmeal
In a large warm clean bowl put 2 cups very warm water. Add sugar and
Stir well. Sprinkle in 2 packets of yeast, let sit a moment then stir
in well. Let it rest about 10 minutes.
Add salt, garlic powder and 1 tablespoon of the caraway seeds (save rest
for the top). Save eggwhite aside: add eggyolk to liquid in bowl.
Stir well.
Add 2 cups of rye flour and stir very well. Add bread flour 2 cups
at a time twice (total 4 cups bread flour), mixing well. Add enough
additional bread flour to make a very stiff dough. Mix it in the
bowl well then turn it out and knead it briefly to make the mixture
uniform. Scrape all the dough out of the bowl. Put 1/4 cup
vegetable oil in the bowl. Measure out 1/4 cup of additional bread
flour, but hold it. Put the dough back in the bowl and and work the
oil through the dough, breaking and mooshing the oil all thru the
dough. Knead roughly in the bowl. When it is a oily mooshed mess,
add the additonal 1/4 cup of flour, sprinkling it on the dough and
the walls of the bowl. Work the flour all through the dough until it
is all absorbed and the oiliness is gone.
Turn the dough out and knead thoroughly. Form a ball. Put it back
in the bowl in a warm place and let it rise, covered with a towel for
1 hour.
Punch down and knead briefly. Cut in two even loaves and knead each
well. Roll out each into a 12 inch wide, 1/2 inch thick rectangle
(roughly). Roll up into a 12 inch cylinder. Pinch all openings to
form a 12 inch long loaf (mositen edges if necessary). Seal well!!
Heavily sprinkle cornmeal onto a smooth surface (pan or paddle) and
place loaves apart on the pan to rise. Cover with a towel. 45
minutes later slash each loaf 6 times, 1/2 inch deep diagonally.
Take reserved eggwhite and coat surfaces well. Sprinke well with
caraway seeds. Preheat oven (with stone?) to 350. When heated:
throw in 6 ice cubes and close door. Wait 5 minutes. Transfer to
stone or put pan in oven for 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the oven
(err on side of MORE). Done when dark golden and hollow to tap. Let
cool on rack unless you are going to finish it when you first slice
it!
