INGREDIENTS S TA R T E R
GERMAN RYE BREAD Imagine the aroma of hot homemade freshly baked bread wafting through your home on a cold winter’s day. This easy-to-follow recipe can make that pleasure a reality. Personalise it with your own mixture of spices and seeds – caraway, fennel, coriander, and anise add depth and sweetness, but adding pumpkin and sunflower seeds enhances the breads’ fibre content and nutritional value. This recipe makes one loaf and it takes a little more time than other recipes. But your patience will definitely be rewarded with a full-flavoured, fragrant loaf. Perfect for sandwiches with roast beef, pickles, and cheese, or a European-style afternoon snack at home, serving the bread with butter, cold cuts, and beer. EQUIPMENT • Digital weighing scale • Measuring cups • Measuring spoons • Measuring jug • Mixing bowls • Wooden spoon • Cling wrap • Kitchen towel • Pastry brush • Proving basket • Baking sheet or tray • Parchment paper • Cooling rack NOTES
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102g (1 cup) rye flour 165g (2/3 cup) plain yoghurt 3g (1 tsp) dried yeast 20g (1 tbsp) molasses 2g (1 tsp) caraway seeds, lightly crushed
• 240ml (1 cup) lukewarm water DOUGH • 102g (1 cup) rye flour • 191g (1½ cups) bread flour, plus extra for dusting • 11g (2 tsp) salt • Extra water • 4g (2 tsp) caraway seeds • Vegetable oil for greasing
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Combine all your starter ingredients in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or clean tea towel, then leave it at room temperature overnight. 2. To make the dough, mix the two types of flour and salt with your prepared starter. Pour in a little bit of extra water when needed.
3. Dust your bench with bread flour then turn out your dough onto the floured surface. Knead your dough by hand for 5 to 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. 4. Once smooth, knead the caraway seeds into your dough until combined. Shape your dough into a ball then transfer it into an oiled bowl. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap, then leave it to rise for an hour or until doubled in size. 5. While waiting, dust your proving basket well with bread flour and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 6. Transfer your risen dough onto a floured surface and knead it lightly. Shape your dough into a round shape, then gently place it into your floured proving basket, seam side up. 7. Cover your dough loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise again for another 30 minutes. 8. Preheat your oven to 220C. Carefully turn out your dough from the basket onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake your dough for the first 20 minutes. Reduce your oven temperature to 200C, then continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes more or until bread is dark golden. Transfer your baked bread to a wire rack to cool.
Home-baked rye bread keeps well and can last for two to three days when wrapped and stored properly. You can replace the caraway seeds in the recipe with 100g of seed mix. Try kneading in a mixture of pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and poppy seeds to your dough before proving. It’s a great way to add texture, flavour, and extra nutrition to your baked bread. Recipe published courtesy of Kitchen Warehouse.