Easy Rye Bread

Name: Easy Rye Bread
Ingredients: Starter; 235 g bread flour (approx. 2 cups, 1.85 cups exactly); 200 g rye flour (2 cups); 5 g yeast, Active dry (1 tsp.); 40 g sugar (1/3 cup); 10 g malt drink powder (1 T, non-diastatic, source King Arthur Flour, Baker's Catalog); 725 g water (725 ml, 3 cups); Flour Mix; 700 g bread flour (5.5 cups); 5 g yeast, Active dry (1 tsp.); 20 g salt, Kosher (1 T plus 1 tsp.); 30 g caraway seeds (4 T); 15 g vegetable oil (15 ml, 1 T)

13 ingredients

17 steps

Ingredients

Starter
235 g bread flour (approx. 2 cups, 1.85 cups exactly)
200 g rye flour (2 cups)
5 g yeast, Active dry (1 tsp.)
40 g sugar (1/3 cup)
10 g malt drink powder (1 T, non-diastatic, source King Arthur Flour, Baker's Catalog)
725 g water (725 ml, 3 cups)
Flour Mix
700 g bread flour (5.5 cups)
5 g yeast, Active dry (1 tsp.)
20 g salt, Kosher (1 T plus 1 tsp.)
30 g caraway seeds (4 T)
15 g vegetable oil (15 ml, 1 T)

Directions

1

Weigh out ingredients for the starter in your mixing bowl and whisk together. They should be the consistency of pancake batter.
2

Measure out the remaining bread flour into the mixing bowl with starter (on top of starter).
3

Make two wells in the dry bread flour, add the salt and caraway seeds in one, the yeast in the other.
4

Place mixing bowl on its stand, cover (loosely with plastic wrap or a lid), and let ferment for 1-4 hours. The yeast will become active during this time.
5

Measure out vegetable oil and reserve until ready for use.
6

After the preliminary ferment, add oil to bowl and mix with a dough hook until a smooth, elastic dough ball is formed, about 5 minutes.
7

Turn the dough out onto a greased countertop (olive oil or Pam Spray works well).
8

Knead into a ball (1 minute) and place into a dough riser lightly coated with oil. Spray top of dough with oil, cover and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size*.
9

Preheat oven with a pizza stone to 450°F Be sure that the stone and a cookie sheet (bottom shelf) are in the oven when you start pre-heating it.
10

Turn bread dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and divide into two pieces.
11

Form loaves and place them on a sheet of parchment paper that is roughly the same size as your pizza stone.
12

Cover** and let rise for 45-60 minutes.
13

After rising, slash the tops of the loaves using a serrated knife.
14

Place the rolls in the oven using a pizza peel.*** At the same time, put a cup of ice on the cookie sheet to humidify your oven.
15

Bake at 450 F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 F and continue baking for another 40 minutes. If your oven has a convection bake setting, switch to convection for the last 10 minute of baking.
16

Cool on wire racks and enjoy!
17

*If you are not ready to form the loaves after the first rise, you can punch the dough down and let it rise again until doubled in size. **I use a plastic storage container that is designed to store things under my bed. It is the perfect size and keeps my dough safe from cats, dogs and other critters. ***An inverted cookie tray works in a pinch. ****If smaller loaves are desired, divide dough into four pieces and reduce baking time by 10 minutes.