molasses rye bread

My hands have been in bread dough a lot lately.  I find it helps with the frustration level of work and also not being at our land.  I make my standby a lot but there are times I experiment or get asked to try something.

My Beloved asked me to make a "real" rye bread.  He likes Reuben sandwiches and recently tried a pastrami on sourdough rye.  When the sandwich came out, his bread looked like a light whole wheat loaf.  It was not what he was expecting.  He was expecting dark and heavy.  This is where this experiment came from.  I adapted a recipe i saw on Lucullian delights.  It was the Bread Baking Babes challenge one month so I figured I would give it a try.  Of course, changing as I go.

I am not a real fan of rye bed but I would have to say this was very good.  Sourdough.  Lots of rye.  I wanted 100% rye but I ran out of rye flour and did not wish to go to the store.  

molasses rye bread

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

30 ounces rye flour

1 to 2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt.

The night before, mix the starter with 3/4 cup water and 1 cup rye flour in a large bowl.  Let sit over night or about eight hours.

The next morning (or whenever), take out a couple tablespoons of starter for next time.  Mix in the sugar, molasses, 1 1/4 cup water, ginger, and two cups rye flour.  Let sit covered for two ours or until very bubbly and puffy.

Mix in the salt, the rest of the rye flour, and any extra white to make a soft dough.  Turn out on a counter and knead until smooth and elastic.  Rye is a low gluten flour so this might take awhile dependent on how long you let the gluten develop in the first stage.

When smooth, cover and let rise until double.  Punch down and let rise again.

Shape into a free form loaf and put on a silpat or parchment covered baking sheet.  Or you can put it into buttered loaf pans.  Let rise for 45 minutes.

Slash the top of the bread in an x fashion.

Bake for 1 hour in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven.  This will give a soft crust.  For a more artisan crust, raise the baking temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and let bake 40 minutes.

This time I did the artisan crust.  Next time, we are going for the soft crust.

It was lovely, just out of the oven, with butter.  My Beloved was quite pleased.  This was what he was thinking.  Though next time, I am going to try to have all rye.  Maybe he will even get that pastrami on rye.