Rye Bread – Dough, rye, me

Rye Bread

The final component of my great salt beef experiment is the rye bread and I've followed a recipe from David Sax's Save the Deli. I've never really used caraway seed before and I have to say I was nervous by the amount being added, and by the aroma that wasn't that pleasant. Even when the bread came out of the oven (mine needed another 10 minutes cooking time, but I think my dough was originally maybe a bit too moist), the caraway smell was strong, but much more mellow. The taste, however, was divine.

Ingredients:
500g rye flour
500g strong white bread flour
1/2 sachet instant yeast
20g salt
700g warm water
25g caraway seed, lightly cracked

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a fork and mix at top speed in a mixer for 7 minutes.
2. Shape into a ball, coat with flour and cover in a bowl in a warm place for 1-2 hours until it is 1 1/2 times its size.

3. Half an hour before cooking, put a baking sheet in the oven and turn up to full. Five minutes before baking, put a small ovenproof dish filled with hot water from a kettle in the bottom of the oven.
4. Turn the dough onto the hot baking sheet and re-shape. I slashed the top a few times with a knife and sprinkled with more rye flour.
5. After 10 minutes drop the oven temperature to 180C and open the door for 20 seconds. Close the door and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the bottom of the bread sounds hollow.
6. Allow to cool before slicing. Or, if you're an impatient little git like me, cut off the end and have a taste.