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Sandwich Rye Bread

Source of Recipe

From "The King Arthur Baker's Companion" by King Arthur Baking Co.


Recipe Introduction

"To us, an excellent loaf of sandwich rye bread should be dark on the outside and light brown (almost a putty-beige color) on the inside. It should taste strongly of caraway and should have that distinctive rye bread flavor�a combination of caraway and the rye flour itself, with perhaps a hint of sour pickle. It should be shaped like sandwich bread and have a slightly chewy crust and a tender crumb. Finally, it should be moist enough to hold together when piled with pastrami or layered with ham and cheese and mustard. This bread is all of that. Each of the four flours adds its own special characteristic: height and structure from the bread flour, flavor from the rye, texture from the pumpernickel, and added moistness from the potato flour. Pickle juice adds just the right amount of tang."

List of Ingredients

◦ 2 cups unbleached bread flour
◦ 1 cup rye flour
◦ ⅓ cup pumpernickel
◦ � cup potato flour or ⅓ cup potato flakes
◦ 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
◦ 1 � teaspoons salt
◦ 1 tablespoon sugar
◦ 2 teaspoons instant yeast
◦ � cup vegetable oil
◦ � cup dill pickle juice or sour pickle juice
◦ 1 cup water


Recipe

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the vegetable oil, pickle juice, and water and mix until a shaggy mass forms. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes; this resting period allows the flour to absorb the liquid fully, making it easier to knead.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes; it should feel firm and smooth, though somewhat sticky. Put it into a greased bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise until it's almost doubled in bulk. Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled or lightly floured surface and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 � by 4 �-inch loaf pan, cover the pan with greased plastic wrap or a reusable cover, and let the loaf rise until it's just about crowned over the rim of the pan (about 60 to 90 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 350� F. Bake the bread for about 35 minutes, until it's a deep golden brown and its internal temperature registers 190� F on a digital thermometer. (If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil, shiny side up, for the final 10 minutes of baking.) Remove the bread from the oven, take it out of the pan, and cool it on a rack.

Makes one 8 �-inch loaf







❧ Variation: Sauerkraut Rye Loaf

Use this bread to make a fantastic Reuben melt with corned beef and Swiss cheese layered on two slices of bread, cooked on the griddle like grilled cheese. You'll need coleslaw and Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray Tonic on the side, of course.

Prepare the sandwich rye dough, adding � cup very well drained, chopped sauerkraut, and reducing the water to � cup. Another nice addition is up to 4 teaspoons mustard seeds (yellow, brown, or a mix). Shape and bake the bread as directed above; it may take a bit longer to rise.