Bread II - Light Rye

After comparing the fantastic brick of potato bread made in the Bread Maker to substandard store bought bread, I have decided to pursue making Rye Bread, sans the seeds. Homemade bread does indeed rock. Not to mention, it IS much healthier. (Trust me, if you saw me, you would see the picture of good health!)
This weekend, between a work, the salon, a crazy bachelorette party and a sorority workshop, there will be homemade rye bread.

Apparently, as far as bread is concerned, Rye Bread is all the rage! I know, leave it to the Shady Kitchen to be on the cutting edge of...bread.

I will adapt this recipe, as soon as my supermarket adventures lead me to 'finely ground whole-rye flour.' Something tells me it will not be next to the Slim Jims, where everyone knows that is where all the good supermarket items are found!

If you know a faster way to make rye bread, or want to make it for me, leave a comment. Oh, and if you have a bread machine recipe for rye, leave it in the comments.

For further reading, check out: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/articles/how-to/rye-bread.aspx

adapted from: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/rye_bread.aspx

Rye Bread

by David Norman The amounts of flour and starters are given in weight measurement only; you'll need to use a scale. The leftover starters will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

I like to use a whole-rye flour, which contains all the bran and germ of the kernel. In Germany, rye flour is graded quite specifically, but here the grind can vary widely from brand to brand. These differences in grind mean that volume measurements of rye flour can vary greatly. For this reason, I've listed the amount of flour needed by weight. Since it's also much easier to portion the starters by weight, you'll need a kitchen scale to make this bread.

I've developed this recipe using a finely ground organic rye flour. If you use a different rye flour, use the same amount by weight and adjust the liquid in your starter. In most cases, you will have a coarser flour and will need to add less water. Start with about 1 cup of water and then go by feel: you want a mixture that holds its shape yet squishes easily between your fingers when you make a fist. Spackle, papier-mâché, and the soft, silty sand at the edge of a lake are some things that come to mind when I mix the starter. Yields two loaves.

i am soooo beautiful!

ingredients

For the rye starter:
1 to 2 cups lukewarm water, depending on your flour (see Start with the right rye)
1/8 tsp. active dry yeast
8 oz. finely ground whole-rye flour

For the wheat starter:
1 cup lukewarm water
1/8 tsp. active dry yeast
8 oz. unbleached bread flour

For the dough:
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1-1/4 cups lukewarm water
7-1/2 oz. rye starter
5 oz. wheat starter
2-1/4 tsp. salt
19 oz. unbleached bread flour

how to make (ta-da!)

Preparing the dough

Begin by preparing the rye starter and the wheat starter. Both must rest, covered at room temperature, for 12 to 20 hours; the rye starter will have the texture of very soft clay.

Portion the starters by weight -- 7-1/2 ounces of the rye and 5 ounces of the wheat. Put the weighed starters in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Dissolve the yeast in the water in a measuring cup, add that to the starters, and use your hands to combine well. Add the starters to the flour and salt, and mix by hand until the mixture comes together in a sticky, shaggy mass.

Kneading and rising

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface that has not been floured. Knead by pushing the dough away from you, folding it back toward you, turning it a quarter turn, and pushing it away from you again. The dough will be very sticky, but resist the urge to add flour; instead, use a pastry scraper to bring up any dough that sticks. Continue kneading for about 8 minutes. To get the smoothest, best-developed dough, let it rest for about 10 minutes, covered with a damp towel, and then resume kneading for another few minutes. The dough has been sufficiently kneaded if it springs back when you poke it with your finger.

Put the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm (but not hot), draft-free area until not quite doubled, about 1 hour. When the dough reaches this size, gently deflate it and give it a quick knead or two. Return the dough to the bowl and let it rest another 1/2 hour.

Now cut the dough in half and gently flatten each piece into a disk. Fold an edge up, overlapping the disk by two-thirds. Rotate the disk slightly and fold again; repeat, overlapping the folds (there will be about five) until you reach the original fold. As you fold, gently stretch the underside of the disk. Roll the dough over so the smooth side is up.

Stretch the surface taut by gently pressing the dough against the work surface with cupped hands, tucking any excess dough underneath. Take care not to rip the surface. Cover the balls with a damp cloth and let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Forming the loaves

Set the dough balls, seam side up, on a lightly floured surface. Flatten one ball into a rectangle about 7 inches across and 8-1/2 inches long. Fold the top toward you about two-thirds of the way down and press the dough with the heel of your palms to seal. Pick the dough up and turn it around 180 degrees; the fold will be nearest you and the single edge farthest from you. Fold the top toward you to about two-thirds of the way down (like a business letter) and press the seam again to seal. Now fold the dough again, this time in half, bringing the top edge all the way to the bottom edge. Seal the edge with the heel of your hand, flattening the tight cylinder somewhat. Roll the somewhat flattened dough into a cyllinder about 11 inches long, tucking in the ends and pinching them lightly. Repeat with the other ball of dough.

Put the loaves on the back of a well-floured baking sheet or pizza peel. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Baking

While the loaves rise, get your oven ready: put a baking stone on the middle shelf and a heavy, ovenproof, rimmed pan on the bottom shelf or oven floor, and set the oven for 450ºF.

Slash the tops of the risen loaves perpendicularly with a razor blade, making 4 or 5 shallow cuts. Carrefully pour a small amount of water into the hot pan in the oven and quickly close the door to create some steam.

Place the baking sheet or the peel on top of the stone and quickly pull it away from under the loaves so that they drop onto the stone. Spray the loaves with water from a spray bottle and add a little more water to the pan. Bake the bread for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400ºF and bake for another 10 minutes. Rotate the loaves and bake until they're an even brown color and have a slightly hollow sound when tapped on the bottom, another 15 to 18 minutes.

Cool the bread on a wire rack. For the best flavor, don't slice the bread until it has cooled almost completely.

from Fine Cooking #38, pp. 54-59

The Breadman

Picture it, Bed, Bath and Beyond, spring 2004. A newly engaged girl and that super sweet zapping gun with over 10,000 products from which to add to her registry. Of course, a bread machine was a must-have. Afterall, bread is fantastic, usually square and soft. It goes well with lots of foods, and even tastes good on it's own, similar to it's cousin, the cracker. But crackers are dry, and bread is like a pillow for your mouth.

With glee and confidence in my bread machine necessity, I zapped "The Breadman" bread machine.

Fast forward to summer 2007. After three years of the man's sweet teasing regarding all the bread we have made (in the bread maker!), I have finally attempted to use the machine. Here is the inaugural recipe (from www.allrecipes.com):

Crusty Potato Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

DIRECTIONS

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer, which is: water, salt, butter, flour, flakes, sugar, yeast.
   
2. Select White Bread Cycle; press Start.

Point of information (POI)!
State your point.
POI: When using salt in a recipe in bread machine, add the salt with the liquid. The order of adding ingredients is important, especially when using the timer, because it keeps the yeast away from the liquid until it's time to knead them together. Liquid will activate the yeast.

THIS IS SO EXCITING!

France & Italy

We are back from France & Italy! (i am allowing time for your jealously to work itself out...)

Continuing on, we enjoyed some fantastic and some "eh" foods while abroad. The culinary love of Italy goes out to Buca Mario, in Florence. Their gnocchi was the best I have ever had. We ate there TWO nights in a row, and I ordered the gnocchi twice. It was that good. Their desserts were outstanding, including the chocolate cake and the berry tart. The servers are generous with the limoncello, to which I say "Grazi!" On our way out of the restaurant, a very adorable fella gave us each a box of biscotti, made in the factory owned by the family who also owns the restaurant. La Spada, almost directly across the street, was also good, but their gnocchi paled in comparison to that of Buca Mario. Check back for photos later. It was so beautiful, it should be on a Christmas card, and from the Shady Kitchen, it just might be!

Traveling on to Rome, Rick Steves (whose guide to Italy appears to accompany every American traveler to Italy) recommended tartufo at Tre Scavli. I disagreed with many of his restaurant recommendations, however, this place was worth purchasing the book for (and now you don't have to, because I already told you about it). It was the best I have ever had as well, and is located in Piazza Novona. Easy to find and quite fantastic.

I will repost with the eating information when I find it again...until then, bon journo!