Yesterday, I ticked off another.
French rye bread.
We were having a bit of a baking day, making some cute vanilla and strawberry spiral cookies...
They are a cute little treat for the kids... And sometimes us adults too!
Back to the bread.... It turned out delicious!
So here is the recipe for you.... It's easier than you may think!
French Rye Bread
Ingredients
for the starter:
2 tsp dry yeast
2/3 cup water
1 cup bread flour
for the dough:
1/2 cup bread flour
3 cups rye flour
2 tsp salt
1 cup water
To make the starter:
Sprinkle the yeast into the water in a bowl. Let stand for 5mins; stir to dissolve.
Add the flour and mix to form a thick batter. Cover with a dish towel and leave for 2hrs.
To make the dough:
Mix the flours and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the starter and half of the water.
Mix the flour into the middle.Stir in the remaining water to form a fairly moist, sticky dough.
(I had to add about 1/2 cup extra water to get the desired consistency)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10mins.
Put the dough into a clean bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1hr. Punch down, then let rest for 10mins.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape into long loaves.
Place the loaves on a floured baking tray and let rest for 5mins.
Dust the loaves lightly with flour.
(I did an egg wash instead)
Cut shallow slashes down the loaves. Cover with a dish towel and proof until doubled in size, about 1 1/2hrs.
Preheat oven to 200*C.
Bake for 45mins, or until hollow sounding when tapped from underneath. Cool on a wire rack.
(I strongly recommend slicing off a piece while it is still hot and smearing some butter on it. Divine!)
Enjoy!
