Still Life: Corn-Rye Bread

[Guest guest]

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Corn-Rye Bread

 

Recipe By : Still Life with Menu (1994), Mollie Katzen, page 26

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Breads

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 package active dry yeast

3 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons soft butter or canola oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1 1/2 cups rye flour

2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour -- up to 3 cups

oil for the bowl

extra cornmeal for the baking sheet

 

Preparation time: 4 to 5 hours, much of which is rising or baking

time. Yield: 2 medium-sized round loaves.

 

This is a dense bread with a touch of molasses. It ages well if you keep

it sealed in a plastic bag, and it tastes great (and can be sliced thin) by

its third or fourth day. Cornmeal and rye flour are beautifully compatible

partners: each is strong, but neither dominates. You can vary the amounts

of cornmeal and rye flour, using as little as 1 cup of each and as much as

2 cups. Always add them first, and then compensate for the variations by

increasing or decreasing the amount of unbleached white flour.

 

As with many of the yeasted breads in this book, you can choose to give the

unbaked loaves their final rise in the refrigerator. The rise will be so

slow that they can actually stay there for up to three days before being

baked, provided the tray they are on is wrapped in a sealed plastic

bag. Put them directly into a preheated oven from the refrigerator. This

will enable you to have practically instant fresh-baked bread to soothe you

at the end of a busy day.

 

1. Place the water in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast, and let

it stand for 5 minutes until it becomes foamy.

 

2. Stir in molasses, butter or oil, and salt.

 

3. Whisk in cornmeal and rye flour, beating well after each addition.

 

4. Begin adding white flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition

with a wooden spoon. When the dough becomes too thick to mix with a spoon,

begin kneading with your hand. Add just enough white flour to make a firm,

unsticky dough.

 

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10

minutes. Add small amounts of flour as necessary, if the dough becomes sticky.

 

6. Clean or wipe out the bowl, and oil it lightly. Add the kneaded dough,

and oil the top surface of the dough. Cover with a clean, dry tea towel,

and set in a warm (or at least draft-free) place to rise. Leave it there

for 2 hours or until it has risen to about 1 1/2 times its original bulk.

 

7. Punch down the risen dough, and return it to the floured work

surface. Knead for 5 to 10 more minutes, then divide the dough in half and

form 2 round loaves. Slash the top of each loaf with an " X " (use a

serrated bread knife). Then sprinkle a handful or two of cornmeal onto a

large baking sheet, and place the loaves on the sheet about 4 to 5 inches

apart. Cover with the towel again, and return to the rising place. Let

rise 45 minutes to 1 hour more. (Alternatively, you can refrigerate the

loaves at this point. Place the baking sheet in a large sealed plastic bag

with room enough for the dough to rise, and leave them up to three days

before baking. They can go directly from the refrigerator into a preheated

oven.)

 

8. Preheat oven to 375F. Bake the loaves for 45 minutes, or until they

give off a hollow sound when thumped emphatically on the bottom. Cool on a

rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

 

 

 

 

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -