Wintertime Treat - Mixed Seed Rye Sandwich Bread

Actually, the title is a little misleading. NOT because it is some other kind of bread. It really is a sandwich bread, complete with rye flour and even caraway seeds. In fact, this bread is probably the closest I have ever made to the 'white' rye we used to get at the famous Bernie's Bakery I have talked about in past posts. The crumb is a little closer maybe. The crust just slightly less chewy. But this is the real deal. It's just that you can make it and eat it anytime. I called it a wintertime treat because I am stuck in the house from a snow storm. Hence, the wintertime treat. You can enjoy it all year.

I got the idea from a customer of mine who likes the advantage of being able to special order just about anything and get it home delivered. One of the breads she orders MUST include lots and lots of seeds and nuts chopped coarsely, and mixed into the dough. Then baked as a loaf (not free-standing but in a loaf pan so it can be sliced for a sandwich.

This dough is different from hers but the idea is similar. I have included a combination of bread flour and rye and mixed the seeds right in. It is perfect for my famous TLT (turkey lettuce and tomato) sandwich.

 The photos you see here are of the bread, of course, but also the turkey pastrami and mayo both of which are also homemade. It's not difficult, and if anyone wants the recipe for either just drop me a line. I will gladly share. For the bread...

Here's What You'll Need:

3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cups rye flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons nonfat dry milk*
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Optional topping:
1 egg white
sunflower of pumpkin seeds

* To keep my dough non-dairy, I keep a package of non-dairy baby formula on hand. It substitutes perfectly in all recipes calling for milk powder, but without the dairy.

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. Sift together into a large bowl, the flours, milk powder, sugar and yeast.

Then make a well in the middle, and mix in the oil, lemon juice and lukewarm water.

Add the seeds.  Mix with a spoon until it comes together to form a shaggy dough that 'cleans the bowl'.

2. Remove the dough from the bowl to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is shiny and smooth.

3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

4. Remove the dough from the bowl and deflate it. Shape it into a rough rectangle, fold it in three, like a letter fold and place it, seam-side down in a 9 X 5 in. loaf pan (23 X 13 cm.).

 Cover it with a damp dish cloth and let it rise for about 30 minutes until it reaches the level of the pan.

5. Heat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and bake for 30 minutes until it is a rich brown. Cool on a rack. If you wish, you can brush the unbaked loaf with egg white and sprinkle some seeds over the top. This is a truly delicious sandwich bread, one you will come back to again and again.

The Basic Series Revisited - Deli Rye Bread

This is the third post in a series (more to follow) or recipes that exemplify the correct use of basic ingredients and simple techniques. The idea behind it all is that by learning the basics we can then apply what we learn, creatively, to truly attain great heights in baking.

This bread it especially close to my heart. It evokes in me all those best childhood memories, back in Nova Scotia with my grandparents, now long gone. It reminds me of cold mornings, breath steaming in the really, really crisp air waiting patiently outside for our turn to buy bread. Fresh, baked bread, still hot from the oven. Wrapped in paper, not plastic so it could cool without getting soggy. It was that fresh. When we arrived back home with our precious packages, everyone waiting impatiently, the rye bread was unwrapped and we all started the Sunday morning ritual. My grandparents, being from Eastern Europe, and blissfully unaware of things like cholesterol, high-salt diets etc. would slather schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) on the still warm bread. Maybe sprinkle a few pieces of raw onion, some salt and gulp it down. Believe me, two or three pieces of that and you're set for the day, or the week. Sometimes this was augmented with a slice of hard-boiled egg. But not always. Purists frown on such things after all.

Despite all this, and the fact that I wouldn't dare eat those things anymore, this bread makes a perfect sandwich bread for all things savory. In other words, it is great for deli sandwiches, and for sharp cheeses. It is attached at the hip with sharp mustard. There is nothing better for a steak sandwich. Nothing. You will love it I promise.

This bread uses rye flour (duh!) in combination with regular white bread flour. The rye flour is for the taste and contributes to the color. However, rye has very little gluten (but enough so that people with gluten intolerance cannot use it). So to provide the structure and volume, regular bread flour is blended in. Also, I have added gluten (available at health food stores). The caraway seeds are optional, I know not everyone likes them. I do. Enjoy!

Here's what you'll need:
2 Tbs (30g) butter, melted
2 cups (about 280g) white rye flour
3 cups (about 420g) bread flour
1 packet (7g) yeast
2 cups (500ml) water at 105 F (40 C)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbs caraway seeds (optional)
1 Tbs molasses


Here's what you'll need to do:
1. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Lightly oil either two loaf pans, or a baking sheet if you want to make free-standing loaves. (I use loaf pans because afterwards the shape is better for sandwiches). If you use the baking sheet, sprinkle it with cornmeal after greasing.
2. Measure out the flours into a bowl. Add the extra gluten then stir to combine.
3. Using a mixer with a dough hook, place about 1/3 of the flour mixture in the bowl and add the yeast. Add the water and mix briefly to make a very wet slurry, then gradually add the rest of the flour along with the salt, the optional caraway seeds, the molasses and the melted butter.

4. Mix vigorously for 3 or 4 minutes until a soft, but not sticky dough forms. You may have to add some flour to 'dry' the dough a bit. Or water to dampen it. Be careful. Add flour or water 1 Tbs at a time so the dough remains soft and supple.
5. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl to rise until it doubles. This could take 1 1/2 hours.
6. Gently deflate the dough, then either make free-standing loaves or shape them into loaves for your prepared pans. 

Let the loaves rise this second time until doubled. They will be 'springy' to the touch.
7. About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Bake the bread for about 35 minutes. It will sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

8. Let the bread cool on a wire rack at least 30 to 40 minutes before slicing (if you can).

Yum!!

A Baking Primer - Back to Basics

For a long time now I have been considering running a series of posts that deal with all the basic ingredients and issues involved in baking. With recipes that would be examples of the topic being discussed. The point of this would be to make available recipes, advice and tips for baker's still just getting their feet wet, so to speak, in the baking world.

So without any further ado, here goes.
The most basic ingredient in all baking is, of course, flour. And by far, the most common kind of flour used in the world is wheat flour. It is used everywhere and is truly the most commonly used grain anywhere, bar none. The reason for this is the presence of gluten in wheat. Gluten, a protein that is built of web-like strands, is what gives breads its structure and shape. Gluten is found in other grains too, but none come close to the gluten content of wheat. This is, of course, a huge problem for people suffering from gluten-sensitivities and more serious conditions like celiac disease. For those people, the fact that wheat flour is literally everywhere (not just breads wheat flour is used as a thickener in most processed foods) the booming 'gluten-free' industry is a real boon. Up until recently, it was very difficult indeed to find gluten-free food.

The 'hardness' or 'softness' of wheat is a function of the protein or gluten content. "Hard' wheat is high in gluten, and therefore prized for bread baking. Typically it can have around 12% protein content. If you are baking a cake, however, you would want a much lower protein content, say around 8% to10%. We want chewy bread with crunchy crusts, but crumbly cakes after all. There are also ingredients we can add to a recipe to 'artificially' soften the recipe and produce a softer product. For instance, fat or oil, as in a cake will shorten the gluten strands.

Another way to go would be to use whole wheat flour. As the name suggests, whole wheat flour is made of wheat that has been milled but left whole. The bran, and the wheat germ are not sifted out to make 'white' flour. While the resulting product is much healthier for you, it is also much heavier in weight. This means using relatively more yeast (or longer rising times). Also, the bran, which is still in the flour tends to 'cut' the strands of gluten and holds back the rising. Usually it is better to extend the rising times and avoid the 'yeasty' flavor you get from too much yeast in a recipe. Also, since the gluten has trouble developing in whole wheat bread, typical recipes use a combination of white and whole wheat flours. Otherwise the bread is heavy or just too crumbly.

Other grains have various amounts of gluten but none like wheat. Rye flour has minimal gluten. Other flours, like rice or corn flour, have none whatsoever. Future posts will bring recipes using these flours either by themselves or in combination. I will also talk a bit about baking in a gluten-free environment. Not impossible, by any means but challenging, for sure.

Here is a recipe for a good, versatile rye bread good for sandwiches or just general purposes. it is a typical American deli-type rye bread. It uses a combination of rye and white wheat flours and extra gluten to compensate for the low protein content in the rye flour. Yum!!

Here's what you'll need:
2 Tbs butter melted
2 cups light rye flour
3 cups bread flour
2 Tbs wheat gluten
1/4oz (7g) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbs caraway seed (optional but gives a more traditional taste)
1 Tbs molasses
2 Tbs melted butter


Here's what you'll need to do:
1. Melt butter and set it aside to cool. In the meantime grease a large bowl for the dough to rise. Then grease two large loaf pans. If you are making an 'artisan' style loaf, grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with some cornmeal.
2. Place the measured flours (not packed into the measuring cups) into a large bowl and whisk then together. Add the extra gluten and stir them together.
3.Using a stand mixer, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add the flour and mix with the dough hook to make a 'soupy' kind of mixture. Finally add the rest of the flour, the yeast, the salt, molasses, the melted butter and the warm water. Add the caraway seeds now if you are using them. Mix it together to form a, elastic dough. This will take about 3 minutes at medium speed. The dough will be soft and tacky but not sticky.
4. Place the kneaded dough in the prepared bowl and let it rise until doubled in volume. This will take a while because the rye flour has only a minimal amounts of gluten.
5. Deflate the dough, gently, then form it into two free form loaves (for the baking sheet) or two loaves for the prepared loaf pans. Cover and let them rise again until doubled. The dough will now be soft and fluffy!
6. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and bake the loaves for about 35 minutes. The loaves will sound hollow if you tap them on the bottom. Cool them on a wire rack.