American Rye Bread Recipe

I’m a sucker for this bread; I like the soft, moist texture and almost sourdough flavor of the white rye flour. It is such a light bread—not dark and heavy like most folks associate with rye-- that it is great with meals or sandwiches.

For a more traditional rye bread, you can add caraway seeds and substitute dark rye flour for the white rye. But we think you’ll fall in love with the great light taste of white rye.



Ingredients :
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups white rye flour
3 cups high protein bread flour
2 tablespoons wheat gluten
1 seven gram packet instant yeast
2 cups water at 105 degrees
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon molasses or molasses crystals
2 tablespoons melted butter


Instructions :
1. Melt the butter in the microwave and set it aside to cool. With shortening or butter, grease a large bowl for the dough and 2 large loaf pans (8½ x 4½). If you are going to make hearth loaves, grease a baking sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal.

2. Measure the flours into a large bowl by whisking the flour so that it not packed and then spooning it into the measure followed by leveling the top with a straightedge. Add the gluten and stir to combine.

3. Put about 1/3 of the flour in the bowl of your stand type mixer equipped with a dough hook. Add the yeast. Add the water at the indicated temperature. With the dough hook, run the machine for thirty seconds to mix the water with the flour to create a slurry. Add the rest of the flour. Add the salt, the optional caraway seeds, the molasses, and the melted butter. Mix at medium speed for about three minutes or until the gluten has formed and the dough is elastic. The dough should be soft but not too sticky. To reach the right consistency, you may need to dribble a little extra water (maybe one tablespoon) or flour as the dough is kneading. Place the dough in the prepared bowl and cover it to keep the dough from drying while it rises. Let it rise until it doubles.

4. Gently deflate the dough and form two loaves either as free-standing loaves on a baking sheet or sandwich loaves for your bread pans. Cover the loaves and let them rise again until the dough is soft and puffy, about doubled in size.

5. If you are going to make hearth bread with its, chewy, crisp crust, see the direction for baking listed for “EZ Sourdough Bread.” If not, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread for about 35 minutes. The time will vary depending on your loaves, the pans, and your oven. The bread should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. The internal temperature of the loaves should be 190 degrees.

6. Remove the loaves form the pans and let them cool on a wire rack. Cool completely, or nearly so, before slicing.

This rye bread is made with white rye and bread flours with the bread flour providing the required gluten. The bread is moist and light and very mild-flavored. For a taste more reminiscent of commercial rye breads, caraway seeds can be added. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know white rye flour.