Rye Bread

About six months ago I decided to make my own bread.  Usually I just make whole wheat bread, but the other day I was in the grocery store and saw Rye flour.  Rye bread is my absolute favorite, and it turns out it is pretty easy to make, it just takes time.

Homemade Rye Bread
courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
1 envelope dry yeast
3 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
1 cup rye flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tbsp caraway seeds
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 large egg beaten (to brush over the bread before baking)

First heat your milk to about 110 degrees and add the yeast

This is a picture of the yeast after it has sat in the warm milk for a couple of minutes.  Yeast is a type of fungus which requires moisture and sugar, or starch to grow.  Since it is a living organism and you don't want to kill it by putting it in a liquid that is too hot.  If your liquid is to cold the yeast will stay inactive and your bread will not rise.  Yeast changes sugar into carbon dioxide which is why your bread rises.

Place your yeast mixture, one egg, and melted butter in an electic mixer with a dough hook.  Beat on a low speed for 1 minute.  Add the salt, rye flour, unbleached flour, and caraway seeds.  Beat this at a low speed until all of the flour is incorproated.  Then, beat at a meduim speed until the mixture forms a ball and eaves the sides of the bowl.

The amount of humidity in the air is a factor when baking.  If your dough fails to do this and remains a bit sticky at the bottom of your mixture add a small amount of flour.

Remove your bread from the hook and smooth it inot a ball.  lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl turning it until the ball is covered with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and then set aside in a warm place for about an hour.  This picture is actually a picture of my whole wheat bread but it is the same concept, I didn't have a picture of my rye bread at this stage.

After an hour your bread should have doubled in size.  If not you can let it sit for a bit longer, make sure the place you set it in is warm.  If it hasn't grown at all, you may have used inactive yeast.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it a couple of times on a floured surface.  Tuck it, and roll it until you can't see any seams and place it on your baking sheet.  Cover once again in plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a pastry brush, brush your beaten egg all over the surface of your bread.  This will give your bread a nice golden shine.

Bake the bread until it is browned, about 45 minutes, then move and let it cool on a rack.