Delicious German Rye Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Place wholewheat flour, rye flour, rolled rye, salt and caraway seeds (if used) in a bowl. Make a well in center.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the well.
• Mix all ingredients initially with a wooden spoon, until roughly mixed.
• If mixture seems too dry, add a little more water/beer.
• Kneed the mixture for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour from time to time if the mixture is too sticky.
• Form dough into a ball, and cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a damp teatowel.
• Leave to prove for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, preheat oven to 200°C.
• Take the cover off the mixing bowl. Punch the dough down in the center.
• Lightly oil a baking tray or loaf tin and dust with flour.
• Shape dough into desired form (e.g. freeform oblong shape, or in square loaf tin, etc).
• Leave alone until nearly doubled in size.
• Place in hot oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how crusty you like it.
• The loaf should be cooked when it gives a hollow sound when tapped.
• Allow to cool before serving - it is usually better the day after baking.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water.
• In a large bowl combine milk, sugar, and salt. Use a mixer to beat in molasses, butter, yeast mixture, and 1 cup of rye flour.
• Use a wooden spoon to mix in the remaining rye flour. Add white flour by stirring until the dough is stiff enough to knead.
• Knead 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. If the dough sticks to your hands or the board add more flour.
• Cover dough and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double.
• Punch down dough and divide to form two round loaves. Let loaves rise on a greased baking sheet until double, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Steps:

• Combine starter, rye flour, and one cup of the water in a large bowl; stir to blend; if you'd like an extra-sour flavor, cover mixture with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place 6-24 hours (I let mine go six hours) until bubbly and sour, even boozy, smelling.
• Combine yeast and remaining water in small bowl; let stand about 5 minutes until foamy; stir into sourdough mixture; add whole-wheat flour, 1 3/4 cups of the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, and caraway seeds; stir (in KitchenAid stand mixer on low speed) until dough comes together.
• Knead 9-10 minutes (in KitchenAid stand mixer on speed #2) until dough is smooth and springy; add more all-purpose flour, a tablespoon or two at a time during the kneading process as necessary to reduce excess stickiness (this particular dough will remain somewhat sticky); cover and let rise about 1 - 1 1/2 hours in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch down dough and knead a few strokes to release air; shape into a round loaf and place on a baking stone or a greasing baking sheet; cover loaf lightly and allow to rise about 30 minutes until almost doubled.
• Cut a couple small slashes about 3/4" deep on top of loaf; spray loaf with water and bake at 425° for 9 minutes, spraying loaf after 3, 6, and 9 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 400° and bake another 20-25 minutes until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom; transfer finished loaf to cooling rack.
• NOTE: If you opt to let your starter and rye combination stand for several hours, you can get by without the additional yeast ~ Just plan on increased rising times.

Steps:

• Measure warm water and honey into bread pan. Add unbleached flour, rye flour, gluten, cocoa, salt and caraway seeds. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and place yeast in well. Cut butter into four equal pieces and place in corners of bread pan. Follow directions on your bread machine using the Whole Wheat cycle.

Steps:

• To make the light rye, stir together the flours, salt, yeast, and caraway seeds in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the molasses, shortening, and 1 1/4 cups water. Mix until the dough gathers all the loose flour and forms a ball (or mix for about 1 minute on low speed with the paddle attachment), adding the additional 2 tablespoons of water only if needed. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin to knead (or mix on medium-low speed with the dough hook). Knead for 4 to 6 minutes (or 4 minutes by machine), adding sprinkles of flour, if necessary. The dough should feel supple and pliable, a little tacky but not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• To make the dark rye, stir together the flours, salt, yeast, and caraway seeds in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the molasses, shortening, 1 1/4 cups water, and liquid caramel coloring. Mix until the dough gathers all the loose flour and forms a ball (or mix for about 1 minute on low speed with the paddle attachment), adding the additional 2 tablespoons of water only if needed. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin to knead (or mix on medium-low speed with the dough hook). Knead for 4 to 6 minutes (or 4 minutes by machine), adding sprinkles of flour, if necessary. The dough should feel supple and pliable, a little tacky but not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment both doughs at room temperature for approximately 90 minutes, or until each dough doubles in size.
• Turn each of the doughs onto a lightly floured counter and divide and shape them according to one of the methods shown below.
• Mist the loaves with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the loaves nearly double in size. (Most ovens do not hold 2 sheet pans at once, so if you are using sheet pans, put 1 of them in the refrigerator instead of immediately proofing the dough. The dough can then be proofed and baked as much as 2 days later.)
• Preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. For the egg wash, whisk together the egg and water until frothy and brush the loaves evenly but gently with the mixture.
• Bake for approximately 45 minutes (the time will vary depending on the oven and whether you are baking freestanding loaves or in a large or small loaf pan). You may need to rotate the pan(s) 180 degrees after 20 minutes for even baking. The internal temperature of the bread should be 190°F, and the loaves should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
• When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans (if using) and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.
• (A) Cut each dough into 12 even-sized pieces. Separate the pieces into 2 piles, with an equal number of dark and light pieces in each. (B) Form each of the piles into a solid mass of dough and then (C) shape each into a bâtard (page 73). You can bake the loaves freestanding (recommended) or in oiled 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans (D). For freestanding loaves, prepare 2 sheet pans by lining each pan with baking parchment. Place a shaped loaf across the length of a pan, using 1 pan for each loaf.
• Divide each dough into 4 even-sized pieces. Roll out each piece with a rolling pin into an oblong about 5 inches wide and 8 inches long. For spirals, take a light rye piece and lay a dark rye piece on top, then add a light rye piece, then one more dark rye piece (A). Roll this stack up into a bâtard and seal the bottom (B). Repeat with the remaining dough to make 2 loaves. Place the loaves across the width of 2 baking parchment-lined sheet pans or in 2 oiled 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. For bull's-eyes, roll up a dark rye piece into a bâtard about 8 inches long (C). Take a light rye piece and wrap it around the bâtard and seal the bottom. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 4 small loaves. Place the loaves on 2 baking parchment-lined sheet pans.
• For braided marbled rye, divide each dough into 4 even-sized pieces. Roll out each of the pieces into strands about 10 to 12 inches in length, thicker in the middle and slightly tapered toward the ends. Braid 2 light and 2 dark pieces together using the 4-braid method. Place the loaves widthwise on 2 baking parchment-lined sheet pans or in 2 greased 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.
• Enriched, standard dough; direct method; commercial yeast
• 10 to 15 minutes mixing; 3 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 45 to 60 minutes baking
• The most important principle when combining two or more bread doughs into one loaf is that they must have a similar texture and rising time. This is to ensure that the texture of each color is the same and that each dough bakes in the same time frame.
• Bakers generally use clear flour when making rye bread (see page 30). This formula works fine with regular bread flour or highgluten flour, but by all means use clear flour if you have access to it.
• White rye flour is milled rye flour that has been sifted twice to remove the bran and germ. However, rye flour, even when sifted, retains an off-white color that distinguishes it from flour milled from wheat berries. There is another version of rye flour called dark rye, milled from the outer endosperm of the rye berry and thus coarser and full of pigments. Another type is called pumpernickel rye, which is whole rye berries, coarsely milled. There is also a grade called rye meal, which is even more coarsely milled. Dark rye is useful in some breads, especially German-style rye, but it does tend to make a much heavier loaf, not appropriate for the marbled rye of this formula.
• You can substitute margarine, vegetable oil, or butter for the shortening if you prefer, but shortening yields the most tender texture.
• Caramel coloring is basically burnt sugar and is available in liquid form in some markets and from bakery suppliers. When making dark rye bread with caramel coloring, you may need to hold back an equal amount of water to ensure that the final textures of the light and dark doughs match. Cocoa, instant coffee, or carob powder may be substituted, but they lend a bitter flavor to the dough that some people don't like.
• Rye breads should always be mixed for a shorter time than wheat breads because the pentosan gums in the rye interfere with gluten development (rye has a different protein profile than wheat, with glutelin replacing glutenin). Once the dough gums up, no amount of additional flour will make it feel less gummy. If the gums do begin to kick in, finish mixing and proceed anyway, handling the dough with a little flour on your hands to protect against sticking.
• Marbled Rye Bread %
• White rye flour: 30.8%
• Bread flour: 69.2%
• Salt: 1.9%
• Instant yeast: .97%
• Caraway seeds: .87%
• Molasses: 3.8%
• Shortening: 5.1%
• Water (approx.): 56.4%
• Caramel coloring (used only in Dark Rye): 2.6%
• Total: 169 to 171.6%