Dark Rye Bread

My first attempt at making dark rye bread...you know that yummy brown bread that they give you before your meal at Outback? Yeah...it's that kind of bread. YUM.

It took me forever to find rye flour...who'd have guessed I'd have to go to 3 different stores to find it? I ended up finding it at Whole Foods and it was quite expensive. I also heard afterwards that Bulk Barn carries it.  It's most likely cheaper at Bulk Barn, but judging by the name of the store, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find a small package of it. I really don't need 50 lbs of rye flour.

The recipe!

Dark Rye Bread

Adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees)
1/4 cup molasses
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup rye flour
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (I didn't use these)
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour – divided use
Oats – optional for decoration

Method
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the molasses, butter, rye flour, cocoa powder, caraway seeds, salt and 1 cup of all purpose flour. Mix to combine. (I don't have a stand mixer anymore, so my tried and true method is bowl, wooden spoon, knead by hand. Works like a charm, and I've learned that I love, love, love kneading bread.)

Switch to the dough hook attachment and process/knead until the dough is smooth, elastic and climbs up the hook. Add remaining flour only as necessary to achieve the right consistency. You may not need the full amount of remaining flour – this is subjective. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for a few moments then collect dough into a ball.


Place dough ball in greased bowl, turning once to ensure the top is greased. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size – about 2 hours. (I found mine to be doubled in less than that - probably only and hour or so.)

Punch down dough, shape into a loaf about 10” long.
Place loaf onto a greased or Silpat lined baking sheet, cover and let rise until doubled in size – about an hour. ('Shaping' didn't work for me, so I rolled it out and then rolled it up.)

Pat on / press in optional oats. And bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until bread sounds hallow when tapped. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack. (The bread wasn't sticky enough to hold the oats on after it had risen for an hour. I used a little cooking spray and sprinkled the oats on, but they still didn't really stick. Next time, I'd roll the loaf in the oats before it rises, it was stickier at that stage.)

And that, as they say, is that. Fresh, delicious, dark & hearty, rye bread.