Rye Bread

I received a 5-quart Dutch oven for Christmas. The cookbook, My Bread calls for baking most of the breads in a covered heavy pot. Though not specifically what is called for, the Dutch oven is certainly a less expensive alternative. Much, much less expensive.

I love rye bread and decided to give that recipe a try. Bread and rye flours are mixed with salt and yeast. Some cool water is added and...that's it. Really. No kneading at all. But there is a waiting period. These recipes are what the author calls slow-rising. The sticky dough is covered and left to rise. For 12-18 hours. Or more. When the time has elapsed the dough should be about double in size and have some air bubbles visible on the surface.

The dough is then scraped from the bowl onto a well-floured work surface. With lightly floured hands I worked the dough into a flattish ball. The ball is placed on a well-floured tea towel, seam side down, covered lightly with the edges of the towel, and left to rise for a couple hours.

With about a half-hour remaining in the second rise, I preheated the oven to 475° and placed the Dutch oven on the rack in the bottom third of the oven. The risen dough is turned into the heated pot, covered, and baked for 30 minutes. The lid is removed and the bread continues to bake for 15-30 more minutes, until a deep brown.

When done baking, allow the bread to cool thoroughly before slicing. The book acknowledges the temptation to cut a slice from the still-warm loaf, but strongly advises against it. I opted to not challenge authority and see what would happen. I will wait.

The plan for this bread is to toast thick slices, slather them with mustard, then pile with thinly-sliced corned beef. And saurkraut. Can't forget the saurkraut.

Bon appétit!