German Black Forest Rye Bread (Schwarzwalder Roggen Brot)

Time

Yield

2 loaves

Ingredients

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups coarse rye flour (rye meal)
1 tbsp. caraway seeds
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 cup lard
1 cup milk
1 cup sourdough starter
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 env. yeast

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 F. degrees.

Proof the yeast in the lukewarm water with the sugar. Add the sourdough starter to the yeast sponge. Melt the lard, pour the milk over it and let stand until lukewarm. Then add to the yeast mixture.

Measure in the salt, caraway seeds and the coarse rye flour. Then add the whole wheat flour.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic; then place in a large buttered bowl, cover with a towel and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

Take the dough out onto your work surface and punch it down a couple of times; divide into 2 equal pieces, and knead these for a couple of minutes. Then place into 2 small (8 inches by 4 inches) buttered loaf pans, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake in the oven until the tops are brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a rack. Yield 2 small loaves. Can be frozen.

SOURDOUGH STARTER: or any one that is your favourite.

2 cups warm water
3 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 envelope yeast
1 1/2 cups grated, raw potatoes

Mix the warm water with the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and grated potatoes and blend well. Pour into a fairly large container made of glass or, better still, an earthenware bowl. Do not use plastic or metal.

Put the bowl in a warm place for 24 hours, uncovered. Then stir down well, cover with a sheet of plastic and let stand in a warm place for 3 to 4 more days. Stir a couple of times each day.

The starter should now look a bit foamy and start to smell. Pour it into a glass jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
You can begin to use the starter when a layer of clear liquid appears on top.

The night before you want to bake, take the starter out of the refrigerator, pour it into a bowl (not plastic or metal) and stir in 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 1/2 cups cold water. Stir until well blended and smooth, cover with a piece of plastic and set in a warm place overnight.

The next morning stir the starter again and pour off 2 cups into your glass jar. Put this back into the refrigerator for next time. The remaining 2 cups of starter are what you will use for your immediate baking.

Breads of the World Mariana Honig

Author's Comments

A dark, hearty bread, spread with mustard and cover with smoked ham, maybe Bauernschinke if you can get it. Drink beer with your big sandwich and enjoy!

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1 Recipe Reviews

drruth

I was looking for a "black" rye, which this is not.
However, this is a good rye bread - hearty, "chewy," soft in the middle. Works for rolls as well as loaves.
Am planning to modify the recipe with honey, molasses and orange zest, perhaps also some cardamom.