A feeling of Homeness!

Ok, so I said I wanted to blog once a week ,but I did skip last week. I wasn't quite sure what I should share. I feel bad, kind of, ok, not really.

I have a series I am working on to share with you all and I am so excited! I was hoping to start this week, but It is not quite ready yet.

 so for this week I will tell you about my new love and appreciation for Bulk Barn! oh my, I love that store! if anyone wants to know what I want guess not mare. BB's gift card. Besides a good selection of candy, they have an amazing selection of baking ingredients, spices, and much more. Sigh! I could go crazy in there!

I am into specialty flours. I went in to get whole wheat flour and bran, and I only walked out with one other thing. Rye flour. I was so proud of myself! I wanted to go through the whole store!!! I couldn't to browse the whole store because I wanted to hurry a little,and I didn't want to spent more than what I needed.

They have almost every kind of flour imaginable! I love bread, and I love experimenting with new recipes. My DH loves rye bread so I caved in and splurged and bought some rye flour. 

I made the bread and it blew my socks off! crusty outside, soft inside and tastes amazing! I even got my husbands seal of approval.

 Here is the recipe I used.

NOTE: I changed a few things. replaced the bread flour with whole wheat. I only added white flour to kneed the dough closer to the end. I did not add the caraway seed, but I want to get some to add it next time.

Rye Bread

A sponge is a mixture of yeast, liquid and flour – it’s a just base to make bread dough. A sponge will give the final bread a tangier flavour and a slightly denser texture. The caraway seeds are optional in this recipe. They have a slight licorice flavour and are used in many Eastern European cuisines.

Preparation time: 

Cooking time: 

Yield: 8

Sponge

• 1 cup lukewarm water (250 ml)
• 1/2 cup lukewarm whole milk (125 ml)
• 2 tablespoons molasses (30 ml)
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups bread flour (310 ml)

Bread Dough

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (30 ml)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (7 ml)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lightly toasted caraway seeds (optional) (22 ml)
• 1 cup rye flour (250 ml)
• 1 to 1 ½ cups bread flour (250 to 375 ml)
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal (30 ml)
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon milk (15 ml)

Sponge

1. Whisk the water, milk, molasses, and the yeast in a large bowl. Add 1¼ cups bread flour and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. It should have a foamy appearance.

Bread Dough

1. Punch down the sponge. Add the oil, salt, 1 tbsp. of the caraway seeds, and the rye flour. Add some of the remaining bread flour, stirring until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
2. Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead until the remaining flour has been incorporated or until the dough is still a tiny bit sticky (this dough will be a bit stickier than most because of the molasses). Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal.
4. Punch down the dough. Shape it into a 10-inch loaf. Let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
6. Score the top of the loaf 4 times with a paring knife. Mix the egg white and the milk together in a small bowl and brush the mixture all over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle the loaf with the remaining ½ tbsp. caraway seeds. Bake until golden in colour and gives a hollow sound when the bottom of the loaf is tapped, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Makes 1 loaf.

this is what my loaf looks like. Sorry I did not take a picture this time around!

Blessings!

Karen E.