"Let there be work, bread, water, and salt for all."
- Nelson Mandela
I came upon this recipe on the Web a few weeks back and have been just waiting for a time when I was in the mood for a hearty ham and cheese sandwich ... that time is here. The recipe was originally called Molasses Fennel Rye Bread, however I changed a few things in the recipe - more yeast, currants instead of raisins, sugar in the yeast proof to 'push' the yeast a bit early on, less salt, less ginger, and some bread flour added to the white flour measure. Hence, I changed the name. I plan to bake a small ham tomorrow. It will be sliced and slathered with spicey whole grain mustard, layered with a nice Gouda and pressed between slices of this bread. A cold beer, a chilled dill pickle, a pile of chips on the side and I will be in heaven ... anticipation is half of life, folks!
I chose to decorate my loaves with sticky stencils ... I sprayed small brown paper hearts, stuck them to the unbaked dough and sprinkled the cornmeal over top. Then, I lifted the stencils off and baked the bread. I know ... I have too much time on my hands. What can I say?
Ingredients:
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (109 °F)
Pinch sugar
1 c. rye flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
½ c. wheat germ
2 c. flour (I used ½ c. bread flour and 1¾ c. all purpose flour)
1 tbsp. fennel seed
a scant teaspoon dried ginger
2 tsp. salt
¼ c. molasses
¾ c. warm water
4 tsp. sugar
½ c. dried currants
This bread deserves a place with the other wonderful breads baked for Heather's monthly Bake Your Own Bread recipe share ... want a good sandwich? Get busy baking YOUR own bread! Yummah!
- Nelson Mandela
I came upon this recipe on the Web a few weeks back and have been just waiting for a time when I was in the mood for a hearty ham and cheese sandwich ... that time is here. The recipe was originally called Molasses Fennel Rye Bread, however I changed a few things in the recipe - more yeast, currants instead of raisins, sugar in the yeast proof to 'push' the yeast a bit early on, less salt, less ginger, and some bread flour added to the white flour measure. Hence, I changed the name. I plan to bake a small ham tomorrow. It will be sliced and slathered with spicey whole grain mustard, layered with a nice Gouda and pressed between slices of this bread. A cold beer, a chilled dill pickle, a pile of chips on the side and I will be in heaven ... anticipation is half of life, folks!
I chose to decorate my loaves with sticky stencils ... I sprayed small brown paper hearts, stuck them to the unbaked dough and sprinkled the cornmeal over top. Then, I lifted the stencils off and baked the bread. I know ... I have too much time on my hands. What can I say?
High Fiber Rye and Currant Bread
1 c. warm water (109 °F)
Pinch sugar
1 c. rye flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
½ c. wheat germ
2 c. flour (I used ½ c. bread flour and 1¾ c. all purpose flour)
1 tbsp. fennel seed
2 tsp. salt
¼ c. molasses
¾ c. warm water
4 tsp. sugar
½ c. dried currants
Making the Dough:
- Whisk together the rye, whole wheat, wheat germ, fennel seed, ginger, salt, and 1 ¾ c. of the flour.
- Whisk the yeast into the first measure of warm water and add a pinch of sugar. Let it rest for ten minutes.
- Mix the molasses and sugar with the rest of the warm water.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients to make a shaggy dough.
- Cover the bowl and let it rest for a few minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured kneading surface and knead the rest of the all purpose flour in, a tablespoon at a time. Knead for about ten minutes, until the dough is silky, adding the dried currants and kneading them through the dough ball.
- Cover the dough ball and let it rest while you wash out the deep bowl.
- Lightly grease the clean bowl and turn the dough ball into the bowl. Place the bowl, covered, into a warm draft-free place for about one hour or until the dough is doubled.
- Gently deflate the dough and cover. Let it rise again until doubled - about 45 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half, shape into two round loaves.
- Place in greased round casseroles and let the dough rise for 45 minutes.
- Place baking tiles in the top and bottom of the oven. Pre-heat 450°F.
- Place the loaves on a middle rack in the pre-heated oven. Immediately, lower the oven temperature to 350 °F. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the loaf is hollow-sounding when rapped.
- Let the loaves cool completely before cutting or you risk collapsing the loaf.
... one of my prettier loaves, yes? ...
... a three inch rise full of fennel and currant sweetness ...
This bread deserves a place with the other wonderful breads baked for Heather's monthly Bake Your Own Bread recipe share ... want a good sandwich? Get busy baking YOUR own bread! Yummah!
Love it, especially the stensil! I think you should have tried pumpkins though! LOL!!!!
ReplyDeleteI really love the stencils, they make the bread look so pretty and it's something I haven't seen before. The recipe is a real winner too.. loo at the rise on that loaf! Would love to see inside!
ReplyDeleteDone, Dom! Why do I always shoot from above and neglect the 'slice shot'? Thanks for the nudge!
DeleteYou always bake such good bread. I would love to toast a piece of that. I can only imagine the smell of the loaf baking.
ReplyDelete