Rye Bread w/ Caraway Seeds
Ingredients
- 1 cup water (105°-110°)
- 1 cup dark rye flour
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds,
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, sugar, rye flour and yeast, mixing to form a soft batter. Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes; this allows the rye flour to absorb some of the liquid, making the dough easier to knead.
- Add the remaining ingredients, and mix and knead the dough together with the bread hook until it’s fairly smooth. The nature of rye dough is to be sticky, so don’t be tempted to add too much additional flour.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise until noticeably puffy, 60 to 90 minutes.
- Gently deflate the dough, knead it briefly, and shape it into two smooth oval or round loaves. Place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cover the loaves, and let them rise until they’re noticeably puffy, about 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Just before they go into the oven, spritz the loaves with water, and slash them about 1/2″ deep. The oval loaves look good with one long, vertical slash; the rounds, with two or three shorter slashes across the top.
- Bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 205°F to 210°F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it lightly with foil after 25 minutes of baking.
- Remove the loaves from the oven, and transfer them to a rack. While still warm, brush them with melted butter, if desired; this will keep their crust soft.
