This bread is close-textured, grainy, and full of hearty flavor. It slices most easily the day after it is baked. Serve it very thinly sliced with a flavorful cheese such as gjetost, Jarlsberg, or Danish Havarti.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a large bowl, stir the yeast into 1 1/2 cups warm (105° to 115°F) water; let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Add the molasses, butter, caraway seeds, and salt.
Step 2
Stir in the rye meal. Let stand for 15 minutes. Stir in the bread flour 1 cup at a time. Beat in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Cover with a cloth and let stand for 5 to 15 minutes.
Step 3
Wash and grease the bowl; set aside. Sprinkle the work surface with flour and knead the dough until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in the greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.
Step 4
Punch the dough down. Divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Grease two 9 × 5-inch loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans smooth side up.
Step 5
Cover and let the dough rise until almost doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 6
Position the oven racks so that the top rack is in the center of the oven. Place a shallow pan of water on the very bottom rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to convection bake at 325°F for at least 20 minutes.
Step 7
Fill a spray bottle with water and spray the loaves with water. Place on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean and dry. Turn the bread out of the pans; cool on a wire rack.
