January 29, 2010
Polish Sourdough Rye Bread Recipe - Chleb Zwykly na Zakwasie
The smell of this bread reminds me about my Polish grandmother. In the scent of this bread is enchanted a sheer joy of happiness of a careless childhood. :
Enjoy!
Makes 2 loaves
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- Sourdough Starter:
- 4 tablespoons medium rye flour
- 3 tablespoons warm milk
- Bread:
- 4 cups medium rye flour
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast (not rapid rise)
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Preparation:
- To make the starter, in a small bowl, mix together the 4 tablespoons rye flour and milk. Cover with plastic and set in a warm place to ripen for two days or until it smells pleasantly sour.
- In a large bowl, combine the rye and white flours, salt, yeast, butter, water and starter. Knead 7 minutes by machine or 10 minutes by hand. Place in a clean, greased bowl, cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Punch down dough, knead 1 minute and divide in half. Shape each half into a round on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with oiled plastic and let rise 30 minutes or until almost doubled. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Brush risen rounds with egg white and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Bake 35-40 minutes or until instant-read thermometer registers 190-195 degrees and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.
