———————–SERVINGS: MAKES 4 LOAVES———————–
———————SOURCE: DECEMBER 1983/GOURME———————
2 1/2 t Active dry yeast, 1 -all-purpose
-teaspoon sugar, 2 cups
flour, 1/2 cup lukewarm milk, 2 1/2 cups rye flour, 1 tablespoon
caraway seeds, 1/4 teaspoon aniseed, crushed, 2 teaspoons salt, an
egg wash made by beating 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water, coarse salt
for garnish if desired In a large bowl proof the yeast with the sugar
and 1 teaspoon of the all-purpose flour in 1/4 cup lukewarm water for
15 minutes, or until it is foamy. Add 3/4 cup more lukewarm water and
the milk, beat in 1 1/2 cups of the rye flour, the caraway seeds, the
aniseed, and the salt, and combine the mixture well. Stir in the
remaining 1 cup rye flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour and
knead the dough on a floured surface, incorporating enough of the
remaining all-purpose flour to keep the dough from sticking, for 8
minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a
buttered bowl, turn it to coat it with the butter, and let it rise,
covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it is
double in bulk. Punch down the dough, knead it 2 or 3 times on an
unfloured surface, and let it rest, covered with plastic wrap, for 20
minutes. Quarter the dough and form the quarters into balls. Flatten
the balls slightly and roll them on an unfloured surface into 6-inch
rounds. Put the rounds on buttered baking sheets and with a razor
blade cut 1/4-inch-deep slashes 1 inch apart in a crosshatch pattern
on the tops of the loaves. Let the loaves rise, covered with a dish
towel, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until they are double in bulk.
Brush the loaves with the egg wash, sprinkle them with the coarse
salt if desired, and bake them in a preheated hot oven (400-F.) for
15 minutes, or until they sound hollow when the bottoms are tapped.
Yields
1 loaf