by Nick Zukin
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Once the dough is fully risen (and brought to room temperature if refrigerated, about 1 hour), turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat away any excess oil with a paper towel.
Divide the dough in half into roughly square or rectangular pieces. Using both hands, gently flatten and shape each piece of dough. To form each loaf, fold the dough over itself in thirds, as one would fold a business letter. Pinch the seam that forms to seal the bottom of the loaf and roll back and forth once or twice on the work surface. Allow the initially formed loaves to rest seam side down, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
After the rest period, tuck and press the ends under the formed loaf to seal and shape the ends. Using friction between the loaf and work surface, roll the loaf back and forth to tighten and complete shaping. The finished loaves should look like 8- to 10-inch cylinders with rounded ends and a well-sealed seam on the bottom.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Gently place each loaf crosswise or at a slight angle on the baking sheet, leaving at least 3 to 4 inches between the loaves. Allow the loaves to rise, covered, at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they have begun to expand but have not doubled. (Avoid over-rising; over-risen loaves tend to fall due to the weak gluten structure in rye dough.)
With a very sharp knife or lame, cut two or three parallel slashes about ½ inch deep and 1 inch apart along the length of the top of the loaves. Immediately transfer the loaves to the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the loaves halfway through the baking time, until the loaves are a uniform dark brown color and the internal temperature reads at least 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the loaves from the oven and carefully transfer them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Allow the loaves to cool thoroughly before slicing, at least 1 hour.
The loaves are best if eaten within 2 days. If left out, store in a paper bag or bread box. Putting the loaves in plastic or the refrigerator may lengthen edible life by a day or two but will ruin their crust texture. Toasting slices of previously stored rye bread will restore the crust texture. Whole or partial loaves can be wrapped well in aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month, then thawed.
Hearty Rye Bread
Makes 2 (1½-pound) loaves
Becoming a Jewish baker means learning the quirks of rye bread, the Jewish deli sandwich standard. Rye flour has much less stretchy gluten than wheat, so it’s tricky to get the dough to form into springy loaves that rise high in the oven. But rye was cheap and readily available in the Slavic lands, and wheat flour scarce and expensive, so budget-strapped Jewish bakers learned how to work with what they had. They brought their rye bread know-how to America and the Jewish deli. Rye bread has a wonderfully complex aroma and flavor, especially with the addition of caraway and charnushka (also known as nigella) seeds. This hearty bread, with both rye flour and whole-grain rye, may produce a low-rise loaf, but it’s as good on its own as it is accompanying pastrami or corned beef.
Soaker
¾ cup / 4½ ounces / 125g cracked rye or rye meal
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons / 4½ ounces / 125g warm (90°F to 100°F) water
Thick rye sour
Scant ½ cup / 4½ ounces / 125g Sourdough Starter
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons / 4½ ounces / 125g water
1½ cups / 7 ounces / 200g light rye flour
Dough
2 cups / 9 ounces / 250g bread or high-gluten flour
¾ cup / 2½ ounces / 75g light rye flour
3 teaspoons / ¼ ounce / 10g instant or bread machine yeast (or 1 packet active dry yeast)
1 tablespoon / ½ ounce / 15g kosher salt (we use Morton’s kosher salt)
½ cup / 4 ounces / 125g lukewarm (75°F to 85°F) water
¼ cup / 1 ounce / 30g caraway seeds
1½ tablespoons / ½ ounce / 15g charnushka seeds (optional; see Sources and Resources)
Vegetable or other neutral oil, as needed
Cornmeal or polenta, for sprinkling
1 large egg
To make the soaker, in a small bowl, place the cracked rye, then add the water and combine so all the rye is just immersed in the water. Cover and set aside to stand at room temperature for about 8 hours or overnight.
To make the rye sour, in a medium bowl, combine the Sourdough Starter and water, stirring them together with a heavy-wired whisk until most of the starter has dissolved into the water. Add the flour using the whisk and a plastic scraper in tandem to completely combine into a shaggy dough-like mass. Cover and set aside at room temperature for about 8 hours or overnight. During this rest period, the rye sour should puff up noticeably.
To make the dough, once the soaker and rye sour are ready to use, place them in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the bread flour, rye flour, instant or bread machine yeast, and salt. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, stir it into the ½ cup of the lukewarm water to proof for 15 minutes, or until the water begins to bubble or foam.) Add most of the ½ cup lukewarm water to the dry ingredients, holding back a tablespoon or two. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, add only the water that the yeast was proofing in to the dry ingredients.) Mix on the lowest speed to incorporate the ingredients, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix for another 3 to 4 minutes, adding the remaining water a little at a time, if necessary, until a soft, sticky dough forms. Add the seeds and mix on low speed to incorporate, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium to complete mixing, another 3 to 4 minutes. The finished dough should be moderately sticky, with a slight gloss and elastic feel. If the dough seems too sticky, sprinkle a little extra bread flour into the mixing bowl and mix for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until the proper texture is achieved.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. If the dough still seems too sticky, sprinkle a little more bread flour over the top and hand-knead to incorporate. Bear in mind that rye dough tends to be somewhat sticky compared to dough made with all wheat flour. Form the dough into a rough ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all over with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place (such as an oven with the light on or a warming drawer) for 1½ to 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight), until doubled. (If refrigerating, leave the dough out at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator to allow the yeast to start working.)
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Once the dough is fully risen (and brought to room temperature if refrigerated, about 1 hour), turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat away any excess oil with a paper towel. Divide the dough in half into roughly square or rectangular pieces. Using both hands, gently flatten and shape each piece of dough. To form each loaf, fold the dough over itself in thirds, as one would fold a business letter. Pinch the seam that forms to seal the bottom of the loaf and roll back and forth once or twice on the work surface. Allow the initially formed loaves to rest seam side down, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
After the rest period, tuck and press the ends under the formed loaf to seal and shape the ends. Using friction between the loaf and work surface, roll the loaf back and forth to tighten and complete shaping. The finished loaves should look like 8- to 10-inch cylinders with rounded ends and a well-sealed seam on the bottom.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Gently place each loaf crosswise or at a slight angle on the baking sheet, leaving at least 3 to 4 inches between the loaves. Allow the loaves to rise, covered, at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they have begun to expand but have not doubled. (Avoid over-rising; over-risen loaves tend to fall due to the weak gluten structure in rye dough.)
Make an egg wa
sh, beating together the egg and 2 tablespoons water. Brush the fully risen loaves all over with the egg wash. Transfer the loaves to the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the loaves halfway through the baking time, until the loaves are a uniform golden brown color and the internal temperature reads at least 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the loaves from the oven and carefully transfer them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Allow to cool thoroughly before slicing.
The rye loaves are best if eaten within 2 days. If left out, store in a paper bag or bread box. Putting the loaves in plastic or the refrigerator may lengthen edible life by a day or two but will ruin their crust texture. Toasting slices of previously stored rye bread will restore the crust texture. Whole or partial loaves can be wrapped well in aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month, then thawed.
Pumpernickel Rye
Makes 2 (1½-pound) loaves
There’s no delicate way to say it: Pumpernickel is a German word meaning “devil’s fart.” It’s supposedly a seventeenth-century appellation referring to the flatulence-causing properties of the dark whole-rye peasant breads first produced in the German state of Westphalia during a famine. Ashkenazic immigrants to America adapted traditional pumpernickel, melding it with their own recipes for rye bread and incorporating wheat flour that was readily available in the New World. This bread gets its dark color and depth of flavor from a combination of cocoa powder, molasses, caramelized onions, and natural caramel coloring. Pumpernickel can be substituted for light rye in any deli meat sandwich, though it’s also sublime spread simply with peanut butter or canned tuna mixed with mayo.
Rye sour
1 tablespoon / ½ ounce / 15g Sourdough Starter
Scant ½ cup / 3¼ ounces / 100g water
Scant ½ cup / 4½ ounces / 125g light rye flour
Dough
4 cups / 1¼ pounds / 600g bread or high-gluten flour
3 teaspoons / ¼ ounce / 10g instant or bread machine yeast (or 1 packet active dry yeast)
2 tablespoons / ½ ounce / 15g kosher salt (we use Morton’s kosher salt)
¼ cup / 1¼ ounces / 35g cocoa powder
Scant ¼ cup / 2½ ounces / 50g dark molasses
2 tablespoons / 1½ ounces / 40g liquid caramel coloring (see Sources and Resources)
⅓ cup / 3½ ounces / 100g Caramelized Onions, prepared omitting the salt, sugar, and vinegar)
1½ cups / 12 ounces / 350g lukewarm (75ºF to 85ºF) water
⅛ cup / ½ ounce / 15g whole or ground caraway seeds or charnushka seeds (see Sources and Resources), or a mixture of both
Vegetable oil, as needed
Cornmeal or polenta, for sprinkling
1 large egg
To make the rye sour, in a medium bowl, place the Sourdough Starter and water, combining with a heavy-wired whisk until most of the starter has dissolved into the water. Add the flour using the whisk in tandem with a plastic scraper to combine into a thick, pasty mass. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. During this rest period, the rye sour should puff up slightly.
To make the dough, once the sour is ready, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the flour, instant or bread machine yeast, salt, cocoa powder, molasses, caramel coloring, and onions. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, stir it into ½ cup of the lukewarm water to proof for 15 minutes, or until the water begins to bubble or foam.) Add most of the 1½ cups lukewarm water, holding back a tablespoon or two. (Alternatively, if using active dry yeast, add all the water the yeast was proofing in, plus the remaining 1 cup lukewarm water, holding back a tablespoon or two.) Mix on the lowest speed to incorporate the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-low, and mix for another 3 to 4 minutes, adding the remaining water, a little at a time if necessary, until a soft, sticky dough forms. Add the seeds and mix on low speed to incorporate, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium to complete mixing, another 2 to 3 minutes. The finished dough should be slightly sticky, with a slight gloss and elastic feel. If the dough seems too sticky, sprinkle a little extra bread flour into the mixing bowl and mix for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until the proper texture is achieved.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. If the dough still seems too sticky, sprinkle a little more bread flour over the top and hand-knead to incorporate. Bear in mind that rye dough tends to be somewhat sticky compared to dough made with all wheat flour. Form the dough into a rough ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all over with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place (such as an oven with the light on or a warming drawer) for 1½ to 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight), until doubled. (If refrigerating, leave the dough out at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator to allow the yeast to start working.)
Preheat the oven to 475°F.
Once the dough is fully risen (and brought to room temperature if refrigerated, about 1 hour), turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat away any excess oil with a paper towel.
Divide the dough in half into roughly square or rectangular pieces. Using both hands, gently flatten and shape each piece of dough. To form each loaf, fold the dough over itself in thirds, as one would fold a business letter. Pinch the seam that forms to seal the bottom of the loaf and roll back and forth once or twice on the work surface. Allow the initially formed loaves to rest seam side down, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
After the rest period, tuck and press the ends under the formed loaf to seal and shape the ends. Using the friction between the loaf and work surface, roll the loaf back and forth to tighten and complete shaping. The finished loaves should look like 8- to 10-inch cylinders with rounded ends and a well-sealed seam on the bottom.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Gently place each loaf crosswise or at a slight angle on the baking sheet, leaving at least 3 to 4 inches between the loaves. Allow the loaves to rise, covered, at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they have begun to expand but have not doubled. (Avoid over-rising; over-risen loaves tend to fall due to the weak gluten structure in rye dough.)
In a small bowl, make an egg wash by lightly beating the egg together with 2 tablespoons water. Using a light touch, brush the egg wash all over the exposed surfaces of the fully risen loaves.
With a very sharp knife or lame, cut three parallel slashes about ½ inch deep and 2 inches apart widthwise across the top of the loaves. Immediately transfer the loaves to the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, rotating the loaves halfway through the baking time, until the loaves are a uniform deep, dark chocolate brown color and the internal temperature reads at least 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the loaves from the oven and carefully transfer them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Allow the loaves to cool thoroughly before slicing, at least 1 hour.
The loaves are best if eaten within 2 days. If left out, store in a paper bag or bread box. Putting the loaves in plastic or the refrigerator may lengthen edible life by a day or two but will ruin their crust texture. Toasting slices of previously stored rye bread will restore the crust texture. Whole or partial loaves can be wrapped well in aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month, then thawed.
Note: Two tablespoons of dry caramel coloring may be substituted for liquid. Another coloring alternative is food gel, which is produced by several companies. Unlike caramel coloring, which is obtained from natural sugars, food gels are synthetic. Also, using food gel can be tricky because it is difficult to tell from a small concentrated container how the color will turn out once it is mixed with a batch of dough and how much should be used. Use the darkest shade of brown food gel available, starting with ¼ teaspoon and adding another ¼ to ½ teaspoon as needed
to obtain the darkest possible shade of brown achievable with that color.
Three-Strand Braided Challah
Makes 2 (2-pound) loaves
The subtle honey-sweet flavor of this braided Jewish festival bread makes it a favorite anytime. We love to use a single-flower honey, such as blackberry, or, when we can find it, a variety called meadow foam, which has a unique, memorable flavor resembling marshmallows. Traditionalists pull their challah (pronounced with a hard “ch” sound) apart in chunks for casual eating, but it also makes fine sliced sandwich bread. And day-old challah is on par with brioche to make the most divine French toast, if the fresh loaves don’t disappear first. If you intend to make Chocolate Babka or Challah Sticky Buns, prepare a sweeter version of this dough by increasing the quantity of brown sugar to ½ cup and decreasing the salt to 2 teaspoons. Mix the dough and allow it to rise as instructed in this recipe, and then follow the respective recipes for their particular shaping and baking instructions.
7 cups / 1¾ pounds / 850g unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
Scant 5 tablespoons / 2 ounces / 50g light or dark brown sugar
6 teaspoons / ½ ounce / 20g instant or bread machine yeast (or 2 packets active dry yeast)
2¼ teaspoons / ¾ ounce / 25g kosher salt