Eastern European Molasses Rye Food

DANISH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• For the sourdough feeder: Eight to 15 hours before mixing the levain, feed your starter by mixing the bread flour, water and old sourdough starter together in a medium bowl until smooth. Transfer to a storage container with a lid.
• For the levain: Mix the bread flour, water and old sourdough starter together with your hands in a medium bowl until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 12 hours. The levain will be very dense and sticky.
• For the rye soaker: While the levain is resting, mix the cracked rye, rye berries and warm water together with your hands in a medium bowl until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 12 hours. The rye berries should soften and absorb almost all the water.
• For the dough: Mix the buttermilk, coffee, molasses, water, bread flour, dark rye flour and levain together with your hands in a large bowl until the dough is smooth and well combined (it will be very wet and slightly stretchy). Allow to rest, covered, for about 1 hour at room temperature.
• For the dry additions: Add the flax seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, salt and the rye soaker to the dough and incorporate by folding the dough onto itself using a rubber spatula or your hands (wet them first with water). Allow to rest, covered, for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Fold the dough onto itself using a rubber spatula or your wet hands about 6 times. Allow to rest, covered, for about 30 minutes. Repeat this process 3 more times (for a total of 4 folding and resting turns). With each fold, the dough will rise slightly and become more stretchy from the sourdough starter.
• For baking: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan lightly with some oil.
• Wet your hands with water, gather the dough and place it into the prepared loaf pan as one whole piece. Let it sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 20 minutes to form a skin and slightly rise.
• Bake until the bread is well browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Unmold immediately onto a wire rack, top-side down, and cool completely.

EASTERN EUROPEAN MOLASSES RYE

Steps:

• Directions designed for stand mixer.
• For best yeast environment heat your large mixer bowl by pouring boiling water into it, swishing it around and dumping before beginning, this heats the metal and helps to keep your warm ingredients from cooling by being added to cold metal.
• Add yeast and warm water to your mixer bowl and allow to dissolve fully.
• Add milk, sugar, honey, salt, molasses, 3 T. melted butter, wheat gluten, seeds, cocoa, and coffee.
• Mix to combine, then add wheat germ and 1/2 cup rye flour mixing to combine into smooth sponge.
• Put dough hook attachment on your mixer and add the rest of the rye flour one cup at a time, followed by the whole wheat flour.
• Allow the mixer to knead the dough fpr 10-15 minutes until very smooth.
• Lightly oil the surface of the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm Place in same bowl until doubled in volume (usually about an hour, less if warmer, longer if cool.).
• Once doubled after first rising, punch down and mix with dough hook again for 30 seconds to a minute.
• Rise again until doubled like before, covered with plastic wrap.
• Once doubled for the second time, again punch down and knead further with dough hook for about 2-3 minutes.
• Turn out on floured board, and knead gently to smooth.
• The dough can then be formed and shaped.
• Makes 2 standard loaves placed in greased loaf pans.
• Or 2 round loaves baked on greased cookie sheet.
• I tend to like to use 3 greased 6-inch round iron pizza pans, forming three round loaves.
• Cover and allow to rise again until doubled or just more than doubled in the pan or on cookie sheet.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until beautifully borwned and the bottoms sound hollow if you thump them with your finger.
• Remove from pan.
• Cool on rack, brushing immediately with remaining melted butter.

SCANDINAVIAN RYE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Stir together yeast, brown sugar, and ¼ cup warm water in a large bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 15 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
• Whisk together rye flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, zest, salt, anise seeds, cumin, and ½ teaspoon caraway seeds. Add flour mixture along with melted butter, molasses, and remaining ¾ cup warm water to yeast mixture and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add ½ cup all-purpose flour, beating until combined. Add remaining ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and beat until incorporated. (Dough will be very sticky.) Scrape down dough from side of bowl with a rubber spatula and let rise, bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1½ hours.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter muffin pans.
• Stir down dough (it will be too sticky to punch down). Divide dough evenly among 24 muffin cups, about a rounded tablespoon per cup. (Grease tablespoon with oil as necessary to prevent sticking.) Let dough rest, uncovered, in a draft-free place at warm room temperature 30 minutes. Gently brush tops of muffins with some of egg wash, then sprinkle with sea salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds.
• Bake until muffins are puffed and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Turn out muffins onto a rack and cool to warm or room temperature.
• Cooks' Notes:
• Dough can be made (but not allowed to rise) 1 day ahead and chilled, bowl wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Put chilled dough in muffin pan as directed and let rise 1 hour, then proceed with recipe.
• Muffins can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Muffins keep, frozen in sealed plastic bags, 2 weeks. Reheat on a baking sheet in a preheated 350°F oven until muffins are heated through, 8 to 10 minutes for frozen.

MOLASSES RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Place 2 cups whole wheat flour and yeast in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine molasses, butter, water and salt and heat on low just until butter melts (120-130 degrees).
• Add warm mixture to flour and yeast. Beat with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl. Then beat on high for 3 minutes.
• Gradually add the seeds and the rye flour, using the electric mixer. Add as much of the remaining whole wheat flour as you can stir in with a spoon. Move dough to a floured surface and knead in the remaining flour.
• Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat with oil. Set in a warm place to rise until double (60-90 minutes).
• Punch down dough. Divide in half and shape into two loaves. Place on a baking sheet and let rise until double (45-60 minutes).
• Bake loaves at 375 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.
• Cool on wire racks. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.