Rebeccas Jewish Rye Bread Food

REAL NY JEWISH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Place bread flour, rye flour, potato flakes, caraway seeds, demarara sugar, yeast, and sea salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer. Turn mixer to low and thoroughly mix dry ingredients. Beat warm water, canola oil, and pickle juice into dry ingredients. Fit dough hook onto mixer and beat until dough is rough and shaggy-looking.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for exactly 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and knead dough in stand mixer with dough hook until smooth, firm, and only slightly sticky, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth, 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Form dough into a ball, place dough into an oiled bowl, and turn dough around several times in bowl to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set into a warm place, and let rise until nearly double, about 1 hour.
• Grease a 5x9-inch loaf pan. Turn dough onto a lightly oiled surface, shape into a log, and place into prepared loaf pan. Cover with a cloth kitchen towel and let rise until top of dough has risen slightly over top of pan, 60 to 90 minutes.
• Place rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake loaf until golden brown and cooked through, about 35 minutes. The internal temperature of the bread should be 190 degrees F (90 degrees C). If loaf browns too quickly, cover loosely with a tent of aluminum foil with shiny side out. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

REBECCA'S JEWISH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Place the ingredients in the above order in your machine (or in the order recommended by the manufacturer).
• I run my machine on "Basic", "Light Crust".

NEW YORK DELI-STYLE RYE BREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the flours, caraway seeds (if using), salt and yeast. Put 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water into a small bowl, then stir in the honey and oil.
• Using a dough hook attachment at low speed, gradually pour in the liquid mixture. Mix just until a cohesive dough starts to form and no streaks of dry flour remain, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl halfway through. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Turn mixer to medium-low and knead until smooth and elastic, easily clearing the sides of the bowl, about 8 minutes. The dough should be moist but not sticky; if needed, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Lightly oil a medium-size mixing bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 30 seconds, shaping dough into a smooth round ball. Place seam side down in the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Stack 2 rimmed baking sheets and line the top sheet with aluminum foil. Punch the dough down to deflate. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press and stretch into a rough 6-inch square.
• Lift and fold top 2 corners of dough into the center of the square and press gently to seal. Lift and fold down the upper third of the dough toward the center and press gently to seal. Lift and fold down the top half of the dough to form a loaf, and pinch the seam closed. Turn the loaf seam side down, gently slide hands underneath, and transfer to the prepared pan. You should have an oval loaf about 8 inches by 4 inches; use hands to shape as needed. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until loaf increases in size by about half, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place a rack in the lower third of oven and heat to 450 degrees. When the dough has risen, make 3 deep slashes across the top, using a sharp paring knife or razor blade. Place in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until deep golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan once during baking.
• Meanwhile, dissolve cornstarch in 1 cup cold water. Simmer in saucepan or microwave until clear and syrupy. Transfer hot, baked bread immediately to a wire rack and brush top and sides with cornstarch mixture until glazed and shiny. Let cool completely before slicing.

THE ULTIMATE JEWISH RYE BREAD

Steps:

• In the starter, the caraway seeds can be ground in a coffee or spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. In the bakery we crush the seeds with a rolling pin. The crushed seeds disappear in the ferment and add a distinctive flavor to the sour. The minced onion helps to hasten the fermentation and adds flavor.
• Starter:
• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until smooth. The mixture should have a thin, soupy consistency.
• Cover and allow to stand in a warm spot until bubbly and fermented. It can be left up to 24 hours.
• *Note: Save the rest of the packet for the first dough.
• Rye Sour, Developing and Fortifying: In making sour use approximately ¾ to 1 cup flour to each ½ cup water. (Notice that Stage One calls for a higher ratio. This is done to adjust for the initial consistency of the starter.)
• The object is to make a thick consistency as close as possible to that of a soft dough. It is not necessary to thicken to the point that the mixing becomes burdensome. If the mixture is too soupy, add more flour ¼ cup at a time. Mix until smooth.
• ***
• Stage 1:
• In a large bowl or container, combine the water, 1 ¼ cups of the flour, and the Starter; stir until smooth. The dough should pull slightly and may start to come away from sides of the bowl. Wipe down the sides of the bowl with wet hands or a bowl scraper.
• Sprinkle ¼ cup flour over the entire surface of the sour. Let stand, covered with a cloth or clear plastic wrap, until doubled in size and the floured top appears cracked with fissures spread widely apart. This may take 4 to 8 hours. Avoid letting the sour collapse.
• ***
• Stage 2:
• To the Stage One sour add the water and ¾ cup of the flour; mix until smooth. Wipe down the sides of the bowl.
• Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup flour over the entire surface of the sour. Allow to rise in a warm area 4 to 8 hours.
• ***
• Proceed with Stage Three:
• As the sour begins to rise, you can refrigerate it at any stage for later use or overnight for mixing the following day.
• Refrigeration retards the rate of growth of the sour, which continues to rise slowly. Whenever time permits, I prefer to make two stages the day before, refrigerating the second stage overnight and preparing the third stage the morning of baking.
• If the dough is to be mixed first thing in the morning, the third stage is prepared the evening before, so it can rise slowly all night and be ready in the morning.
• To the Stage Two sour add the water and the 1 cup flour. Mix until smooth. Additional flour can be added to attain a dough-like consistency. The sour, when fully risen in Stage Three, is ready for use in the dough.
• When the third stage is mixed, set aside ¼ to ½ cup and refrigerate in a covered container with a light film of cold water floated over the top. I have kept sour under refrigeration for months at a time.
• *Note: Use warm water if the sour has been refrigerated.
• It is best to stir down the starter every 3 to 4 days if unused. Periodically (every 10 to 12 days) dispose of half and refresh it by mixing in equal amounts of flour and water. If there is some discoloration on the top, it can safely be skimmed off and the sour used as normal.
• When going away for long periods of time, I freeze a small amount of sour. When preparing a new starter from scratch, I add the frozen sour to preserve my original culture. To ensure the proper strength of the sour, in each stage you can only double the amount of starter you begin with.
• For example, if beginning with ¼ cup starter, you can add up to ½ cup water plus flour to thicken. If Stage One contains 1 cup sour, Stage Two can be prepared with up to 2 cups water plus flour. If a large amount of sour is required, extra stages can be added.
• Sometimes the process goes awry. Perhaps there is insufficient sour left to start the next batch, or the sour might have been forgotten and was left standing to get old or dry. There is a remedy.
• The bakers call it an einfrisch, meaning to refresh. A small amount of sour is thinned down with water to a soupy consistency. Swishing ¼ cup water around in what remains clinging to the sides of the empty bowl can yield enough to restart the sour. Let this einfrisch stand, covered, at room temperature or in a warm spot until bubbly. If desperate, add a pinch of yeast.
• When ready, add enough flour to make a first stage, allow to rise, and proceed with two more stages.
• ***
• For the Rye Bread:
• In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water and add the sour. Add the altus. Without stirring, add 3 cups of the flour and salt. Gently stir the dry ingredients with your fingertips to incorporate, then stir with a wooden spoon, adding more flour as necessary until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead. If the dough is moist and sticky, add more flour ¼ cup at a time. Knead until the dough feels soft and silky (5 to 8 minutes). Rye dough will be softer than usual and tend to feel sticky.
• Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn several times to coat. Cover and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Punch down, sprinkle with the caraway seeds.
• Shaping:
• Shape the balls into 2 free-standing pan loaves.
• Place on a rye flour- or commeal-dusted baking sheet.
• In the bakery we proof the leaves and bake them on the oven hearth using a wooden peel. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size. Brush with the cornstarch solution, then cut 3 horizontal slashes on the top of each loaf.
• Baking:
• Bake with steam in a preheated 375 degree F oven until tapping the bottom with your fingertips produces a hollow sound.
• Specifically, the loaves are done when the crust is very firm, the internal temperature is at least 205 degrees and the loaves give a "hollow" sound when thumped on the bottom (35 to 45 minutes).
• When they are done, leave them in the oven with the heat turned off and the door cracked open a couple of inches for another 5-10 minutes.
• The top and sides should feel hard to the touch. Brush again with the cornstarch solution, then let cool on a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.
• Yield Makes 2 loaves.
• Notes:
• Altus - is European in origin, and little known outside of the bakery establishment. Newcomers to the bakery think of it as a method of using up stale bread.
• However, as with many old-fashioned techniques, bakers find that it enhances the desirable qualities of certain breads. Its use seems to have begun in the making of pumpernickel doughs, and the best of these breads often contain altus.
• Altus is a mash made by slicing and trimming the crusts from leftover sour rye bread, soaking the trimmed bread in water for several hours or overnight under refrigeration, squeezing it dry, and adding small amounts to the bread dough.
• Altus intensifies the distinctive flavor of pumpernickel and rye bread and helps them retain moisture. When using altus, allow for a little extra flour in the recipe. The mash keeps well, covered, in the refrigerator.
• Common flour - called first clear or clear flour, must be obtained from a bakery. You can substitute 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus ¾ cup cake flour, but the bread won't taste as good. 2 cups Rye Sour can be used instead of 3 cups for a milder taste.
• Cornstarch solution is used before slashing the top of the bread and placing it in the oven. Bring 1 cup water to boil dissolve 2 tablespoons cornstarch in ¼ cup cold water; then whisk into the boiling water until it thickens. This solution may be kept for several days. For a high shine, brush a second time as soon as the bread emerges from the oven.

ROSE LEVY BERANBAUM'S REAL JEWISH RYE BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Make the sponge: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl, combine the bread flour, rye flour, yeast, sugar, malt syrup and water. Whisk until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. The starter will have the consistency of thick batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set the sponge aside while you combine the flour mixture.
• Make the flour mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour (reserve one-fourth cup if mixing by hand), the yeast, caraway seeds and salt.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the sponge, and gently scoop the flour mixture over the sponge to cover it completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside at room temperature to ferment until the sponge bubbles through the flour mixture in places, 1 to 4 hours.
• Mix the dough: If using a stand mixer, place the fermented sponge/flour mixture, along with the oil, in the mixer bowl and mix with a dough hook over low speed (Speed 2 on a KitchenAid) until the flour is moistened enough to form a rough dough, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium (Speed 4) and continue to mix until the dough is very smooth and elastic, and springs back when pressed with a fingertip, about 10 minutes. If the dough is at all sticky, turn it out onto a counter and knead in a little extra bread flour.
• If mixing by hand, add the oil to the bowl and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, stir until the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl for 5 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little, adding as little of the reserved flour as possible to keep it from sticking. Use a curved bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it as you knead it in the bowl. At this point, it may be a little sticky. Cover the dough with the inverted bowl and set it aside to rest for 20 minutes, then knead the dough until it is very smooth and elastic, an additional 5 to 10 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, knead in a little more flour.
• Place the dough in a 2-quart bowl, lightly greased with oil. Press down the dough and lightly oil the top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set the dough aside to rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured counter (using bread flour) and press it down to flatten it slightly. Form the dough into a ball about 5 1/2 inches wide by 2 1/2 inches high and set it on a cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet. Cover it with a large container or oiled plastic wrap. Set the dough aside to rise until almost doubled, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Prepare the oven: Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before heating the oven. Place a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven to preheat. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
• With a sharp knife or single-edged razor blade, make 4 slashes one-fourth- to one-half-inch deep in the top of the dough. Mist the dough with water and quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot stone or hot baking sheet. Toss one-half cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and immediately shut the door. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake until the bread is golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or the loaf reads 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 30 to 40 minutes. Halfway through baking at the lower temperature, with a heavy spatula, lift the bread from the pan and set it directly on the stone, turning it around as you do for even baking.
• Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

OLD-FASHIONED RYE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the yeast and water until dissolved. Add the salt, molasses, butter, (seeds if using them), rye flour, and 1 cup of all purpose flour. Mix this with a wooden spoon until smooth. Using your hands, slowly add in the rest of the all purpose flour. As you work the dough it should come together, away from the bowl.
• Flour a baking cloth or board and put the dough on this and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough in it. Coat the dough with the oil from the bowl. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
• Grease a large baking sheet pan and sprinkle on some cornmeal. Set aside. Punch dough down and place on the baking cloth. Shape dough into a loaf, but narrowing at either end. Cover with a towel and rest for about 45-50 minutes until it doubles in size.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place loaf on prepared baking sheet pan. Place in oven for about 50+ minutes. To see if it is done, tap the bottom of the loaf. There should be a hollow sound. That indicates that the loaf is finished baking.. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool and then slice to your desired thickness.

SUPERB RYE BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Bring all ingredients to room temperature and add to bread machine baking pan, in order suggested by manufacturer.
• Select basic setting (I use basic setting, medium size, light crust) and push Start.

JEWISH RYE BREAD AND THE SECRET TO GETTING IT RIGHT

Steps:

• Add the water and the sugar to the yeast in the large bowl of your mixer, or a large bowl if doing this by hand.
• Let stand 5 minutes. The mixture will be bubbly.
• Add the remaining ingredients, using only 2 cups of the bread flour and reserving the rest.
• With the mixer running add the remaining flour, a half cup at a time, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is firm but still slightly sticky. (Rye dough will always be sticky - it feels different than other doughs)
• Turn out on a lightly floured counter top and knead a couple of times.
• Form into a ball.
• Oil a large bowl and add the ball of dough.
• Oil the top of the dough and cover with a clean towel.
• Let rise for one hour, or until doubled.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Punch dough down and shape into 3 oval loaves.
• Place loaves on a lightly floured baking sheet.
• Sprinkle tops with bread flour - not too much.
• Slash tops with a sharp knife.
• Let rise 30 minutes.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until done.
• Let cool before slicing.