Connie's Swedish Rye #BakingBloggers

This month, Sue of Palatable Pastime told the Baking Bloggers that for November we were to share our "favorite yeast bread recipe. Any type of bread using yeast is fair game. Loaves, rolls, quick breads, flatbreads, you name  it." Here's the #BakingBloggers yeasty baking party...

• Bagels from Sneha's Recipe
• Connie's Swedish Rye from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Crunchy Herbed Whole Wheat Breadsticks from Cook with Renu
• Crusty No-Knead Oatmeal Bread from Making Miracles
• Hearty Slow Fermented Rustic Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns) from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Overnight Yeasted Cheese Scones from Food Lust People Love
• Pizza Focaccia from Palatable Pastime
• Sourdough Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Connie's Swedish Rye

Back at the beginning of our shelter-in-place, a friend gave me a loaf of Swedish rye bread that I left on the breakfast table before I left for work.

A little while later I received the photo (above) along with the text, "Mom, this needs to be lightly toasted and served with homemade pastrami. Can you make that happen?" So, I asked my friend and she sent me this...

I tried it once with too many variations. I was trying to get away from yeast, so I read about how to substitute sourdough starter; and I didn't have shortening, so I tried to use butter. That was a gooey disaster of my own making. I decided to try the recipe as written...yeast, shortening, and all!

Ingredients 

• 1 Tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 Tablespoons caraway seeds
• 2 cups rye flour
• 6 cups flour
• 1 egg, beaten

Procedure

Place warm water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let bloom for 10 minutes. The mixture should be foamy.

In another mixing bowl, stir the hot water and shortening together until the shortening is melted. Whisk in the molasses and let cool slightly. Pour the molasses mixture into the yeast bowl and stir to combine. 

Stir the rye flour into the mixture. Then add flour 1/2 cup at a time while mixing with a wooden spoon. Adjust the flour: if you feel that the dough is wet and sticky, continue adding 1/2 cup flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. The dough will be scraggy.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and let rest for 10 minutes. Then knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. 

Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Once it has doubled, punch the dough down and let it rise again until doubled. Then divide and shape into three rounds. Place them on a silicone mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet or baking stone.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the tops with beaten egg and let them rise while the oven heats.

Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The rounds should be nicely browned and firm to the touch. Let cool completely before slicing.

That's a wrap for our Baking Bloggers yeast breads event. Next month's theme is baked holiday appetizers. Stay tuned!