While we enjoyed the rye bread I made last week, I wanted to see if the loaf couldn’t be lightened up a bit using buttermilk instead of water in the soaking stage. I also added a cup of spelt flour along with the rye and whole wheat flours.
Cranberry-Walnut Rye Bread using Soaking Method
Here are the directions:
Soaker:
2 cups rye flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup spelt
2 ½ cups buttermilk
2 cups rye flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup spelt
2 ½ cups buttermilk
Dough:
¼ tsp yeast
2 Tbl lukewarm water
1 tsp blue agave
1 tsp caraway seeds, ground
2 tsp salt
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, chopped
¼ tsp yeast
2 Tbl lukewarm water
1 tsp blue agave
1 tsp caraway seeds, ground
2 tsp salt
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour – used during kneading process
Olive oil for brushing
Makes 2 loaves
Mix rye, whole wheat, and spelt flours together with buttermilk in a large bowl. Put in a warm place and let stand for 24 hours.
Combine yeast, water, and blue agave. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Combine soaking mixture, caraway seeds, salt, cranberries, walnuts and yeast-water mixture. Dough will be sticky.
Lightly knead on floured surface for 10 minutes, integrating about 1½ more cups of whole wheat flour. Dough will still be somewhat sticky, but easy to handle. Form into large ball.
Let rise for 1 ½ hours in a warm place.
Turn dough out and knock back. Cut into 2 equal pieces and form each into a ball. Place on non-stick sheet with corn flour; cover and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
Combine soaking mixture, caraway seeds, salt, cranberries, walnuts and yeast-water mixture. Dough will be sticky.
Lightly knead on floured surface for 10 minutes, integrating about 1½ more cups of whole wheat flour. Dough will still be somewhat sticky, but easy to handle. Form into large ball.
Let rise for 1 ½ hours in a warm place.
Turn dough out and knock back. Cut into 2 equal pieces and form each into a ball. Place on non-stick sheet with corn flour; cover and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spritz top of loaves with olive oil. Using a sharp knife, slash 2 cuts in each loaf.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes.
Put on wire rack to cool.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes.
Put on wire rack to cool.
RESULTS: We liked this loaf even better than the “Old-Fashion Rye Bread” I made last week. This one held together well, as a nicely kneaded loaf should. By using buttermilk in the soaker, the bread’s texture was lighter. It had a nice crisp crust and lots of flavor – with the joy of unexpected bursts of cranberry and crunch of walnuts. Ron’s comment: “I’d definitely recommend this bread.”
Enjoy!
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