Dark Rye Bread
I’ve tweaked this recipe over the years and am finally proud of it. It’s gorgeous served fresh from the oven with lots of butter.
Ingredients
- 350 g dark rye flour plus extra for dusting
- 150 g wholemeal flour
- 1 1 ⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 20 g yeast
- 4 tablespoons malt extract
- 2 tablespoons treacle
- 385 ml water
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
Instructions
- Put 175g/6oz of rye flour and 75g/3 oz of wholemeal flour into a bowl, then stir in the salt, yeast, malt extract and treacle and 150 ml/1⁄4 pint of the water.
- Mix well for 5 minutes, then leave in the bowl to rise for 5 hours.
- Line a baking tray.
- Add the remaining flours and water and the cumin seeds to the dough and mix well.
- Tip out onto a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into two and shape each into an oblong sausage.
- Coat each sausage with rye flour, place each in a rye basket and leave to rise for 2–3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
- Tip each loaf out onto the baking tray and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
