Thursday, May 10, 2012

Homemade rye bread




Damn do I love me some homemade bread. And to be honest, once I got into a rhythm of it, I didn't feel like it was much work at all - even though for years I thought it was.

Never mind the fact that I loathe getting my hands dirty, and kneading bread falls firmly into "getting my hands dirty" territory. It's like scones - the work is so worth it in the end! I've been making it more and more lately because I kept buying it from farmer's markets for $5 a loaf when I knew full well I could make good bread, and for a fraction of the cost. I just kept telling myself it was too much work, even though I know it's not.

Explain that logic, someone.

Lately I've been eating it with a LOT of organic salted butter. Sometimes a little local honey. often with my homemade strawberry jam. Sometimes with peanut butter and the aforementioned honey. Sometimes with vegemite, or homemade pesto, or whatever else takes my fancy.

But always with the butter. So much butter. Except not with the peanut butter because that is WEIRD AND OH MY GOD WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?

I'm looking at YOU, Beth Babymac. Weirdo.

Anyway. The bread. Do it. It's not much work, it's a hell of a lot of reward, and did I mention the butter?

The b.u.t.t.e.r.

Ingredients:
1 7g sachet yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water
2.5 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheatgerm
1 cup rye flour
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch salt
1 cup warm water

Directions:

1. Mix yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup warm water in a cup and leave to ferment for 5-10 minutes.

2. Add flours and salt to a bowl. Pour in olive oil and yeast mix.

3. Add the 1 cup warm water and mix until it starts clumping together, then turn out onto a floured surface and with floured hands, knead for 10 mintues. Add flour as necessary, I find this one's a little sticky.

4. Pat into a ball and place in an oiled bowl with a tea towel over the top.

5. Put somewhere warm - I put mine in the sun or on the stovetop if I'm preheating the oven. Leave to rise for at least an hour.

6. Punch down the dough and give another quick knead. I hate dirtying my bench again, so I either do it in the bowl or squeeze it just between my hands for a couple of minutes. It seems to work ok!

7. Put it in your tin or on a greased baking tray. Leave half an hour or so for a second rise.

8. Brush top with milk if you like and place in a hot oven - I do more than 200C at least to help it do any more rising and get a nice crust. Bake 30 minutes or so.

9. I leave to cool in the tin for a bit and then place on a wire rack.


I find it keeps for a couple of days just even out on the bench. It's dense, but a nice dense and makes great toast. The crust is awesome and so crispy. Exactly what I like in bread.

You could always add more rye, or substitute the wheatgerm for either more rye or more white flour. I just throw it in because I bought a big jar of it and don't want it to go to waste! I work on the basis of 4 cups flour.


Second rise... looks like bread. WIN!!

36 comments:

  1. i am doing this. today. when i said to my darling last week 'i want to have a go at making bread' he looked at me like i had sprouted antlers and a beard. but you make it look easy and worthwhile. today.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love making bread too.  Like, in an oven, from scratch.  But hubby bought a bread maker and every single loaf has failed! I win!

    ReplyDelete
  3. that looks soooo good! I love making home made bread too, so I am going to give this a whirl - luckily my thermomix makes it easy - no hand kneading !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Is this a deal breaker for you leaving your husband?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you are amazing, but peanut and butter is NOT WEIRD. It is the most delicious, divine, yummiest, delicious tasty thing particularly on fresh homemade bread. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ps: I still love you though x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nothing like the smell of fresh bread to get the appetite going....bread and a gorgeous guy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Glad to have found your blog. Looks lovely. I am now a happy follower. I like the sound of fresh bread, little effort. I have great easy scone recipes, but I have been intimidated by bread.

    ReplyDelete
  8. wait. how much water? 1 cup or 1/4 cup?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Haha sorry I must have missed that bit! I've amended now. The 1/4 cup goes with the yeast and sugar, the 1 cup goes into the flour mix as well as the yeast mixture to create the dough. Well spotted!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm pleased! Thanks for stopping by! I keep changing my scone recipe, I can't make up my mind :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yeah I love smelling gorgeous guys!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love you and I think I'm willing to overlook this. I actually used to eat it, so I would have agreed with you at one point!

    ReplyDelete
  13. ace, thanks. fermenting away now! (not the first thing to ferment in my kitchen, but hoping this turns out better than the sandwich in the lunch box my kid handed me this morning!)

    ReplyDelete
  14. We'll be fine if you leave me in charge of peanut butter usage on my toast. You can be in charge of butter usage in general. You bring the Lurpak, I'll bring the bread.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yes I need a KitchenAid or something!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Are they the weird little cube-shaped bread thingies? I can't stand a loaf that doesn't look like a loaf!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ha yes, my fridge is excellent at fermenting!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yumm looks delicious.  I have made a few different kinds of bread and mostly its been good.  I really wanted to become a sourdough bread goddess last year but after trying for weeks to procure a starter well something went horribly wrong and I ended up with a spelt brick so I haven't made any bread since but you have definitely inspired me to try again :-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Haha yeah, sourdough scares me too!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Well, if you ever want another scone recipe, my favourite are these vegan Scottish scones. So easy and delicious! http://womaninreallife.blogspot.ca/2012/01/scones-for-sharing.html

    ReplyDelete
  21. oh my gosh, thank you so much! I've been meaning to look up a vegan recipe for ages - too scared to veganise one myself!

    ReplyDelete
  22. YES, YES, YES!
    Why have I never thought to make rye bread when its my all time fav? Thanxxx Stacey might just bake my mama a loaf when I go visit her this w/e. Um.. Yum? xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. haha yep, Yum's the word of the day! I bet your mama will love it xx

    ReplyDelete
  24. Yum! Will have to give this one a try! :) I've been going through bread recipes to find my perfect match! :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I loveee home made bread. And scones. It's weird, I have never thought bread or scones were too much work either! Well worth the effort :) X

    ReplyDelete
  26. sar - accidental lentilMay 10, 2012 at 9:14 PM

    you simply cannot beat the combo of rye bread and peanut butter. definitely do not be putting butter anywhere near my piece though. Know what I do? I buy the healthy sanitarium peanut butter, no salt, no sugar, no anything but nuts, and then i ADD MY OWN SALT. tricky eh?

    ReplyDelete
  27. YES! Butter with peanut butter is just all kinds of wrong! My mum has always done it and even as a small child I just *knew* it wasn't right! Wrong, wrong, wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  28. can't believe i made my own bread. it was successful, despite a moment of panic when i realised the yeast was a little out of date...oops! it was still ok, a great accompaniment to some chicken and chickpea casserole, and the smell of it baking made me smile with mummy smugness all afternoon. thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hang on a sec. What's wrong with eating butter and peanut butter? I mean, peanut butter isn't really butter, is it? It's more like a paste. I slather my bread in butter (enough to cause a coronary, if I'm perfectly honest) before adding a generous spread of peanut butter right over the top. It's the best way to have it. Buttery-peanuty-buttery goodness.
    ~S.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Now if this doesn't look delicious, I don't know what does. I've been like you; not wanting to get my hands dirty baking bread. Which is crazy because as much as I love homemade bread, you'd think I would've mastered making it from scratch by now. 

    Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  31. haha I cannot eat anything but Kraft!

    ReplyDelete
  32. EXCELLENT! Good on you! I hope it was good xx

    ReplyDelete
  33. I think on toast when the butter melts it tastes weird.

    ReplyDelete
  34. At your service! heheheh

    Thanks for stopping by xx

    ReplyDelete