Apparently I have a serious girl crush on Heidi Swanson considering I’ve made two of her recipes in a matter of days…awkward?
…
I haven’t made bread in quite some time, so when I got the e-mail about her latest version I figured I would give it a go A.) because I bought bread flour and after a month had yet to use it, and B.) I had never made rye bread before even though I love it.
That’s what I like to call a win-win situation.
My favorite twist to the recipe? Caraway seeds. I have loved the flavor since my mom handed me my first bowl of Hungarian Goulash, and the addition here adds the same great, unexpected flavor. [I’ll have to blog about our Hungarian Goulash recipe sometime. It’s art, really] Their earthy flavor goes nicely with the spicy bitterness of the molasses. I never would have thought to add it on my own.
Like any bread, this one involves plenty of rising time [about 2-3 hours] so it helps to have a free Sunday afternoon in order to make it. Please don’t let that deter you from trying to make your own bread! I swear to you it isn’t difficult- just time consuming. I don’t have any special tools or a dough hook attachment for my [imaginary] KitchenAid mixer. Just a bowl, a spoon, and my hands. Plus, you can’t beat the smell and taste of fresh baked bread. Trust me.
It also helps to have a hankering for brownies in order to have a warm oven top for the bread to rise on 🙂
[doing the laundry and placing the bowl on top the dryer works well too, but this way is much more tasty]
I served the bread with a slow-cooker pot roast, and it help up nicely. The bread is very dense so it makes for an excellent dipping instrument with any soup. The next day we used it to sop up the juices of this chorizo one. So good!
Serving it with just plain ole butter works well too. But doesn’t it always?
Happy weekend!
drink. eat. play. repeat. 