Swedish Rye Bread – Helen Sundberg – 375°
Dough volume is ~1050 grams
Slight modifications as original recipe was for a bread machine
1-1/2 C rye flour – freshly milled
2-5/8 C hard white flour – freshly milled
½ tsp freshly milled star anise (broken into pieces it can be milled on a Mockmill at “2-3”) or ½ tsp anise extract
3-1/4 tsp instant yeast
¾ tsp salt
3/8 C sucanat or brown sugar
3T light molasses syrup OR ¼ C honey
1-1/2 C (+ ~1/8-1/4C additional) warm water (do not overheat the water beyond 100°)
Zest of one orange (opt)
1 Tbs softened butter
A bit of cautionary warning to help be sure this turns out, but this is The Simply Filled Pantry so if I could not do this recipe very similarly to any other bread I make...it would not be simple, right?!
I always recommend measuring out all ingredients before beginning your dough. Makes it clear nothing was forgotten.
Rye requires a little more care to work with when it is more than 10-20% of the flour. Mixing and shaping should be done gently and slowly. The gluten strands in rye are more fragile than other flours.
As you add the flour to the liquid ingredients your rye dough will be very thirsty and will soak up the moisture quickly. In the first 10 minutes of mixing, assess if dough is soft dough which is good, as opposed to stiff like pizza dough, needing more moisture. Add ~1/8C-1/4C water as directed below. Do not add water after this point or the dough will possibly get sticky and not recover.
Mill flours and add anise (if ground), salt, sucanat and orange zest if using.
Blend with whisk and set aside.
Warm water to 90-100° and pour 1-1/2 C into mixer along with molasses/honey, and set aside and additional 1/8-1/4 C to add as needed while mixing.
Add approximately half of the flour mix and mix till incorporated.
Add yeast, mix till all picked up.
Add remaining flour mix. Assess for softness, add 1/8-1/4C water now if needed.
Knead 5-7 minutes, keeping a close watch, checking for good stretch for windowpane development.
Gently hand knead in 1 Tbs soft butter.
Let rise (~45 mins.) till doubled or passes wet finger test (½ deep poke, fills in slowly or not at all). Take care not let this dough over rise to collapse around finger poke.
Round the dough, either one large loaf or 2 small. Let rest 10-15 mins. till relaxed.
For artisan loaves, sprinkle cornmeal (insulator) on flat baking pan or use parchment paper. Place round(s).
Proof in a draft free spot, 80-90° is great, till dough is spongy, about 45 mins.
Preheat oven to 375°. Bake 2 small loaves 30 mins./1 large loaf about 45 mins. to internal temp 190-195º