Crusty Deli Rye Bread

Cooking Instructions

1) To set up: Brush the interior of a 6- or 8-quart mixing bowl with melted butter and set aside for rising dough.

2) To assemble dough: Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the lukewarm water with a pinch of sugar and set aside until creamy and starting to bubble. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining 2-1/4 cups lukewarm water, 1 rounded tbsp sugar, salt, shortening and the dissolved yeast mixture. Briskly stir in rye flour, whole and ground caraway seeds and, when smooth, stir in enough bread flour, 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, to create a mass that's not easily stirred in the bowl, but not dry. Turn the mass out onto a floured wooden board and knead until smooth and elastic, adding only as much flour as necessary to prevent dough from sticking to your work surface and hands. In the beginning of the kneading process, this dough will feel quite "pasty" because of the rye flour. As always, use a pastry scraper while kneading to scrape dough off the board cleanly as you continue to knead in a sufficient amount of flour.

3) To rise dough twice: When dough is smooth and elastic, place it in the buttered rising bowl. Cover bowl with buttered plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down dough with several swift swats from the back of your hand to deflate dough totally. Turn over dough, cover and let rise again for 1 hour.

4) To shape oblong loaves: Turn out fully risen dough onto a lightly floured board and use the blade of your pastry scraper to divide dough in half. Work with half the dough at a time, keeping the other half covered. Lay 2 clean kitchen towels on your counter and sprinkle them lightly with bread flour. Roll dough half into a 7x10-inch rectangle. Starting at the short end farthest from you, roll dough toward you, pinching to seal as you go. Pinch to seal the ends and tuck under to attach to the bottom seam. Rotate and plump dough to finish shaping and place shaped loaf (seam side up) diagonally on a prepared towel. Form a sling by joining the corners of the towel farthest from the loaf. Secure the joined towel points within a closed drawer (in a quiet area) so the loaves hang undisturbed in their slings for 45 minutes.

5) To set up for baking loaves: While bread is rising, position the rack in the lower third of the oven. If using quarry tiles or a pizza stone, place on rack and sprinkle a baker's peel or a flat cookie sheet with cornmeal. Preheat oven to 450F as soon as the tiles are in place. If not using tiles or a stone, brush or spray 1 or 2 large (preferably dark steel) shallow baking sheets with vegetable oil and sprinkle interior with cornmeal. Place egg white and water glaze next to your work surface, just before baking, place 4 ice cubes into a 1-cup measuring cup and add enough cold water to reach the 1/4 cup mark. As an optional step to ensure a crisp crust, pour some ice cold water into a spray bottle.

6) To slash and glaze loaves: Working with 1 loaf at a time, carefully release slings and gently turn out loaves from towels (smooth side up) onto the prepared baker's peel or baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Use your hands gently to plump loaf into shape. Using a sharp knife or a razor, slash tops of each loaf 3 times horizontally, going 1/3 inch deep into the dough. Using a pastry brush, paint tops and sides of loaves (excluding slashes) with egg white glaze and sprinkle tops with whole caraway seeds, if using, and then with a sprinkling of coarse salt.

7) To bake loaves: If baking with tiles, lift baker's peel and shake gently to make sure that the loaves will not stick to the surface. Insert the peel all the way to the back of the oven and with one swift jerk pull out the peel, leaving loaves on the hot tiles (preferably not touching). Immediately toss the cup of ice water onto the oven floor and close the door. If not using tiles, place loaves into the hot oven and toss ice water underneath the baking sheets as directed. Whether or not you're using tiles, if desired, 2 minutes after inserting the loaves, spray a fine mist of ice water into the oven (2 quick shots) and immediately close the door. Bake loaves at 450F for 30 minutes (including initial 2 minutes). Reduce heat to 400F and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375F and bake for 5 minutes more. Turn off oven and let the loaves sit there for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on wire racks to cool thoroughly before slicing.

Wine Pairing(s)

Laurenz V. 'Friendly Gruner Veltliner'

Rudi Pichler 'Federspiel' Gruner Veltliner

Josef Jurtschitsch 'GruVe' Gruner Veltliner

Leo Alzinger Gruner Veltliner 'Federspiel Frauenweingarten'

Huber 'Hugo' Grüner Veltliner

Rainer Wess 'Terrassen' Gruner Veltliner

Hiedler 'Löss' Gruner Veltliner

Berger Grüner Veltliner

Loimer Gruner Veltliner

Hiedler 'Löss' Gruner Veltliner