Rye Bread

Alice Taylor

Makes

1 loaf

Ingredients

	2 tablespoons active dry yeast
	2 cups warm water
	½ teaspoon white sugar
	2 cups rye meal
	3 tablespoons cocoa
	3 tablespoons molasses or treacle (or you can add 1½ tablespoons golden syrup or date syrup)
	1½ teaspoons salt
	2½ – 3 cups high-grade flour

NOTE

For smoked salmon on rye, mash together 75g hot-smoked salmon, 1½ tablespoons sour cream, 1½ tablespoons capers, juice of around ¼ lemon and pepper to taste. Spread on a warm toasted piece of rye bread.

This was the first bread that I learnt how to make. I was obsessed with a chicken on rye sandwich from a café near where I grew up, and loved the sweet rye bread in particular. I began to make this as a student in Dunedin. This was ideal because while you can use a stand mixer, you don’t have to. It can be kneaded by hand for a few minutes and then it’s ready to go. This bread is great with smoked salmon or chicken, and dipped into soup. It’s also unbelievably good as toast.

View the recipe collection here

Instructions

1.	In a bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and sugar and let sit for around 5 minutes, until the yeast becomes foamy.
2.	Add the rye meal, cocoa, molasses or treacle and salt and combine.
3.	Add 2½ cups flour and knead for 1 minute.
4.	It should form a dough that is only slightly sticky – if it is too sticky, add a little more flour.
5.	Grease a clean bowl with oil and add the dough. Cover and let sit for 45 minutes, or until double in size.
6.	Grease and flour a loaf pan. Punch down the dough a couple of times, then transfer to the loaf pan.
7.	Cover and leave in a warm place to proof for 45 minutes.
8.	Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-bake.
9.	Bake for around 35–45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Images and text from Alice
in Cakeland by Alice Taylor,
photography by Lottie
Hedley and Melanie Jenkins
(Flash Studios), published by
Allen and Unwin NZ, RRP $45.