Sour Dough Rye Bread

Sour Dough Rye Bread
Recipe Number: 1320
Contributor: TillerBee

Serves:
Calories Per Serving:
Preparation Time:
Difficulty: Average

Ingredients:

Sponge:
1 pkg. yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
2 c. rye flour
1 tbsp caraway seeds

Dough:
All of the Sponge
1 pkg. yeast
1 c warm water
1/4 c molasses
1 tbsp caraway seeds

1 egg, room temperature
1 tbsp salt
1 c rye flour
5 to 5 1/2 c flour
(all purpose or unbleached)
3 tbsp vegetable shortening

Glaze:
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp caraway seeds

Cooking Instructions:

Sponge:
In a large bowl, combine yeast, water, rye flour, and caraway seeds. Cover snugly with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 - 3 days (3 days is best). The sponge will rise and than fall becoming too thick to pour. It will have a wonderful aroma.

Dough:
Uncover the sponge and sprinkle on the new yeast and water. Blend well. Add molasses, caraway, egg, salt, rye flour, and 2 cups of the white flour. Beat till smooth. Add shortening. Stir in the balance of the flour, a half cup at a time, first with a spoon than with your hands. The dough will be sticky due to the rye flour.

Turn the dough onto your counter top and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough will be sticky and you may want to grease your hands.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until double.

You can shape the dough three ways:

For two round bowls, divide the dough in half with a knife. Shape each half into a smooth ball and place on a greased cookie sheet.
For long slender loaves, divide the dough in half. Roll out each half into a long rectangle. Starting at the long edge, roll tightly and pinch the seam together firmly. Place loaves side by side on a greased cookie sheet.

If you shape either of the above two ways, make sure you kneaded in all the flour or as much as 1/4 cup more of flour or the loaves with flatten out on the cookie sheets.
For shaped loaves, grease 3 - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans. Divide the dough into thirds. For each third, roll out into a rectangle 9 X 12 inches. Roll up dough, starting at the short end, and pinch the seam together firmly. Place in loaf pan, seam side down, and press into pan firmly so all sides tough the pan.

Cover loosely and let rise in warm place until doubled in volume.

Preheat oven to 375?F. Slash each loaf diagonally 3 to 4 times. Make a glaze by beating together the egg and milk. Brush each loaf with the glaze and then sprinkle with caraway seeds. Bake for 40 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow. Cool on a wire rack, covered.