Recipe from “Great Whole Grain Breads,” in the Jan. 27, 1985, edition of The Denver Post. Makes 1 flat loaf.
Ingredients
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 package active dry, fast-rising yeast
1 cup buttermilk, warmed to 105-115 degrees
2 tablespoons barley malt syrup (available in health food and brewing supply stores)
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups rye flour
2 1/2 to 3 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast foams. Stir in buttermilk, malt syrup, salt and rye flour. Beat until smooth. Let stand, covered, 15 minutes. Gradually add the flour, beating well after adding each cupful.
When dough is stiff, sprinkle board with some of the remaining flour and turn dough out onto flour. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and satiny. Dough may still be slightly tacky. Wash bowl, grease it and put dough into bowl. Turn to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. (With conventional yeast, dough takes up to 1 1/2 hours for rise.) Punch down.
Turn out into lightly oiled surface and shape into a smooth, rather flat loaf about 10 inches in diameter. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Place loaf on prepared sheet, smooth side up. Let rise until about doubled, about 40 minutes. Slash, using a serrated knife or razor blade, to make 1-inch squares all over the top of the loaf. Make cuts about 1/8-inch deep. Brush generously with water and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of rye flour. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 40-45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
*Each week, we uncover a recipe from the Denver Post vault. This week, a chewy, yeasty rye bread with Finnish roots.
