the best rye bread ever

Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen

This is the best rye bread recipe I have ever encountered. It must be completed in three sections and does take a little bit of time, but there is no reason why you cant do it. I have been obsessed with finding the best bread recipes to make at home. I am sick of looking at bread packages and not being able to read the ingredients. It is such a great feeling too when you finish a loaf of bread and it comes out of the oven all hot and toasty. This is hands down the best rye bread I have ever had in my life. I think it was the perfect recipe for a mix of patience, proper ingredients, and pure love into some homemade bread.

Step one - Creating the sponge

Combine the following

• 3/4 cup bread flour
• 3/4 cup rye flour (you can find this at most natural food stores)
• 1/2 tsp of instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tbs of sugar
• 1/2 tbs of honey
• 1 1/2 cups of water

Mix all of these ingredients thoroughly together so they become completely incorporated. Then set aside.

Step two - make the flour mixture

Combine the following ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup bread flour
• 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp of instant yeast
• 2 tbs of carraway seeds
• 1/2 tbs of coarse salt

You can crush up your carraway seeds a little if you would like your bread to have a smoother taste and not crunchy. By using a mortar and pestle it will also release all the wonderful flavor of the carraway seeds too.

Then take your flour mixture and cover the sponge with it. This is a very important step. Just pour it on top completely covering the sponge mixture. Do not mix the two together. Cover with saran wrap and set aside for 3 hours in a warm spot. This step is going to allow the mixture to ferment. Which is basically just going to make your bread that much tastier.

Once it has risen add in 1/2 tbs of vegetable oil. Then turn it out on to you countertop and sprinkle more flour. Begin to kneed your dough for 10 minutes until it becomes very elastic. Once it is quite elastic place it back into the bowl you mixed it all in. Then invert the bowl onto your countertop and let it rest for another 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes kneed it a bit more then smooth it around with your hands until it becomes a perfectly round loaf.

Then place it in a lightly oiled bowl and allow the dough to rise until its doubled in size. This should take about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.

Then take your loaf that has doubled in size and kneed for a few more minutes. Then form back into a beautiful loaf.

Place the loaf into your baking vessel, cover it with a tea towel, and let it rise for another 45 minutes. I used my cast iron skillet to bake it in. It was my first time using my cast iron skillet to bake in and I was beyond happy with the results.

Once it has completely risen make an 'X' at the top of the bread. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Bake it for 15 minutes at 450 then drop the temperature to 400 degrees and bake it for an additional 30 to 40 minutes until it becomes golden brown all over.

Check out this beautiful slice of heaven!!!! It is amazing bread and worth every minute of waiting for it to rise.

Enjoy !!!