Aunt Barb's Rye Bread Recipe

On the left, is a traditional 5 cup wheat loaf.  On the right, is the family Rye Bread.  This page is for the Rye Bread, the Wheat Loaf is here.  As you can see, it's big!  My Aunt Barb's family would always bake this bread for holiday gatherings.  I carry on the tradition, with the added bonus of growing the rye and grinding the flour. -- Scott

Stage 1:  Combine with a whisk

• 4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 package of yeast
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 4 cups of white flour

Cover and let rise until bubbly (about an hour)

Stage 2: Add

• 4 tablespoons of oil (or melted bacon grease)
• 1 tablespoons of caraway seeds (optional)--I like to crush them a bit
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt
• 2 heaping cups of rye flour
• 2 or so more cups of white flour 

Knead on a floured board (I use the dough hook on the stand mixer) adding more flour as needed to make it stiff enough

Stage 3: Raising

• Let raise
• After doubling, punch it down
• Let it rest 5 minutes

• Shape the rested dough ball and place on a rye floured 12 inch pizza pan
• Let raise again

I like to use the stone type like in the photo

Stage 5: Baking

• Pre-heat the oven to 375 F
• When it's expanded to a 10 inch circle, poke holes all across the top with a toothpick to prevent cracking and bubbles
• Wet the top of the dough with a damp cloth
• Bake for 80 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave it in for 10 minutes more
• Dampen the top of the dough again