Having a reuben sandwich with fresh German Dark Rye Bread, sliced corn beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and a little thousand island dressing just puts a smile on my face. Here is a recipe that takes a couple of hours but well worth the wait.
2 cups of warm water (110 degrees)
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1/4 cup of molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 cups rye flour
3 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1/4 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and coat two 9″ x 5″ loaf pans with vegetable spray
In a medium bowl add the water, yeast and brown sugar and whisk well. Let sit about 5 minutes. In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment add the yeast mixture, molasses, rye flour, cocoa powder and caraway seeds. Mix well and then allow to sit for 10 – 15 minutes. Mix in the salt, melted butter and one cup at a time of the bread flour. Continue to add in the remaining bread flour slowly and mix at a medium speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (you may only need 2 1/2 to 3 cups of the flour total). Remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand another 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Spray a large bowl with vegetable spray then drop the dough in and flip to coat both sides. Cover loosely and place in a warm area until the dough has doubled in size. (about 1 hour) Punch the dough down and divide into two equal parts and place into the prepared loaf pans. Brush lightly with vegetable oil and cover loosely again and allow to proof until almost double (about 1 hour). Bake in the center oven for 25 – 30 minutes. Cool slightly then remove onto a cooling rack.
Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss
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