Sourdough Rye Bread (makes 4 loaves)

from Ernst Beilner

Updated

with experience and consultation with the Master Baker’s son Mike: January 20, 2012 (When I realized how yummy the bread is and we never tire of it – I make this full recipe and freeze a loaf or two. It’s worth the effort and then I bake about every 2 weeks.)

Starter

2 Weeks ahead of time, mix 1 cup dark rye flour and a little water (a couple tablespoons) and 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp. yeast. (The consistency should be like a bread dough.) Put in fridge. Every couple days add a little water and flour when it rises.

Add to Starter

(when starter is ready: should smell sour, a little bubbly and risen from original amount):

4 cups Warm Water (blend yeast in warm water till dissolved)

1 pkg. Yeast

1 cup dark rye flour

2 cups bread flour (all purpose flour) (by end you will add 2-3 pounds bread flour)

2 cups of whole wheat flour

2 Tb. Ground Caraway Seeds

Optional:

3 Tb. Ground Flaxseeds, ½ c. Chopped Sunflower Seeds

Stir above ingredients till blended well.

Put 1/2 cup Bread flour with 2 TB Salt on top of dough. Cover with Plastic and let sit for 2 hours.

Add 1/4 cup Olive Oil and approximately 2 pounds of Bread Flour. Stir with wooden spoon with an outside/inside motion. (It’s hard to stir; use your musclesJ )

When it’s all blended, put dough on floured counter and take 1/2 cup starter(s) for your next batch of bread. Put the starter in a covered container in the fridge( I use a Tupperware). You don’t have to do anything to it until you make bread again. (Good for several months.)

Separate dough into 4 pieces. Weigh so they are each 1 1/2 pound loaves. Wait 10 minutes; knead/roll. Add little more flour if dough is too sticky in the following directions.

Wait 10 minutes; knead again. Wait 10 minutes knead into loaves.

Place 2 loaves on each pan. Each pan has a sprinkle of cornmeal. Cover with plastic; let rise for 2 hours. At the end of the 2 hours, Brush tops of loaves with little water twice in 5 minutes. Poke top of loaves with holes about 1 1/2 inches apart (I use a wooden skewer).

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. I bake all 4 loaves in oven (2 loaves on each cookie sheet). Bread will be hard and slightly browned.

Mango Turnovers

Used One perfectly ripe Mango, one Puff Pastry sheet, egg whites, and Powdered Sugar and water for glaze on top.

Cut up Mango into bite size pieces. Cut one sheet of Puff Pastry into 4 pieces. Assemble by add mango pieces to middle of square; pinch together any ends you want ( brushing the inside edge with your finger dipped in water or egg white may help). After all edges are crimped together, brush tops of turnovers with beaten egg white. Bake at 400 degrees for about 13 minutes. Let cool a couple minutes than pour over powdered sugar and water icing.