Sunday, January 01, 2006

Can we call it a success?

One of my goals for this year is to get more involved in bread baking. I enjoy working with the dough and the anticipation of waiting to see if it comes out how you would like it to. One of the breads I have yet to tackle is Jeff's favorite kind- Rye Bread.

I have been looking at a specific recipe, Marbled Rye Bread, for the longest time but it just seemed really daunting and I would just pass over it. So let's start the New Year by diving in head first!

Working with two doughs, one remains light while the other is darker in color. Since I did not have any caramel coloring at home, I had to use coffee and cocoa so the darker rye is not as dark as I would have wanted. After kneading, the dough was supple and a little tacky. After resting, each dough is cut into 4 and then rolled into oblong pieces. 2 pieces of each color were stacked together, alternating colors. They are then rolled in a batard (torpedo) fashion and allowed to proof in loaf pans. After baking for about 20 minutes, I rotated the pans and the smell of fresh bread poured out of the oven. These gave off such a warm molasses aroma. Finally, they were done and now we had to wait a couple hours to take a slice. Here is what we ended up with.

A light egg wash gives a dark golden shell which, when cut into, yields a softer type bread that is great for hearty sandwiches. Caraway seeds are scattered throughout to lend a unique flavor to this rye bread. It is a big recipe to type up, so I'll try to get it posted within the next day or so.

The DVD from Netflix tonight will be Sliding Doors. I actually think I caught the end of this the other day on TNT while on the elliptical, but I'm not sure. I got the menu planning done for the week and I am anxious to get started. Stick around and see what we come up with for the first week of 2006!

18 comments:

  1. You are brave indeed! Those loaves are a thing of beauty!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful job, Jeff. The rye looks gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful! I would say you succeeded. Can't wait to see the New Year unfold on your site!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are getting me in the mood for bread!
    That looks just about as perfect as you can get! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Joe, thank you for all your wonderful posts through 2005. I wish you all the things you wish for yourself - and then some!!!

    Looking forward to what you have to share in 2006.

    P.S. the breads look awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I LOVE making bread. The entire process is fascinating. Watching your gloppy mix rise then kneading it to the aroma of fresh baked bread......oh my, I'm making myself hungry.

    Hey, I have the day off, I think I'm gonna make some bread....thanks for inspiring me!

    ReplyDelete
  7. beautiful! Nicely defined swirl and the crumb looks great.

    I wonder if it would help to slit the top in the final rise? Not sure if that is non-traditional with rye bread.

    I also cut extra deep AGAIN in the slits right before putting in the oven so that the loft that you get as it hits the heat is even greater.

    Looking forward to more of your bread experiments!

    Nika
    __________
    http://nikas-culinaria.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. what a fascinating looking bread! cant wait to follow your bread making adventures of 2006 :) hope you had a fabulous new year

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful, Joe. It looks just right!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful bread! I've had success with whole wheat... never tried rye but maybe I will soon!

    ReplyDelete
  11. It looks great! One of my new years resolutions is to try to learn to make bread. Happy New Year and thank you for all of your great posts in 2005!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Patti - Thanks!

    Nic - Hey! All he did was "taste test" Hee hee!

    Fran - I can't wait to get going with this year!

    Randi - Thanks!

    Melissa - I love the smell when baking fresh bread. Let's hope we can keep the success going...!

    Ruth - Thank you! This will be our first full year so let's make it a good one!

    Biscuit - Right on! Did you make any bread today?

    Nika - I don't think slashing rye bread would be traditional - but it might help with the form a bit! Thanks for the suggestion!

    Catesa - Thanks! Happy 2006!

    Chole - That's awesome you finally got it! I look forward to seeing what you make!

    Dawna - Thanks!

    Michele - Rye has such a more robust flavor, we love it!

    Mebeth - Here's to good luck with your bread adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a way to ring it in, guys! Have a great new year!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your marble rye bread looks divine! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, the bread is gorgeous.Marvellous!!! Thanks to your lovely explanation I felt inspired to tackle it before the weekend. DAnger is that I might not want to eat it.
    By the way, how did you like Sliding doors?

    ReplyDelete
  16. S'Kat - It was fun!

    Anna - I agree, it was a good movie!

    Alice - Thanks!

    Valentina - The movie was good, but I found it a little hard to follow at some points.

    ReplyDelete