Jewish Rye Bread and the Secret to Getting It Right
An authentic, chewy Jewish rye bread with caraway seed that is the perfect base for those midnight pastrami sandwiches - and the heartburn that goes with them. Has that slightly sourdough flavor that makes it perfect. Freezes well.
Add the water and the sugar to the yeast in the large bowl of your mixer, or a large bowl if doing this by hand.
Let stand 5 minutes. The mixture will be bubbly.
Add the remaining ingredients, using only 2 cups of the bread flour and reserving the rest.
With the mixer running add the remaining flour, a half cup at a time, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is firm but still slightly sticky. (Rye dough will always be sticky - it feels different than other doughs)
Turn out on a lightly floured counter top and knead a couple of times.
Form into a ball.
Oil a large bowl and add the ball of dough.
Oil the top of the dough and cover with a clean towel.