People sometimes think that eating healthier means that food has to be bland, boring and tasteless, but we want to prove and show the opposite with this beautiful loaf of Russian Rye bread (aka Black bread).
Rye bread has high amount of fiber, protein and iron, it has a small amount of fat, and has a lower glycemic index, which means it causes a slower increase in blood sugar than white bread after being eaten. This makes rye a healthy option. Rye contains gluten, but less than wheat.
This recipe was developed by Olga from Olga’s Confections & Cakeolicious. Food has always been a big passion of Olga’s, from being her mom’s big helper to creating magic in their little kitchen. She bakes all things sweet and delicious and presents her food beautifully hoping that all will love what they see and get inspired by her baking.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups (300g ) Grainworks organic unbleached flour
1 3/4 cups (300g ) Grainworks organic rye flour
1 2/3 cups (400ml ) lukewarm water 100 degrees F (38C)
1 tablespoon (10g ) dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons (20g ) vegetable oil
1 1/4 tablespoons (15 g) granulated sugar
Proof the yeast:
Add the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar to the medium size glass bowl. Give it a quick stir, and leave the mixture in a warm place for 10 minutes to foam up (place it into microwave or oven with light on).
Form the dough:
Sift unbleached flour into a big bowl. Add salt and rye flour, whisk to combine. Once yeast is proofed, pour this liquid into the bowl with flour, add oil and mix well with wooden spoon to fully incorporate all the ingredients.
Dust work surface with unbleached flour and transfer the bread mixture on it. Start kneading the dough, adding small amounts of unbleached flour if needed (only if the dough feels too wet and sticky). Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. It should be soft to touch but it shouldn’t stick to your hands.
Rise:
Grease a large mixing bowl with a little bit of vegetable oil. Shape the dough into a ball, spread a tiny amount of oil on the top of the dough ball and place it into the greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60 minutes.
Form the bread:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it with a bit of unbleached flour. Punch the dough down while it’s still in a bowl and transfer it on a clean working surface. Knead lightly for a minute, form dough into a ball. Now shape bread into a long log by folding the sides underneath to form it into elongated shape. Sprinkle some rye flour all over the dough. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a tea towel. Let it rise for 40 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). When the shaped dough had risen for the second time, cut 3 or 4 slashes on top of the dough with a sharp knife. Place baking sheet to the middle rack in the preheated oven and bake bread for 35-40 minutes until crusty and sounds hollow when knocking on it.