As I was enjoying my wonderful carrot soup recently I realised it’d been a while since I’d made any rye bread. It was a cold winters day and so, with nothing better to do, I dug around in the cupboard for some rye flour, and came across a bag of millet flour and some sunflower seeds as well. So I’ve combined them all in this adaptation. It does take a few hours but it’s not as if you have to stand around watching it, and the full, rich flavour of the bread is worth it.
Ingredients
- 3 2/3 cups rye flour
- 1/3 cup of millet flour (or just use all rye)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- couple of pinches caraway seeds
- 3 tablespoons barley malt syrup
- 1 sachet dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 100ml milk
- warm water
Start by warming the milk to lukewarm, add the sugar and stir in the yeast. Leave for 15 minutes for the yeast to start. It should develop a foamy head.
Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl – preferably a mixer – combine and add the wet ingredients. Mix & slowly add warm water until the dough comes together. It will be quite sticky and will not need to be kneaded in the way that wheat flour dough does – just give it 3 or 4 minutes.
Coat a bowl with some more olive oil and scrape in the dough, cover and leave to rise for 1.5 hours in a warm place. After this time, knock back the dough, then leave a further hour.
Next shape your bread – either to fit a loaf tin, or free style, as I have. Oil the outside lightly and pat on a good handful of sunflower seeds:
Cover again and leave to prove a further 45 minutes in a warm place. Pre heat your oven to 200 degrees towards the end of the proving.
Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it. This is a dense, filling bread – don’t expect it to rise and be light and fluffy as wheat bread does. Excellent with a tangy cheese, or carrot & spinach soup!
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