"Levy's" Real Jewish Rye Bread: Rose's Bread Bible Bakers
Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at 9:37PM 
"Levy's" Real Jewish Rye Bread 'The Bread Bible'
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Rose speaks of in 'The Bread Bible' that she likes rye bread 'studded with constellations of caraway seeds' and apparently I do too!!
Ahh that moment your loaf of bread is so awesomely "perfect" and you are so excited and then realise it's hard to get people enthusiastic over a loaf of bread, but "dang" this was my perfect loaf, turning the corner, light bulb type moment in bread making.
It started with me making a sponge (a starter), bread flour, rye flour, instant yeast, sugar, barley malt syrup and warm water all go in bowl. 
Then it's mixed until it forms a smooth batter bubbly with air. 
Ok, we are up to whisking the remainder of the bread flour with more instant yeast, caraway seeds and salt. The flour mixture was gently spooned over the sponge and covered with plastic wrap for night in the fridge.
Next morning there was much bubbling coming through the flour blank and after coming back to room temperature I used the kitchen aid (there is instructions for hand mixing) to knead. 
The resulting dough was placed in a raising container and allowed to rise for a couple of hours. Once risen the dough was shaped into a rectangle and given a business letter turn before going off for another rise. 
I'd already decided I wouldn't use the cloche to bake the bread as another bread bible baker mentioned the loaf was large and I too wanted smaller slices so a batard loaf seemed right.
Almost all went wrong at this point as I was following Rose's excellent video on how to shape a batard (torpedo) loaf when I realised my loaf was too long for the baking sheet. I did the thing known as "emergency squashing the ends", which you shouldn't do, but do pre measure your baking sheet.
*note my dough was dimpled because it's a rye bread, ditto I didn't spritz with water... and I have started with squashing the ends in this photo ha ha!
Into my preheated (hot) oven, I placed my loaf on a silpat lined baking tray onto the already heated baking tray in the oven. Ice cubes were added to another tray in the bottom of the oven to create steam.
TAAA DAAA!! Ok don't judge it's acutally a dodgy phone pic.. with a ruler next to it to show the length, this is my life I'm sending out photos of my bread to friends.
And the interior, it wouldn't be a message to my friends if I didn't include "and look at the inside!!" pic.
I am seriously happy with this texture and flavour of this bread, well seasoned it's a just eat alone bread and made wonderful sandwiches but I thought I'd show you one of the things I do with the "close to the end" bits.
I make "salad crisps" from bits of homemade bread. Slice as thinly as you can, it's ok if you get odd shaped pieces. Lay out your thin bread slicees on a lined baking tray and either brush lightly with a neutral oil (didn't want to interfere with caraway flavour) or spray with cooking oil and bake in a hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle with sea salt is desired. Perfect to add a textural element to a salad of fresh pickled red radishes, smoked salmon, avocado and some assorted "leaves".
Happy Baking :)
Today has been one of the 'Rose's Bread Bible Bakers' bakes where a group of fabulous bakers get together and bake from the pages of 'The Bread Bible'.
The Bread Bible
You might also be interested in a little bit of retro with Honey Joy Cupcakes
Reader Comments (6)
Absolutely gorgeous!!! I remember that "ha ha" moment and was so excited to finally turn the proverbial corner in bread baking. To finally not be intimidated by yeast and view a bread recipe with the same attitude of any baking recipe was monumental for me so I truly understand your enthusiasm. Now I'm excited to make this rye with caraway. I'm not a real big rye bread fan unless it's toasted so your salad ends sound perfect to me. Such a great photograph. Why you aren't a food stylist is beyond me!
Thank you Vicki, "ha ha" moments are good aren't they, even when no one knows why you are so happy. I made grain bread each week for Daniel when he was young… it was "ok"… not what I hoped for. Using Rose's methods my bread is finally ummm… what I hoped for all those years ago. Thank you and Elle for the group otherwise I wouldn't be trying all these different breads!!
wow--that is absolutely fantastic! by the way, you may have already considered this and it wasn't possible, but when a bread is too long for the baking sheet sometimes you can set it on the diagonal.
thanks for this terrific posting.
Dang Rose it probably would have fit diagonally… thank you, I'll remember that. I loved this bread!! :)
Your loaf looks so good - the crumb looks perfect. I've used the 'emergency squashing' procedure too and for the exact same reason!
Ta Catherine! Emergency squashing does work...but guess we should be vaguely measuring our lengths :)