This recipe is posted with permission of Mark Sinclair, owner and head baker at The Back Home Bakery, in Kalispell, Montana.  He adopted it from a recipe from Eric Hanner.

If you have not been to Mark's website, do yourself a favor and go.  He has excellent videos on mixing, kneading and shaping.  He is an artist when he forms two rolls at the same time. 

I have a link to his website over in the "Links" menu.

If you like Rye bread, you must try this one.  It has rapidly become my favorite bread.  I bake at least 3 loaves everyweekend and sometimes more, depending on who is begging for some of it.

SOUR RYE BREAD

 

SOUR RYE BREAD

 

 

SPONGE

 

 

FINAL DOUGH

 

 

 

1.  Mix together sponge ingredients until well blended.  Sprinkle the top with dark rye flour.  Cover for 8-12 hours at 65 degrees.  Rye cover will crack.

 

Next day or 8-12 hours later:

 

2.  Mix together all of the Final Dough ingredients EXCEPT the Caraway Seeds on speed 1 for 3 minutes.

 

3.  Add the Caraway Seeds and mix 3 more minutes on speed 2.

 

4.  Shape into a loose boule, then cover and allow to rise for 60 minutes in a lightly grease bowl at 80F.

 

5.  Divide into 3 loaves and shape.

 

6.  Let loaves rise for 45 – 60 minutes at 80F.

 

7.  Egg wash, then sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Score each loaf.

 

8.  Pour hot water into a pan in the preheated oven.

 

9.  Bake 35 minutes at 415F.