Sweet Rye Bread for Bread Machines

Sweet Rye Bread for Bread Machines

Version 2.0.3
3 February 2022
(by troglodyte)

Introduction

This rye bread recipe is designed to yield a quick and easy Jewish deli style rye sandwich bread from a two-pound bread machine, such as the dual-paddle Zojirushi models. This recipe may be used with the delay timer if you follow the instructions. You can bake it in loaf pans in the oven, too.

Ingredients

First Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-1/4 cups water
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon vitamin C crystals (powder)

Dry Ingredients:

2-7/8 cups bread flour ≈ 4.70 + 4.70 + 4.00 ounces by weight
1/3 cup white (light) rye flour ≈ 1.70 ounces by weight 
2 Tablespoons (1/8 cup) gluten ≈ 0.60 ounces by weight
2-1/2 Tablespoons caraway seeds = 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon

Last Ingredients:

1-1/4 teaspoons Red Star brand active dry yeast
Optional: 1-1/2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon powdered dry milk (See Important Notes, below)
3/4 teaspoon soy lecithin granules

Instructions

1. Measure the extra virgin olive oil. Dip your fingers in the measuring spoon and lightly coat the sides of the pan. Put any remaining oil in the pan.
2. Add the remaining First Ingredients in the bread pan in the order listed.
3. Weigh and gently add the Dry Ingredients so they “float” on top.
4. Make depressions in the top of the dry ingredients. 
5. Put the yeast and (optional) dry milk in the depressions to keep them dry until the bread machine starts.
6. Sprinkle the soy lecithin on top. (Saved for last. It can make measuring spoons sticky.)
7. Put the bread pan in the bread machine. If desired, set the delay timer. Select the Basic Bread cycle with a medium crust (the default settings) and press Start.
8. When the bake cycle is finished, skip the "keep warm" cycle and remove the bread pan from the machine immediately. Give the loaf 15-20 minutes to cool, then remove the loaf and place on a cooling rack. Give the loaf time to set (Preferred: 2 hours or more) before slicing with a bread knife.

Important Notes: 

• Weigh the flour ingredients. This recipe is based on 1 cup flour = ~4.70 ounces by weight. 
• Use real gluten, sometimes called vital wheat gluten. (Gluten flour is not the same.)
• The dry milk helps the crust brown. The Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus (BB-PDC20BA) has a heating element in the lid that helps brown the crust. For that machine, you may want to cut the dry milk in half (1-1/2 teaspoons) or omit the dry milk altogether.
• Buy caraway seeds in bulk. The small spice jars are too expensive. A few stores may have bulk bins, but you can also find caraway seeds on the internet.
• Specialty ingredients can be found at Sprouts, Whole Foods, health food stores, or the internet.

Additional Notes (added for The Fresh Loaf, not in my recipe file):

This bread is a family favorite and I make it often. It is designed to make right-size, right-shaped, good tasting rye bread that fits in the toaster or a fold-top sandwich bag. It does not yield "artisanal" bread. This is a recipe of convenience - once the ingredients are loaded in the proper order in the bread machine, there are no further interruptions until it is time to remove the bread pan.

I started working on this recipe in 1998. The original basis was an older bread recipe of mine, which has its own long story. I still keep notes and adjust the recipe, testing variations and updating the file accordingly. 

I weigh flour ingredients at 1 cup = 4.70 ounces (= 133 grams). It a personal standard that I chose a long time ago. There were no common flour weight measuring standards long ago. There does not appear to be a common standard today, either.)

I store the following ingredients in the freezer: Rye Flour, Gluten, Active Dry Yeast, and Soy Lecithin.
-> I take the container out of the freezer just long enough to measure what I need, then put it back in the freezer immediately. 

I use Red Star brand active dry yeast because that is what my mother and uncle used. It appears to keep indefinitely in the freezer. For this recipe, I add it dry so that the bread machine delay timer may be used.