Bread

(from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)

1-1/2 cups water

2-1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1-1/2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses

1-1/4 cups whole-wheat or bread flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk or dried buttermilk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 cups rye flour

3/4 to 1 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour

Cornmeal for the pan

Egg white glaze (see below)

Mix together everything for the sponge in a bowl, then cover and let rise for 2 hours. It should be foamy.

Stir down the sponge, then add the oil, salt, and rye flour. Beat in the bread flour until the dough is shaggy and pulls away from the side, then turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and knead in the remainder. You can expect it to be a little stickier to handle than all-wheat flour doughs.

Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Push the dough down, then shape into an oval loaf about 10 inches long. Scatter cornmeal over a baking pan or peel if you’re using a baking stone. Place the bread on it, cover, then let rise until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F during the last 15 minutes. Make three diagonal slashes across the top and brush with the glaze. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until browned.

Seeded Rye Knead 1 tablespoon caraway or fennel seeds into the dough. Shape into a 5 x 9 inch loaf or free-form oblong loaf, brush with an egg glaze, sprinkle with additional seeds, and make several diagonal slashes in the top.

Egg White Glaze

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water or milk

Pinch salt

Whisk the ingredients until well blended. Use this on seed breads or country breads.