Report on Rye Bites (Ginsberg pps 225-226):
This recipe makes 24 small rolls, about 1 1/4 ounces each after baking (36 grams). They're about 1.75 inches in diameter with a height of about 2/3 of an inch. They would probably make good slider buns if you make your sliders fairly small.
The dough was a little damp, so I wound up adding just a little more rye flour to get it to clean the bowl. They were easy to shape, and rose reasonably well. The bottoms may have gotten a little overbaked, even though I had them on the top rack in the oven, as recommended. Next time I might double sheet pan them.
This is probably the fastest recipe in the Ginsberg book, from start to finish was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The absence of a bulk rise didn't seem to affect the final product, which was fairly light, though with a tight crumb. I've shown them sliced both horizontally and vertically.
They're a very mild rye roll, maybe almost too mild. A touch of ground caraway might give them a little more zing. I think they'd be good with a little cheese spread on them or with some corned beef; my wife thinks they'd be good with some apple butter. In other words, they're not going to be the star of the dish, but they'll complement a lot of things, making them versatile.
Attachments:
rye-bites1.jpg
Rye Bites Interior (cut horizontally or vertically)