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Report on Sauerkraut Bread (The Rye Baker pps 212-214):
This recipe made two loaves about 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches high. The baked weight was 787 grams (27 3/4 ounces.)
I wound up adding a bit more flour than the recipe called for, I think I mis-measured the water, but the dough came together fairly well. However, the dough weight was still a little less than what the recipe suggested, so maybe I worked less flour into the dough during shaping.
It slices better after sitting overnight.
I didn't have Polish sauerkraut so I used what I had, the kraut isn't overly assertive but it does add to the aroma of the bread when toasting it and the flavor is reminiscent of sauerkraut that has been cooked with sausage.
I tried it in a Reuben sandwich, the flavor of the baked sauerkraut clashed a bit with the raw sauerkraut, and I think the biggest challenge with this bread might be figuring out what foods pair best with it.
It tastes good toasted with a little butter, but the sauerkraut flavor probably wouldn't pair well with things you normally spread on toast, like jams. I probably would not make this bread unless I had a specific meal I wanted to make that the sauerkraut taste would pair with.
For comments on the preparation of this recipe, see Sauerkraut Rye Comments
Followup: I tried a slice with some cheddar cheese spread on it today, it was very good. Either the sauerkraut has mellowed or it pairs quite well with the cheese spread.
Report on Old Milwaukee Rye (The Rye Baker pps 98-101):
The recipe made two loaves. Although Ginsberg recommends a football shaped loaf, I made more of a cylindrical one, because that way the slices are more uniform in size. The loaves are about 11 inches long with a cross section of about 5 inches by 3 inches. The finished loaf weighs 696 grams or about 24 1/2 ounces.
This dough came together quickly and looked and felt quite a bit like gingerbread, not at all sticky. It rose well, though a little slow, that might have just been the kitchen temperature. It baked a little faster than the recipe called for, but that may have been due to how I shaped it.
The caraway seeds on the outside didn't stick very well, I may not have had enough egg in the egg wash. And I remembered why I generally don't put caraway seeds on the outside, they get very hard and stick in between my teeth.
The bread is fairly dark on the inside, due in large part to the molasses. There's a noticeable aftertaste from the molasses, but it is not an unpleasant one. I think that may fade a little over time, when the loaves came out of the oven the molasses odor was much stronger.
We think the bread is very tasty as a sandwich bread, it would probably make excellent Reubens, too. It reminds me a bit of the rye bread I get in the Amish store in Iowa.
It toasts very well and I think it would pair quite well with stronger toppings, like an apple butter. I think there's a good chance I'll make this bread again.
Followup: It tastes even better on day 2.
That bread looks great, Mike, and it's good to know that it tastes great as well.
I'm going to try toasting a piece of my Yogurt Rye Bread and see if that gives it more flavor.
I have two of the deli rye pans, and I use them for some breads, particularly my Limpa bread.
I plan to bake the Yogurt Rye again today. I bought full-fat Stonyfield yogurt yesterday on our shopping run to the next town. I was surprised that Walmart had it. At 7g saturated fat per cup (250g), I won't be snacking on it, but I will use the remainder to try making my own yogurt with 1% milk, so the remainder won't go to waste. I have a yogurt maker (the little jars).
I'm curious to see if the added fat makes a difference. Ginsberg did not specify a type of yogurt or what its fat content should be. The bread has no additional added fat. I'm also wondering if the buttermilk I'm buying does not have enough of the LAB to give the tang. The buttermilk that I cultured, using 200 ml of it to 600 ml 1% milk never thickened. I prefer Dean's, but I cannot get it in a half gallon. I also note that it now is 2% fat per cup rather than the 1.5% it was.
I'm also planning on using the Zo, since as I noted above, I had to keep stopping the mixer to pull the dough together, and that got aggravating over a 10-minute kneading session.
I have one of those thick liquid sourdough starters. Like Joan's starter, I can ignore it for weeks--or over a month. It may need an extra feeding or two to get it back up to power, but that is one reason I started doing the sourdough crackers, and it's good in pancakes. This starter is a milk-based one.
I have the same question you have about rye starters, which is why I've resisted starting one.
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