bohemian rye bread

The most striking notes of a classic rye bread are those not of the rye itself, but of caraway, a fragrant seed with an aroma reminiscent of cumin and anise. This recipe combines wheat flour with rye flour to lighten the loaf, but it remains blessedly dense, with a deep brown crumb and crispy crust speckled with caraway and coarse sea salt. Slice the bread thinly, slather it with mustard, and top it with cheese and salami.

MAKES: 1 LOAF BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon lard, plus more for greasing
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
• 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
• 1½ teaspoons unrefined sea salt
• 1 cup proofed and bubbly sourdough starter
• 2 cups rye flour
• 2 cups bread flour, plus more for working the dough

GLAZE

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1½ teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon coarse unrefined sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To make the bread, warm the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches a temperature that is neither hot nor cold to the touch, 98° to 100°F. Melt the lard in the milk, then whisk in the molasses, caraway, and salt.
2. Pour the milk mixture and sourdough starter into a large mixing bowl and stir in the flours, about ½ cup at a time, until the dough becomes too thick to mix with a spoon. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, cover with the bowl, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
3. Uncover the dough, knead in any remaining flour, and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Grease a large mixing bowl with a bit of lard, then drop in the ball of dough. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set it in a warm spot in your kitchen, and leave it there, undisturbed, for 8 to 12 hours, until the volume of the dough doubles.
4. Flour your work surface and gently ease the dough out of the bowl and onto the surface with a spatula. Cover it with the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes. Flour a baking sheet and transfer the dough to the sheet.
5. Gently shape the dough into a torpedo, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled in bulk, about 3 hours.
6. Place a baking stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.
7. To glaze the loaf, in a small bowl, whisk the egg with the honey and water.
8. Brush the glaze onto the loaf and sprinkle with the caraway and salt.
9. Transfer the baking sheet to baking stone in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, until the bread is fragrant and brown. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
10. Store in a paper bag with the opening folded closed.