Russian Black Bread Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
4 c. unsifted rye flour3 c. unsifted white flour
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 c. whole bran cereal
2 tbsp. crushed caraway seed
2 tsp. instant coffee powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. crushed fennel seed
2 pkg. dry yeast
2 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. dark molasses
1 sq. (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
Cooking Directions
Combine rye and white flours. Measure 2 1/3 cups of the flour mixture into a large mixing bowl; add sugar, salt, cereal, caraway seeds, instant coffee, onion powder, fennel seed and dry yeast (undissolved).Combine 2 1/2 cups water, vinegar, molasses, chocolate and butter in a saucepan and place over low heat just until mixture is warm. Chocolate and butter-butter need not melt. Add this mixture gradually to dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1/2 cup more flour mixture, or enough to make a thick batter. Beat at high speed 2 more minutes, keeping sides of bowl scraped. Stir in enough more of the flour to make a soft dough.
Turn out on lightly floured board. Cover dough with warm bowl and let rest 15 minutes. Then knead it about 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. It will still be a bit sticky. Place the kneaded dough in well buttered or oiled bowl and turn over once to bring greased side up. Cover with a heavy towel. Let rise in sheltered warm place until doubled in bulk.
Punch down, turn out on lightly floured board. Cut in half. Shape each half into a ball each about 5 inches in diameter. Set each in center of greased 8 inch round cake pan. Cover, let rise until doubled. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven about 1/2 hour.
Meanwhile combine cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water in saucepan; stir constantly over low heat until mixture boils 1 minute. As soon as bread has finished baking, brush cornstarch mixture over tops of loaves and return to oven to bake 2 to 3 minutes more to set glaze. Turn out of pans to cool on wire racks.