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This is one of the quickest breads I've made, and seems to be everyone's favorite. I honestly don't remember where I got the original recipe, but I've modified it a little over the years. Here's the recipe as it stands, copied out of my digital recipe book (OneNote lol). Like all good bread recipes, measurements are in grams (mostly) to give accurate, consistent results.
INGREDIENTS
STEPS
Note: I always combine yeast, water, sweeteners first, and add salt and cider vinegar last. The recipe doesn't mention it. It's just the way I was taught as a kid. The reasoning being that the water, yeast, sweeteners give the yeast a start, and the salt and vinegar can inhibit it. I don't know if that's true or not.
INGREDIENTS
- 340g water (warm)
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 298g bread flour
- 106g medium rye flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt *
- 2 tablespoons butter *
- 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup or molasses (I've only ever used molasses)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee powder (I just throw coffee grounds in my little grinder and grind them to powder)
- 1 tablespoon caraway seed
- 1/4 to 1 teaspoon fennel seed (it's listed as optional, but in my house it's not - and we use the full teaspoon)
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
STEPS
Note: I always combine yeast, water, sweeteners first, and add salt and cider vinegar last. The recipe doesn't mention it. It's just the way I was taught as a kid. The reasoning being that the water, yeast, sweeteners give the yeast a start, and the salt and vinegar can inhibit it. I don't know if that's true or not.
- Combine all of the ingredients (wet first, then dry) except the softened butter in the mixing bowl.
- Mix on low speed using the dough hook, scraping the dough down occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- Add the softened butter and mix for an additional 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and allow it to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans.
- Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half.
- Flatten the dough pieces into rectangles, pressing down with your hands to pop any air bubbles
- Fold the dough into thirds, rolling it slightly under your palms to form a loaf, and pinch the seam to seal.
- Place the loaves into the loaf pans, seam-side down, cover with a floured kitchen towel, and allow it to rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Bake the loaves in a preheated 400 degree oven (200 degrees C) until the crust is dark and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
