KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Two-stage mixing. No hand-shaping required.
This began as a traditional recipe e-mailed to me by a reader of a story I wrote for the Washington Post on no-knead breads. The writer, Suzy Hubbell, wondered if I could make over a family favorite, her grandmother Anna Danielson's Swedish limpa bread, to fit the knead-free method. Several other people wanted to their recipes converted, too, which eventually led me to provide suggestions on how to go about it in a bonus chapter in the book (see chapter Kneadlessly Simple Recipe Makeover Guide: How to Convert Traditional Yeast Recipes to the KS Method).
Making over this slightly sweet bread was well worth the effort. The caraway and anise seeds in combination with molasses, brown sugar, and rye flour give it a mild yet enticing flavor that even those who don't care for rye bread usually like. I find it truly addictive, especially toasted and topped with butter.
Yield: 2 medium loaves, 12 to 14 slices each
3½ cups (17.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour
2 cups (10 ounces) rye flour, plus ½ cup (2.5 ounces), plus more as needed
2¾ teaspoons table salt
1¼ teaspoons caraway seeds
1¼ teaspoons anise seeds
1¼ teaspoons instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
2/3 cup light or dark molasses (not blackstrap)
¼ cup corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil
2 cups ice water, plus more if needed
1/3 cup good-quality instant nonfat dry milk (don't use a generic brand)
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
First Rise In a very large bowl, thoroughly stir together the white flour, 2 cups of the rye flour, the salt, caraway seeds, anise seeds, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk the molasses and the oil into the water until well blended. Vigorously stir the mixture into the bowl with the flours, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing until the dough is well blended and smooth. If too dry to mix completely, a bit at a time, add in enough more ice water to blend the ingredients and yield a firm but not hard-to-stir dough. Brush or evenly spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
Second Rise In a small, deep bowl, stir together the dry milk, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the butter with 1½ tablespoons hot water until well blended. Gradually stir the milk mixture, then ½ cup of the rye flour, into the dough until well blended and no streaks remain; the mixture will be hard to stir, so you may prefer to work in the flour with well-oiled fingertips (or use a dough hook and heavy-duty mixer on low). If necessary, working in the bowl, lift and turn it while dusting with and smoothing in more rye flour, as the dough should be very stiff. Cut the dough in half with well-oiled kitchen shears. Put the dough portions in two 8½ x 4½-inch well-oiled loaf pans. Lightly brush the tops with some of the remaining melted butter. Smooth and press the dough evenly into the pans, tucking it under at the ends. Brush with more butter. Cover the tops with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.
Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 1½-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or, for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 48 hours, then set out at room temperature. When the dough nears the plastic, remove it and continue the rise until the dough extends ½ inch above the pan rims.
Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350°F.
Baking Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Bake on the lower rack for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the loaves are very well browned. Cover the tops with foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with slightly moist crumbs on the tip (or until the center registers 202° to 204°F on an instant-read thermometer). Bake for about 10 minutes longer to ensure the centers are done. Brush the loaf tops evenly with the remaining melted butter. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a knife around the loaves to loosen, then turn out onto the racks. Let cool thoroughly.
Serving and StoringServe warm, or cool, or toasted; the bread slices best when cool. Cool thoroughly before storing in plastic or foil. Keeps at room temperature for up to 3 days. May be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.