Whilst we love taking our time baking and being in the kitchen, we don't always have the time to do everything from scratch - and that is just fine. To make your own rye bread you can take a few shortcuts - our favourite one is using a ready bread mix. Just add water and yeast, leave to rise then bake. Very easy - very yummy.
20gfresh yeastor equivalent of dry yeast usually one sachet 7g - but follow manufacturers guidance.
850-900mllukewarm water36-41 degrees Celsius
1bread tinapprox 2 1/2 litres big
Instructions
In a big baking bowl, dissolve yeast into lukewarm water (if using dry yeast, skip this and follow manufacturers guidance). Add the bread mixture. In a mixer, or by hand, knead together well on medium speed for about 10 minutes. By hand - the longer you knead the better the texture, 15 minutes is a good starting point.
Line or grease your bread tin very well - flour the inside and take extra care in corners to ensure the bread does not stick. Place the dough in your tin. Flatten the top gently using your fingers or a spatula. Leave to rise under a cloth for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours until you can see it has risen well (it should be approximately doubled in size).
Heat your oven to 220 degrees celsius (fan: 200 degrees).
Use a fork to make indents across the top of thebread. Place in the bottom of oven and immediately reduce heat to 185 degrees. Bake for approx 65 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when you give it a gentle knock/tap.
Notes
TIP - place a bowl (make sure it is oven proof) of 100 ml water in the oven alongside the bread - it helps keeping everything moist. IMPORTANT: As soon as you remove bread from oven, take out of the tin and leave to cool. Wrap in cling film to keep fresh and soft for slicing. Best sliced after complete cooling, ideally overnight.