This authentic, chewy Jewish rye bread with caraway seed is the perfect base for those midnight pastrami sandwiches—and the heartburn that goes with them. It has that slightly sour flavor that makes it perfect. It freezes well for up to 3 months.
0 Add the water and the sugar to the yeast in the large mixer bowl, or a large bowl if doing this by hand.
1 Let stand 5 minutes. The mixture will be bubbly.
2 Add the remaining ingredients, using only 2 cups of the bread flour and reserving the rest.
17 Attach the dough hook.
3 With the mixer running on low speed add the remaining flour, a half cup at a time, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is firm but still slightly sticky. (Rye dough will always be sticky - it feels different than other doughs)
4 Turn out on a lightly floured counter top and knead a couple of times.
5 Form into a ball.
6 Oil a large bowl and add the ball of dough.
7 Oil the top of the dough and cover with a clean damp tea towel or plastic wrap. Make sure the whole surface of the dough is lightly oiled.
8 Let rise for one hour, or until doubled. This is the final rise so be patient.
9 Preheat oven to 350F.
10 Punch dough down and shape into 3 oval loaves.
11 Place loaves on a lightly floured baking sheet.
12 Sprinkle tops with bread flour - not too much.
13 Slash tops with a sharp knife.
14 Let rise 30 minutes in a warm spot.
15 Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until done. Tops will be golden brown, and the interior of the bread will register 190℉ on an instant-read thermometer.
16 Let cool on a wire rack before slicing. The flavor is better the next day.
