Rye: An Inspiration

I was perusing the latest issue of Vegetarian Times and came across a recipe for Classic Rye Bread. Up to now, I’ve just been doing my same old bread recipe with a few variations so I was ready and open to the idea of trying a new bread. I can’t post the recipe here since I’m pretty sure that would be copyright violation, but I can tell you that you can get a FREE subscription to Vegetarian Times here – all you have to do is download some software to receive your subscription electronically. That’s what I did 🙂

ANYWHO – it was pretty similar to what I’ve been doing, just a little different technique and ingredients. I also had a good experience this time with rye flour, unlike last time. It took a bit longer because I had to let the “petrin” (like a starter) sit for an hour before really getting started, but really it’s not active time so it wasn’t a hassle or anything. The recipe called for caraway seeds which I wasn’t terribly familiar with but was able to find at Whole Foods. When I opened them up and took a deep breath I thought, “Yeah, that’s what rye bread smells like.”

My hard work and patience were rewarded with two beautiful Rye twins. The smell was incredible, the flavor was spot on and it was so moist. Again I made obscene sounds while sampling it fresh out of the oven.  I was such a proud mama!

Apparently I was really excited because I launched into total chef mode after that. I went hog wild in the kitchen prepping all kinds of small plates, tapas, antipasta, whatever you want to call it. I had planned a tapas dinner for tonight but it turned into an all-out around the world sampler.

To the left, you’ll see the finished product. Provencal Rosemary Almonds (in the little cup), fresh grapes, Manchego cheese (from Costco), marinated artichoke heart (purchased, Cocina brand), roasted red pepper (roasted at home! My first roasted red pepper!), Marinated Mushrooms, Sage Roasted Potatoes, steamed asparagus, smoked salmon (from Fresh Market), garlic hummus in the middle and of course a slice of rye bread. I washed everything down with a nice glass of organic, sulfite-free Syrah.  I totally felt like I should have been in Tuscany. Or Rhodes. Or the south of France. Or…heck, my back deck would have been nice but it’s a little moist out there today. Santé!