Rye Bread with Recipe

I love hand making bread. I wouldn't say that I am an avid bread maker, but I'm slowly becoming one. Along with the benefit of knowing exactly what my family is eating in their bread - I am trying to avoid soy products and I found that it's almost impossible to do with store-bought bread of any type - there is something so comforting about making bread by hand. The kneading, the warmth of the oven, the smell while it bakes...I love it all. This is the latest fruit of my labors.

It is a rye bread, and I kinda-almost made up the recipe. I started with a recipe on Allrecipes.com and then added, substituted, and took away ingredients until I had this.

Rye Bread

• 2 teaspoons instant (breadmaker) yeast
• 1.5 cups warm water
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup rye flour
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (optional)

Optional Seasonings

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon caraway seed
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed

In a large bowl mix together yeast, rye flour and 1/2 cup bread flour. Add water and mix well. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and puffed. Add vinegar, salt, oil, molasses, sugar, cocoa powder, coffee (if using), and seasonings of your choice. Mix until well incorporated. (A wire whisk works well for this) Add remaining flour all at once and stir as well as you can, then turn out onto floured board. Knead, adding more flour as needed, until the dough comes together and is smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in well-oiled bowl and let rise until double, about an hour. Turn dough out and shape as you like. Place shaped dough on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick spray, cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Bake in a 350*F oven for 35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 190*F. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

I formed my bread by placing it on the counter and rolling it out with my rolling pin, then folding the long ends into the middle and folding it in half. Then I pressed the side of my hand into the middle of the dough and folded it again, using the heels of my hands to seal the edges together. I then rolled the dough against the counter with my hands to form an even tube.