slow food

Who doesn't love Jewish rye bread? Especially when it's made with a homemade rye sour starter. And the not-so-secret secret behind this stunner of a recipe? It includes onions and caraway seeds, resulting in a vastly more complex taste.

Jewish Rye Bread

(5 oz) medium rye flour

water (room temperature)

instant yeast

(2 1/2 oz) coarsely chopped onion

caraway seeds

(7 oz) rye sour

bread

(15 oz) rye sour

caraway

(17 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour

sea salt

Cornmeal

Combine

In a large bowl, combine the rye flour, water, and yeast, stirring until the mixture is completely smooth.

Tie the onion and caraway seeds together tightly in cheesecloth fashioned like a homemade tea bag and then sink the bag completely into the flour mixture.

Rest

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a nice warm spot (70° to 75°F|21° to 24°C) and leave it overnight until it’s thick and airy, sorta like whipped cream. Remove the bag, scraping the sour mixture off the bag and back into the bowl, and discard the cheesecloth bag.

Make the rye sour starter--Day 1

Add the water and rye flour to the sour and mix until smooth. Cover with plastic and let it ferment at room temperature until it’s visibly fermented and frothy and quite possibly almost double in size, 3 to 4 hours more.

If you're going to make this recipe infrequently, just make fresh sour each time. There’s no need to keep your sour alive for weeks or months in between uses. If you are going to bake weekly, feed your sour at least once between baking sessions.

The rye sour can now be used to make your rye bread recipe. You’ll probably have plenty leftover to put in the fridge. The sour may be kept alive and well in the refrigerator forever if it is fed regularly. Store it in a tightly sealed container and feed it once a week. The chopped onion and whole caraway seeds should have been removed by now and discarded after the first day and not used in future feedings. (See instructions below.)

Day 2

Turn the sour into a large bowl, add the water and rye flour, and mix until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let ferment at room temperature until it’s nice and frothy and full of fermentation bubbles, 3 to 4 hours. The rye sour can now be used to make your rye bread recipe. Or you can put it back in a tightly sealed container and return it to the refrigerator where it will be okay for another week. Feed the sour at least once per week and you will be able to use it indefinitely.

Once a week--Maintain the rye sour

Break

Take the bread, break it into pieces, and moisten it with 1⁄4 cup plus 3 tablespoons water. Let sit for 15 minutes. Measure out 1⁄4 cup (95 g) of the bread and water mixture.

In a large, wide bowl combine the rye sour starter, the remaining 3/4 cup water, the wet bread mixture, instant yeast, and ground caraway. Stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add 1 3/4  cups of the flour and stir until the mixture looks like thick pancake batter, about 2 minutes. Add the salt and remaining flour and stir until it starts to form a gloriously shaggy mess.

Knead

Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a clean, unfloured work surface and gently knead until it forms a smooth ball, 6 to 8 minutes. If the dough begins to stick to the surface, use a plastic scraper to scrape it up and maybe even to scrape the dough from your hands. (Rye has a different chemical makeup than wheat flour and tends to be sticky. Don’t be alarmed if that’s the case and resist the temptation to add flour. Keep gently kneading and the dough will come together.)

Lightly oil the bowl, place the dough back in the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let it ferment at room temperature until the dough has increased in size by about 50%, roughly 60 to 90 minutes.

Divide

Uncover the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Gently shape both pieces into rounds and cover with plastic. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Shape

Shape the rounds into loaf shapes. Place on a cornmeal-coated cutting board and cover with plastic wrap.

Preheat

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Place a baking stone on the rack and a cast iron skillet on the lowest rack or bottom of the oven about 1/2 inch (12 mm) away from the door so it’s accessible to add ice (to create steam to hydrate the bread while it bakes). Preheat the oven for 45 minutes before baking. Have ready a large stainless steel bowl or aluminum roasting pan that’s larger than your baking stone.

While the oven is preheating, let the loaves rest and continue to ferment for 30 to 60 minutes. When you think it’s ready, gently touch the dough with a finger to see if it is ready for the oven. If the indentation is slow to fill back in, the loaf is ready for baking. If it fills back in quickly, give it about 15 more minutes.

Spray

Uncover the loaves and use a spray bottle filled with water to heavily spritz the loaves. Place the loaves on a cornmeal-dusted wooden peel. With a razor blade or sharp knife, score the tops of the loaves with 5 uniform slices perpendicular to the length of the loaf.

Bake

Slide the loaves onto the preheated baking stone. Add a few ice cubes to the heated cast iron skillet and cover the loaves with the upside-down large stainless steel bowl or aluminum roasting pan in order to capture the steam. Bake for 8 minutes. Then uncover the loaves and bake until the desired color has been achieved, roughly 30 to 35 minutes, although baking times will vary depending on the size of your loaves.

Cool

Remove the loaves from the oven, place them on a wire cooling rack, and spray heavily with water. Let cool completely before cutting.

Make the Jewish rye bread

Don’t have a green thumb? Follow this easy tutorial for how to grow broccoli sprouts, and you’ll have a verdant mini garden in under a week!

Sprouting Broccoli Seeds: Broccoli Sprouts "Recipe"

broccoli seeds

water

Day 1: Put the seeds in a quart-size wide-mouth canning jar. Fill the jar up to the neck with lukewarm water. Cover the top of the jar with a double layer of cheesecloth that has been secured by the jar rim. Let the seeds soak overnight.

Day 2: In the morning, drain all of the water out of the jar through the cheesecloth (so that you do not lose the seeds). Put more water into the jar (through the cheesecloth is fine) and drain it well again. Let the drained and covered jar rest on its side in a sunny windowsill. (If it&#x27;s not very sunny, that&#x27;s OK too.)

In the evening, add water to the jar again and drain it well again. There is no need to remove the jar rim and cheesecloth until the sprouts are fully grown. Lay the well-drained jar back on its side on the windowsill.

Days 3-6: Each morning and evening, repeat the rinsing and draining procedure from day 2. After rinsing and thoroughly draining, the seeds should be placed back on the windowsill on their side. (Day 1 is the only day the seeds are soaked.)

The seeds will sprout little tails and then (after a few more days) a pair of green leaves. I let them grow until they completely fill the jar, as shown. You could stop the sprouting process earlier than this if desired.

Day 7: On the morning of day 7, the jar was well-packed with sprouts, as shown. I removed the jar rim and cheesecloth and popped the jar in the fridge. Ideally, they should be used within a day or two.

I yielded 4 cups of sprouts but your yield will vary depending on the growing conditions and how long you let them grow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQZJ7b5qbZw

👩‍🍳 You can find the full recipe and nutrition information here: https://summeryule.com/how-to-make-broccoli-sprouts/ 👩‍🍳

Don’t have a green thumb? Follow this easy tutorial for how to grow broccoli sprouts, and you’ll have a verdant mini garden in under a week!

Subscribe for more recipes for all seasons: https://summeryule.com/subscribe/

Sprouting Broccoli Seeds

This rye sourdough starter can change your life. Seriously. It not only creates a traditional rye bread with all the flavor of classic bread but it yields health benefits as well when compared to commercially made wheat bread. Here's how to make it.

Rye Sourdough Starter

whole grain rye flour (preferably organic)

Sour Starter

rye flour (preferably organic)

rye sourdough starter

Occasionally the yeast normally present in whole grains fail to establish itself in a new culture; if, after 3 or 4 days, the culture darkens, develops a mold, or smells bad, dump the whole batch and start over. After a week, the culture, or sourdough starter, will be ready to use or to be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for a couple days. [Editor's Note: If storing the sourdough starter for more than a couple days, you'll need to maintain it, which we explain how to do just below.]

Start with equal amounts of organic rye flour and water by weight. Dump them in a nonreactive (glass, porcelain, stainless-steel, plastic) container, mix by hand into a stiff paste, cover, and let stand at room temperature (68 to 72°For 20 to 22°C) for 24 hours.

Day 1: Make the rye sourdough starter

The most important point to remember at the early stages is to feed the sourdough starter daily. Even when it shows no apparent fermentation, the yeast is busy multiplying and consuming nutrients at a very high rate. By the second or third day, it will swell, show bubbles, and give off a clean sour smell. Over the next few days the activity will become more and more vigorous and the smell more intense.

The next day, discard all but 70 grams of the culture and mix the remainder with the refresh ingredients, cover, and let stand. Repeat each day, discarding all but 70 grams of the preceding day’s culture.

Days 2 to 7: Refresh the rye sourdough starter

In a perfect world—or in a working bakery—sourdough starters are refreshed daily. That said, daily feedings demand both a degree of dedication and abundant flour supplies that are impractical for all but the most committed home bakers. You can get by refreshing your starter every 36 hours or so.

Mix the rye flour, water, and rye sourdough starter by hand until incorporated. Cover and ferment at room temperature (68 to 72°F or 20 to 22°C) overnight or for 10 to 12 hours. The sponge will be very bubbly, have a clean sour smell, and will have tripled in volume. Store refrigerated in an airtight container and it will last indefinitely.

Days 8 and Beyond: Maintain the rye sourdough starter

Tender, savory, and complex Puerto Rican delicacy. Delicious masa filled with a savory meat stew cooked and then steamed in banana leaves is an ideal treat for the holidays or any time. Their versatility is impressive.Makes about 10 pasteles

Puerto Rican Pasteles

pork, (finely diced (from pork shoulder))

garlic

Puerto Rican sofrito

onion, (finely diced)

oregano

red bell pepper, (diced)

jalapenos pepper, (diced)

Sazon sin achiote

tomatoes, (chopped (or tomato sauce))

chickpeas ((optional))

salt and pepper

lbs cassava ((yuca))

garlic powder

onion powder

salt

Sazon

achiote oil

5-6 green bananas

green plantain

yautia, (cocoyams,

potato

pumpkin ((calabaza)

Cut both ends of the cassava (yuca) off and cut them in half.

Make a shallow cut into the skin and gradually work your knife under it to remove the skin. Split it in half lengthwise, remove the woody core, and discard it.

Cut into small chunks and rinse immediately to prevent discoloration, and leave them in cool water until ready to use.

If making traditional masa, peel the bananas, plantains, taro root, potatoes, cocoyams, and pumpkin.

Cut in small pieces and proceed with the rest of the instructions.

Pulse the cassava (yuca) in a food processor until pureed, or grate it. You may have to do so in batches.

Pour it out in a large bowl, then add the garlic powder, onion, salt, oil, and Sazon, thoroughly mix, and set aside.

Masa (Dough)

Heat a large skillet over medium. As soon as it&#39;s hot, add 2-3 tablespoons of oil, add the diced pork, and cook until slightly brown or the pork is no longer pink (it may take 6-7 minutes).

Add sofrito, garlic, onions, and oregano to the skillet, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until onions wilt.

Throw in tomatoes and chickpeas, if using any. Then add about ¾ cup broth or water.

Simmer uncovered until the liquid reduces and just coats the pork, about 15 minutes or more.

Season the pork filling to taste with salt and let cool slightly. Adjust seasonings spices, if needed. Set aside.

Pork Filling

Prepare a work surface to assemble and wrap the pasteles. You may use a board or countertop for this process.

If using freshly picked banana or plantain leaves, cut off the central rib and trim off the edges. Cut into the desired sizes. To make them flexible for folding, wilt them in single layers or slightly overlap them in a 200℉ (93℃) oven for 5-10 minutes. An alternative method of wilting is to place the leaves directly over the coils of an electric range on low heat or pass them carefully over the low flame of a gas range. Be careful not to burn them unduly. Wipe with a damp kitchen cloth or paper towel.

To start the wrapping, place one parchment paper on a surface and top with one piece of banana leaf. Then brush with achiote oil.

Add about two tablespoons of masa and spread it to form a small square, just like in the pictures.

Add a spoonful of pork filling to the masa.

Pick up the edge of the pasteles closest to you and fold it over the filling until the edge of the masa closest to you touches the other side. That helps the pasteles to stay fully enclosed. Fold the bottom edge of the square up and over so that the masa encloses the pork filling.

Tie the pasteles with kitchen string. Repeat to form the remaining pasteles.

At this point, you can freeze them for later. Place them in ziplock bags, date, label, and freeze.

Assembling  Pasteles

Line a large steamer or pot with a layer of banana leaf scraps.

Add a cup or more of water – then bring to a boil. Next, place the pasteles in two loose layers. Add as much hot water as needed to almost submerge them. Cover with any remaining banana leaves.

Let the pasteles cook for an hour or more, adding water as needed. Please don&#39;t let the pot dry out. Do a taste test if necessary to ensure the pasteles are fully cooked.

Turn the heat off and let the pasteles cool in the pot for about 20 more minutes.

Carefully remove pasteles with tongs, if they&#39;re still hot because you don&#39;t want to get burned.

Transfer the pasteles to a platter. Remove the strings, carefully open pasteles – it releases hot steam as you open.

Serve warm.

Cooking Pasteles

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Rye Sourdough Starter

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The most viewed slow food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine