Yesterday I wrote about the breadmaker that I received for Christmas and have been using pretty regularly since then. I have tried a few different recipes, including the basic white bread recipe that Sean and Michelle both use for their lunches and sandwiches. I prefer something a little different from just white bread, so I decided I was going to give the rye bread recipe a try. The one they list in the book for the breadmaker is pretty basic and simple so I decided to go along with that, but I also wanted to combine it with a recipe that I found at King Arthur Flour for a sandwich rye bread. The resulting recipe listed below is really just combination of the two recipes.

Basic Sandwich Rye Bread

1 1/2 cups water

4 1/4 cups bread flour

2/3 cup rye flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

To use with the Zojirushi breadmaker, measure and combine the ingredients into the baking pan in this order: water, bread flour, rye flour, sugar, salt, Dijon mustard and butter. Make a depression in the middle of the flour and place the yeast in the depression. Make sure the yeast does not touch any of the liquid. If the dry yeast contacts water the results from the breadmaker may not be ideal. Insert the baking pan into the unit and close the lid. To select the desired course, press the SELECT COURSE button to set the arrow to the BASIC WHEAT. Press the start button and allow the breadmaker to proceed through the cycles of preheating, kneading, rising and then baking. If you are using the caraway seeds, when it is time to add the ingredients such is the seeds, the breadmaker will beep for 30 seconds and ADD will flash in the display. Open the lid to the breadmaker and add the appropriate ingredients. Allow the machine to proceed through the baking cycle and carefully remove the baking pan when the machine has indicated that the baking process is complete. Remove the bread from the baking pan and allow it to cool.

Granted, this particular recipe is designed for the specific Zojirushi breadmaker that I am using, but I think it could be adapted to fit with other breadmakers. The breadmaker takes 3 hours and 40 minutes to complete everything for this particular recipe. In the end, the result of the recipe was very tasty. The bread had a nice crust and crunch to it on the outside while the inner layer of the bread was done perfectly. I used this for my sandwiches pretty much all week long and have made it again since that initial recipe because I like the result so much. It certainly does provide a savings considering what the cost of a typical rye bread is here at the local stores. One loaf seem to last for me about 7 to 10 days so I think we certainly got a lot out of it. I did not add the caraway seeds to mine though I do like to have rye bread that way on occasion and I am sure it would taste just fine. I enjoyed the bread with chicken salad and tuna salad but anything you want to use the bread for would be perfect. You could also adapt this recipe to make it without a breadmaker. If you are interested in that particular method, here is the link to the original recipe at King Arthur Flour.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!