How can I resist a recipe called ‘bread of the damned’? This simple rye bread with currants or raisins not only has a great story to its name, it’s also delicious in its own right. The recipe and its story come from Regula Ysewijn’s Dark Rye & Honey Cake, full of culinary history and intriguing baking recipes from the Low Countries.
Read more about the book in our indepth review of Dark Rye & Honey Cake by Regula Ysewijn.
Rogge Verdommeke | Bread of the damned | Rye Bread with Currants or Raisins
Ingredients
- 150 g (5½ oz) raisins or currants
- 300 g (10½ oz) wholemeal rye
- flour, plus extra for dusting
- 200 g (7 oz) strong (bread) flour
- 20 g (¾ oz) unsalted butter or lard, softened
- 10 g (⅜ oz) instant dry yeast
- 300 ml (10½ fl oz) water
- 5 g ⅛ oz sea salt butter, to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, cover the raisins or currants with water and soak them for 1 hour, then drain.
- Meanwhile, combine the flours, butter and yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour in half of the water and start kneading. When completely absorbed, pour in the remaining water and knead for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and knead for 10 minutes more, scraping the dough off the dough hook and side of the bowl if needed, until the dough has come together in a smooth and elastic dough that is neither too dry nor terribly wet.
- Cover the dough and set aside for 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
- Knead the bread for 5 minutes by stretching parts of it inward as if you were trying to stuff a winter coat into your backpack. Finally, add the soaked raisins or currants and knead carefully to mix in the fruit without crushing it. Shape into a round loaf and place on a baking tray. Cover with a tea towel (dish towel) and set aside to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F) and place an oven tray, bread cloche or enamel cast-iron pot inside to get hot. Do not use the fan setting.
- When you are ready to bake, lower the temperature to 200°C (400°F). Score the top of the bread to control how it will crack. Place the loaf on the hot tray or inside the cloche or cast-iron pot and bake for 40 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack and serve spread with butter.
You may also be interested in these baking recipes.
Kavey Eats was provided with a review copy of Dark Rye & Honey Cake from publisher Murdoch Books. This recipe and its photo are reproduced with permission from the publisher.
Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!