BREAD MACHINE JEWISH RYE BREAD

Bread Machine Jewish Rye Bread image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients
1 1/8 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups white flour (for darker rye, substitute whole wheat flour for up to 3/4 cup).
1 cup rye flour (for lighter rye, substitute white flour for up to half the rye)
1 Tablespoon olive oil (optional -- it seems to make the bread stay fresh longer and some people prefer the texture)
1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
1/4 cup chopped onions (optional)
2 teaspoons commercial yeast ("bread machine" or "active dry")

Steps:

Place all ingredients in bread machine in recommended order on "rise only" or pizza dough cycle.
After first rise, remove dough, place on a bread board and punch down. If dough is too sticky, covering your hands or the bread board with corn meal or white flour usually is enough to bring it to the right consistency.
If using a bread pan, shape loaf and place it in oiled bread pan. If you have a pizza stone, don't use a bread pan; shape the dough into a loaf or a ball or as you like and place it on a floured board (or the pizza peel). In either case, slash top with a sharp knife, cover the dough with a tea towel and leave it to rise for 1 hour.
Preheat oven (preferably with pizza stone) to 450. The stone makes the bread crustier and gives a better contrast between the crust and the interior crumb.
Shpritz walls of oven with water twice before putting loaf in. (Omit for a less crusty bread).
Bake thirty minutes at 450, shpritzing the oven walls once more after five minutes,
or, alternatively,
Bake fifteen minutes at 450, then reduce heat to 350 and bake thirty minutes more.
Remove and allow to cool on rack.
(For a light whole wheat bread, use 1 / 2 cup whole wheat flour and 2 1 / 2 cups white flour; omit caraway seeds.)
(For white bread, use 3 cups white flour; omit caraway. After first rise, sprinkle loaf with sesame or poppy seeds.)