Jewish "Corn" Bread (Rye Bread)

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Years ago my husband and I ate some corn-rye bread in Los Angeles. Corn-rye bread
doesn't have cornmeal in the bread itself, but the outside is coated with cornmeal. The
texture of the bread should be dense without being dry, and the crust should be crisp and
crunchy. For many years I tried to duplicate the recipe, but rye breads are tricky. They can
be too dry and heavy or too light and airy. The rye bread in most supermarkets would never
pass muster in a delicatessen. I was overjoyed to find this corn-rye bread recipe in Helen
Witty and Elizabeth Colchie's, Better than Store-Bought, Harper& Row, 1979.

Rye Sourdough Starter

48 hours before beginning rye bread, make this starter: Mix 1 T. dry yeast in 2 cups of tepid
water. Beat in 2 cups of rye flour. Add a small onion, peeled and halved. Cover the bowl
with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Remove onion. Beat in 1 cup
tepid water and 1.5 cups rye flour. Cover and let stand for 24 hours longer. This can be used
immediately or refrigerated for 24 hours. This preparation makes about 4 cups of starter (a
bit more than required for the bread).

Corn Rye Bread

Yield: 2 very large loaves
1.5 cups warm water (110°)
1 pkg (1 T.) dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups Rye Sourdough Starter, measured after stirring down
2 cups high gluten flour
3.5 cups all-purpose flour
cornmeal
1 egg white beaten with 2 T. water for glaze
2 tsp. caraway seeds for topping and more for inside, if desired

The following directions are for hand kneading. If you have a heavy duty food processor, put
all dough ingredients in work bowl after you have made the yeast starter. Add starter and
combine. Dough will be fairly sticky. Don't use a food processor unless it is quite durable;
this is a very heavy dough.
Combine 1/2 cup warm water, yeast, sugar, and let stand until double (10 min.). Dissolve salt
in remaining water. Mix in sourdough starter, then yeast mix. Add gluten flour and 2 cups of
all-purpose flour and optional caraway seeds; make a soft dough. Spread 1.5 cups flour on
1/2
kneading surface and turn dough out on it. Knead, adding more flour, to make a soft dough.
Do not overknead. The dough should be only slightly elastic, even a bit sticky. Form dough
into a ball, and put in an ungreased bowl. Cover with plastic, and let rise until double (1.5
hours). Knead, cover with towel, and let rest for 15 minutes. Divide into 2 parts. Form each
into 12 inch loaf. Pinch seam, and place seam down on cornmeal-dusted sheet. Cover and
let rise until 3/4 proof. Put a large pan with 2 inches water in oven. Preheat to 400 °. Place
quarry tiles on upper shelf of oven. Brush loaves with egg-white glaze, slash with knife.
Sprinkle seeds on top. Bake for 30 minutes on tiles. Brush again with glaze; bake an
additional 20 to 30 minutes.

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