Lithuanian bread
Description
Delicious baked goods for the whole family. This amount of ingredients is scaled for a small loaf tin or an L11 pan. If you don’t enjoy caraway, its flavour and aroma, you can steep the seeds, strain them, and use only the strained liquid. Serve warm or chilled. Ideal with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients for making bread. You can use first-grade wheat flour. Instead of honey, you can use molasses or malt syrup.
- 2
Step 2
Before baking the bread, prepare the sourdough starter in advance. To do this, take 25 grams of starter and mix it with 50 ml of water and 50 grams of rye flour. Stir well and leave it to activate for 6–10 hours. It is more convenient to make the starter in the evening and leave it overnight.
- 3
Step 3
Likewise, prepare the scald in the evening. Overnight, saccharification will occur. As a result of this process, the uneven structure of the scalded flour becomes smooth, more fluid, and sweeter in flavor. For scalding, lightly grind caraway seeds in a mortar.
- 4
Step 4
Mix caraway and sifted wheat flour (60 g). Pour in hot water (160 ml). Stir the mixture with a whisk or mixer. Set the bowl with the scalded flour mixture over a hot water bath and keep stirring until smooth, with no unmixed lumps.
- 5
Step 5
When the mixture is glossy and smooth, the scald is ready. Let it cool completely.
- 6
Step 6
In a mixing bowl for the dough, combine sifted wheat flour (60 grams) and 120 grams of rye flour.
- 7
Step 7
In a bowl with the flour, add all of the active sourdough starter, the caraway scald, salt, honey, and pour in another 10 ml of water.
- 8
Step 8
Knead the dough. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 2–2.5 hours.
- 9
Step 9
Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape it into an oblong hearth loaf, or transfer it into a loaf pan for proofing.
- 10
Step 10
Let the bread rise for 1 hour. On the risen bread, to avoid cracks, it is sensible to make several punctures.
- 11
Step 11
You can bake bread in the oven, on a stone, or in a Dutch oven. 10 minutes at 250 °C with steam, then 40–50 minutes at 220 °C without steam. If you bake in a Dutch oven, you don’t need to put a tray of water in the oven for steam. Just heat the Dutch oven with its lid in the oven, then put the shaped loaf into it on the parchment, cover with the lid, and bake on that schedule.
- 12
Step 12
Fragrant homemade bread is ready!
- 13
Step 13
The bread has a very pleasant taste with a mild rye tang and a touch of sweetness.
- 14
Step 14
The bread crumb is dense and soft and stays fresh for a long time.