Rye Bread

I’ve been going through the recipe site redoing pages to make them 1) look better and 2) easier to navigate. While I’m able to make templates, it’s still a page-by-page process to apply them – and there are over 1200 pages of recipes. That doesn’t count the 2400 pages of blog posts.

That’s a lot of cooking. And a lot of editing. Fortunately, I’m retired.

One of the best things about doing this is it’s re-familiarizing me with stuff I haven’t looked at in a really long time. Case in point, The Family Reunion Cookbooks. There are a lot of really good recipes in those two collections! Granted, there are a few things that haven’t translated as well to 2018 diet sensibilities, but there are some fun things waiting to be cooked – like Rye Bread from my dad’s cousin Betty. Betty is the daughter of one of my grandfather’s sisters. They were Omaha clan and we really didn’t know them very well growing up.

Her brother, Jerry, moved to California and he and my dad were pretty close. Pop came really close to cashing in his Fire Department pension and going into partnership  in a Tahoe-Truckee Ambulance Service sometime in the ’70s. I think my mom kinda talked him out of it – she wasn’t ready to move to the mountains even though she loved it there. She really was a city girl.

Back to bread…

This is one I don’t think I have ever made before, but after having a slice, it definitely won’t be the last! It’s a 50% rye flour and 50% white flour recipe, so the rye is definitely not overpowering. It has a great texture and is a perfect sandwich bread!

Betty’s recipe – actually, her mom’s recipe – makes four loaves, so I cut the recipe in half. I highly recommend this one!

Rye Bread

Claire Dineen Fitzsimmons via Betty Fitzsimmons Seymore

(Sponge)

  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 2 pkgs. dry yeast
  • 1 cup white flour

Dissolve yeast in water, add sugar. then flour. Let rise while mixing other ingredients.
Melt ½ cup shortening (crisco) in 2 cups hot water

Add:

  • 1 good Tbsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. molasses
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup dark Karo syrup

When cool, add sponge. Add 4 cups medium rye flour. Add about 4 cups white flour. Knead. Let rise until double. Roll and cut into 4 loaves. Put into bread pans and let rise until double.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 4 loaves.