POLISH RYE BREAD and icy roads

  

RYE BREAD   (Razowy Chleb)  from The Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook by S. H. Knab

Without bread, there is no dinner.  (Polish proverb)

 1 ½ cups warm water

1 tbsp sugar

4 ½ tsps yeast

½ cup molasses

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 ½ cups rye flour

2 ½ cups white flour

Cornmeal

1.       Pour warm water into large basin.  Stir in the sugar.  Then sprinkle on the yeast and let sit 5 minutes.

2.      Turn oven on to 350 for only one minute.  Turn oven off.

3.      Oil a second large basin and set aside.

4.      Stir molasses, salt, and oil into the yeast mixture.

5.      Mix together rye and white flour in a 3^rd large mixing bowl.

6.      Add most of the flours to the yeast mixture and stir.

7.      Sprinkle some flour onto the counter and turn the dough onto it to knead until smooth.

8.      Put dough into oiled basin.  Cover with a clean tea towel and put in warmed oven to rise for 1 and ½ hours.

9.      Oil a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with some cornmeal.

10.  Punch down the risen bread and shape into 2 round loaves.  Cover bread again with tea towel and let rise in warmed oven for another hour.

11.   Add a half inch of water to a 13x9 pan.  Place it on the lowest rack in the oven.  Position the second rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

12.   Bake bread for 20 minutes.  Then remove the water. 

13.   Bake bread for 15 to 20 more minutes.

Bryan’s bread, hot from the oven, irresistible!  With butter, honey, and tea . . .

The tea was “Chocolate Cake Black tea”!!!  Nice.

The tea mixture includes candy sprinkles, white chocolate, cocoa nibs, cocoa powder . . .

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It’s been raining a lot.  Here, in B.C., that’s only to be expected.

Road conditions have become really bad, however, across the Prairies.

Sheet rain last night, for example, in Brandon, Manitoba, will make road conditions there extremely hazardous.  The road crew were by George’s place with a rake blade yesterday.       

My nephew Lorne (school photo 1980) drives big rigs!    

Stay safe, everyone.