This simple, wholesome bread is made with stone-ground rye flour. Baked in the convection oven, the crust is chewy and flavorful. It is not as dense a bread as others in this category, therefore it bakes at a slightly higher temperature. This is the bread we baked in the oven of the woodstove when I was growing up on the farm in northern Minnesota. The wood oven creates heat that circulates much like that of a convection oven. I have finally been able to bake bread that closely resembles my childhood favorite!

　　

Ingredients

makes 1 loaf

　　2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1 tablespoon brown sugar or light molasses

　　1 cup stone-ground rye flour

　　2 1/3 cups unbleached bread flour

　　

Step 1

To mix the dough in a bowl by hand, measure 1 1/2 cups warm (105° to 115°F) water into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast, salt, sugar, and rye flour. Beat until smooth. Slowly beat in the bread flour to make a stiff dough. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Turn it out onto a floured board and knead until the dough forms a smooth, nonsticky ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled. Proceed with step 4.

　　

Step 2

To mix the dough in a bread machine, measure all of the ingredients into the work bowl, starting with the water. Program the machine to make dough. Proceed with step 4.

　　

Step 3

To mix the dough in a food processor, measure the flours, sugar, salt, and yeast into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Turn the processor on and add the water slowly through the feed tube, processing until the dough spins around the bowl in a solid but sticky mass. Leave the cover on the food processor and let the dough rise until it fills the bowl.

　　

Step 4

Turn it out onto a lightly floured board and shape it into a round loaf. Place on a lightly greased rimless cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until almost doubled.

　　

Step 5

Position the oven racks so that the top rack is in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to convection bake at 350°F. Brush the loaf with water. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until nicely browned and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean and dry. Remove the bread from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

　　From Cooking with Convection by Beatrice Ojankangas. Copyright (c) 2005 by Beatrice Ojankangas. Published by Broadway Books.Beatrice Ojakangas has written more than a dozen cookbooks, including Beatrice Ojakangas' Great Holiday Baking Book, Beatrice Ojakangas' Light and Easy Baking, Pot Pies, Quick Breads, Light Desserts, The Finnish Cookbook, and The Great Scandinavian Baking Book. Beatrice works as a consultant for Pillsbury and other major food companies, teaches cooking classes, and writes for various food magazines. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.