SC - OOP-Black Bread Recipe

[Diana L Skaggs]

>From "The Garden Way Bread Book" by Ellen Foscue Johnson, Garden Way
Publishing, Charlotte, VT 05445

Posy's Russian Black Bread

1/3 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cold water
2 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 Tbsp. soft sweet butter
3/4 cup dark molasses
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 cup cold mashed potatoes
1 to 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 to 4 cups rye flour
1 cup or less unbleached white flour
1 egg for glaze

In a saucepan add the cornmeal to the boiling water.  Stir vigorously until
it is thick and smooth.  Add the cold water gradually, stirring.  Let cool
to lukewarm.  In a large mixing bowl combine the yeast with the 1/4 cup
warm water and a pinch of sugar.  Stir and let sit until bubbly.  In a
small pan melt the chocolate and butter together on very low heat.  Let
this cool a bit.  To the yeast add the cornmeal mixture, the chocolate and
butter, the molasses, salt, sugar, caraway seeds and mashed potatoes.  Beat
well.  Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and beat about 2 minutes with an
electric beater or at least 200 strokes by hand.  If you have time, let
this sponge sit, covered with a towel, for an hour or so.  Don't let it
overflow the bowl.  Add 3 cups rye flour and mix.  If the dough is too
mushy to hold together, add another 1/2 cup whole wheat and/or up to a cup
more rye.  Turn the dough out onto a board dusted with white flour and
begin to knead.  It's a heavy, stick mess, so if you get tired, cover the
dough and come back later.  Add a little white flour if it stays
insistently sticky.  It never really loses its clinginess (if it does
you've probably added too much flour) but it does finally become somewhat
elastic, so keep at it.  Put the dough in a buttered bowl, turn it over to
coat all sides.  Cover with a damp towel and let it sit in a warm place
until doubled in size.  Punch the dough down, turn it out onto the board,
knead a few times to press out air bubbles.  Cut in half, cover with the
towel and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.  Shape the two pieces into
round balls.  Place on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
Cover with the towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in
size.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Glaze the loaves with a whole
egg beaten with a little water.  Bake loaves for 10 minutes, reduce heat to
350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes.  Tap the bottom of a loaf to
test for doneness; if it sounds hollow, the bread is done.  Cool on a rack.

Leanna