
Sweet Rye bread is the result of a curious hybrid of cultures. Immigrant Germans and Native Americans. The fundamental contribution from the German side was the use of rye flour to make their bread. The Native Americans provided the other needed ingredients including honey, raisins, sea salt and cornmeal. Other ingredients have found their way into the recipe from whole wheat flour to butter. The resulting bread falls in the category of artisanal breads with good texture and a crispy crust.
The Germans used a Dutch oven to bake their bread, but you can make it easily in your bread machine using the wheat bread setting. If you have a dedicated 100% whole wheat setting that may work best for this robust combination of flours because it has additional kneading and rising cycles, but a simple whole wheat setting works as well. One note to keep in mind. This recipe has numerous ingredients including a variety of flours. It’s what gives the bread its unique quality, but you’ll need to have a range of flours on hand.
Add the ingredients to the bread pan in the order indicated in the ingredients section. Select the Wheat Bread Setting or the 100% Whole Wheat Bread Setting if you have one. Choose a 1.5-pound loaf as a setting and a dark crust.
When done, let the loaf rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then slice and serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Add the ingredients to the bread pan in the order indicated in the ingredients section. Select the Wheat Bread Setting or the 100% Whole Wheat Bread Setting if you have one. Choose a 1.5-pound loaf as a setting and a dark crust.
When done, let the loaf rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then slice and serve.