Light rye bread

Method
Prep:1hr20min  ›  Cook:45min  ›  Ready in:2hr5min 

1. Sift the rye flour, white flour, salt and sugar into a bowl, and stir in the yeast and caraway seeds. Stir the olive oil into the tepid water, then pour this over the flour mixture. Mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon at first, then with your hand, to make a stiff, but sticky and slightly grainy dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until smooth. The dough should be very firm. Shape it into an oval loaf about 18 cm (7 in) long, and place it on a greased baking sheet. Cover loosely with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until almost doubled in size. It will be slightly cracked on top.
3. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF, gas mark 6). Uncover the loaf and bake for 40–45 minutes or until it is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the base.
4. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Once cold, place the loaf in a polythene bag and leave overnight (this allows the crust to soften). After this, the loaf can be kept for up to 2 days.

Some more ideas

To make dark rye bread, stir 2 tbsp molasses or black treacle into the water with the oil. * Substitute wholemeal flour for the white flour. * For a lighter loaf, use 200 g (7 oz) rye flour and 200 g (7 oz) strong white (bread) flour. * Cumin or fennel seeds also taste good in rye bread. Toast 1 tbsp of the seeds in a small, heavy-based frying pan over a moderate heat for 1–2 minutes or until they are aromatic. Remove from the heat, then leave to cool. Add to the flour instead of the caraway seeds. * For orange and caraway rye bread, add the grated zest of 1 large orange and 2 tbsp light muscovado sugar to the flour with the seeds, and substitute sunflower oil for the olive oil.

Plus points

Making a variety of breads from different types of flour means that there is always an interesting loaf to complement a meal. This will help to increase the intake of starchy carbohydrates. * Caraway seeds are said to stimulate the production of saliva and aid digestion.