I broke the rules and cut the bread whilst it was still warm- I couldn’t

help myself.  I was hungry.

It was lunchtime and I wanted –

This for lunch.  Avocado with lots of black pepper on rye!

This is one of my ALL-TIME favorite sandwiches.

But first I had to make the bread.

My starter had been complaining of not being used enough.

My bread had become rather white and boring- mostly toast bread for my husband’s

breakfast.

And so I decided to make a marble that he could toast and I could enjoy.

I made a classic sourdough rye-

1 cup starter (sorry Celia and Joanna- I don’t know the saturation- but I had been feeding

it a cup of water (approx) to a cup of flour (again, approximate)- for several days before I

used it.)

2 cups dark rye flour

1 cup white rye flour

1 cup high gluten white bread flour

1 tsp yeast

I- 1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tsp sugar

1 TBS salt

2 TBS molasses

3 TBS butter

1/2 cup milk scalded

3 tsp caraway seeds

I added all the flours to the starter and mixed in the water with the sugar and yeast

proofed into it at once.  ( Did I mention I wanted to eat the avocado sandwich for lunch?)
Then I scalded the milk for 2 minutes on high in the microwave, added the butter and molasses

and mixed that into the dough, adding the salt and seeds last.

Mixed it well, kneaded it for about 10 minutes and shaped into a ball to raise.

Then I made a quick white bread-

3 cups bread flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp yeast

1 1/2 cups water

– proofed the yeast with the water, added flour and salt- and kneaded for about

5 minutes and then put into greased bowl and allowed to raise.

After about 45 minutes- I divided the dough in half and made two loaves (it wasn’t actually

in half I had a Large ball and a medium ball) –one a long loaf and one shaped in the banneton.

For the shaping, I rolled out the rye, and then place a smaller piece of white dough on top and

rolled it up, pinching it very severely to keep it in shape.

Slashed the long loaf and let them both raise for another 45minutes to an hour.

I then preheated the oven very hot- 500 F degrees and put in a tin of hot water

and placed the long loaf into the oven.   I should have turned the heat down to 450 F but I

was distracted with the banneton loaf and was busy transferring it to a parchment papered

pan.

The slashes were too deep and the white bread broke through and the oven WAS

too hot, so the first loaf was quite dark.

I had turned down the temp for the second loaf- and it was quite pretty (which

was fortunate because I’m giving this loaf to some friends!)

 I ended up baking the first loaf for about 45 minutes, the second loaf for almost

the same time- but at a lowered temperature.

But I did get my sandwich – only a little late for my regular lunch time- and it was

exactly what I wanted!

And that is part of the reason I love baking bread-

EATING BREAD!