Rye bread

Presented by Vija Kudi?a at the Aglona Bread Museum

Assisted by Stefanija Andrijevska, Skaidr?te Kudi?a, Kudi?u Mi?elis, J?zeps and Markuss, ?aupjonoks Andrejs

Naturally leavened rye bread baked in an authentic bread oven – a culinary treat second to none!

Ingredients

Rye grain ready for milling or rye flour, caraway seeds, water, salt, a piece of dough left from the previous baking.

Equipment

Abra (kneading trough), wooden baker's peel, juniper broom, maple leaves, straw bundle.

Preparation

To the piece of dough left from the previous baking, add a little warm water and rye flour, and make a dough mixture. It will be the leaven used to make the bread.

Preparation of the scald. Pour flour, caraway seeds, leaven into the kneading trough and add boiling water (~96 °C). Mix well. Leave in a warm place for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, sprinkle the dough with flour and start kneading. Knead until the dough begins to come off your fingers. The kneaded dough is smoothened, sprinkled with flour, covered with a towel, and left for about another hour.

Meanwhile, stoke the bread oven and prepare it for bread baking. Scoop the coal out of the oven and leave it in the oven’s "armpits". It may later be poked back in if necessary. Get rid of the ash on the backstone by using a juniper broom. The oven is ready.

Take the dough and make loaves, sprinkling them with water and smoothening. Place the loaves on maple leaves and put them into the oven. The first loaf goes on the right "for good luck". When the bread is ready, remove it from the oven, sprinkle with a little water, cover with blankets, and let it rest.

May there be bread on the table,

And family around it!