Sourdough Rye Bread Czech Style

[Delmonico]

Taling with some of the local Czech Historians I have doone some back engineering and came up with what we think is a recipe that would have been similar to what the Czech who settled here in South East Nebraska would have made, in the 1870's.

About a quart of sourdough starter
4 handfuls of rye flour
white flour
lump of lard about the size of a meduim chicken egg
1/2 handful of brown sugar
double pinch of caraway seed

Put the starter in a crock bowl the night before, stir in the brown sugar and a handful of white flour.  Cover with a towel. 

In the morning mix in the rye flour, lard, caraway seed and enough white flour to make a workable dough.  (Rye bread will be more sticky than other bread  doughs)  Let rise till doubled.
(A good starter will not take more than 2 hours at the most)

When it has doubled in size punch down and fourm into round loaves (2 or 3)  I place mine in a greased 15 inch skillet.  Let rise till doubled and bake in a medium hot oven for 35-45 minutes.

Cool on a towel or rack and spread the tops with melted butter.

I have decided in my not always humble opinion that this is the best bread in the word for a meat and cheese tpe sandwich.

I do a bit more searching when buying the rye flour, I do not use stone ground flour if I can find steel ground flour.  I do this to honor the Czech who settled in this region.  They are credited with bringing the steel roller mill technolagy to this area from central Europe.  It seems wrong to use stone ground flour in it.

Although I am not of Czech decent many of my friends are and I have been told I am an Honorary Czech several times by Czech folks who have eaten some of this rye bread.  If ya do sourdough give this a try.

Vita Vaas