Flashback Friday: Swedish Rye Bread

Flashback Friday: Revisiting a recipe from long ago

What can I say, I felt like baking bread again.  After Tuesday's citrus soup and Wednesday's casserole with caraway a loaf of bread featuring both citrus and caraway seemed appropriate.  A few weeks ago I shared my Great-Grandma's Rye Bread with you.  There are several rye bread recipes in the family all of which are fairly similar.  One can almost piece together the recipes, tracing the transformations created by passing the recipe from one family member to the next.

Rather than try all the variations, I decided to combine the overlapping features for an all-inclusive loaf.  What is boils down to (errr, bakes up to) is a rye loaf sweetened with molasses and laced with orange, caraway and raisins.  Orange takes center stage in this sweet loaf while caraway lingers in the background.  Raisins make an occasional appearance as well thanks to my Great-Aunt Irene.

Flashback Friday: Great-Grandma's Rye Bread

Flashback Friday: Revisiting a recipe from long ago

I interrupt my citrus soup spree with a thick, hearty slice of bread.  Because really, what pairs better with hot soup than homemade bread?  Okay I wouldn't pair this particular bread with those particular soups, but interruptions don't usually go together now do they?

Right, so this bread.  The recipe belongs to my great-grandma, Hattie, whose Soda Cracker Pie we made a few weeks back.  Apparently the neighbor kids would hang around the back door begging for hot scraps of crust.  It didn't take me long to figure out why.  At first I thought the loaf was a little to dense and dry, but I found myself nibbling at it every time I walked past, especially the crust.  I almost wish I did have to beg for a piece, then there'd be a little more left.

Tuesday's Twist: Caraway Rye Bread

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Several summers ago I temporarily became a morning person.  Well, sort of.  It turns out the aromas of freshly baked bread wake me up even more than coffee.  Waking up before the sun to work at the bakery wasn't hard once I got used to it.  Of course it helps that everything about making bread just makes me come to life.  You know it has to be fun if it puts a smile on my face before I'm awake enough to even think of coffee. 

Along with the enticing aromas of freshly baked bread we handed out thick, generous sample slices to potential customers.  My favorite sample to hand out was the rye bread.  One bite and the loaf was sold. Try as I might I could not keep the twinkle out of my eyes as I watched the customers enjoy their slices.  Only then would I tell them the 'secret' ingredient, sauerkraut.  

 Yes, sauerkraut.  It adds just the right amount of tang to the loaf to make the flavors pop.  I see you raising that eyebrow, but trust me I watched enough customers to know it converts even the skeptics.  Think of it like sourdough if you must.   I could not get enough of the version they made with caraway, delicious.