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Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge: Marbled Rye

April 19, 2010 by Nicole 32 Comments

Marbled Rye Crumb

It’s taking longer than I anticipated, but I’m still plugging away at The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge and enjoying every minute of it.  With the completion of this gorgeous Marbled Rye, I’ve mixed, kneaded, shaped, photographed, tasted, and shared the first 19 breads in the book.

Each successful loaf feels like a huge accomplishment, but this one in particular was special to me because it was the first time that I’ve attempted baking rye bread.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, because before this I had never even tasted marbled rye, but I was blown away by this bread.  The flavor and texture were wonderful and I fell in love with the striking appearance of the loaves.

The beautiful swirl in the marbled rye is created by making two bread doughs, one dark and one light, and rolling them together into a loaf.  It’s not really any more difficult but it is more time consuming than making plain sandwich loaves.  Because of this, I graciously accepted the help of my Kitchen Aid stand mixer to speed up the process of mixing and kneading two separate bread doughs.

Dough Ingredients

First I assembled the dry ingredients for the two doughs in separate bowls.  The ingredients for each are almost identical with only a couple of differences.  One dough includes a flavorless caramel coloring to make it darker.  I also added the optional caraway seeds to the dark dough only, although the book suggests adding caraway to  both the dark and light doughs.

Shaggy Light Dough

Next, I mixed the light dough ingredients with the paddle attachment of my mixer.  Whether you choose to mix by hand or machine, stir the ingredients together until a ball of dough forms and all the loose flour has been incorporated.  In the process you may need to add a dribble or two of water to make this happen.  Next, use the dough hook on the mixer or turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 to 6 minutes, or until smooth.

Light Dough Ready for Fermentation

The kneaded dough should feel supple and pliable, slightly tacky but not sticky.  (To learn the difference between tacky and sticky bread dough, check out this great example at Yumarama Bread Blog.)  After the dough has been kneaded enough, place it in a greased bowl, roll it to coat all sides with oil, and cover with plastic wrap.

Light Dough Doubled

Repeat the entire process with the dark dough then let both ferment at room temperature for about 90 minutes or until the doughs have doubled in size.

Light and Dark Doughs, Kneaded

Now it’s time for shaping.

Dividing Marbled Rye Dough into Pieces

To shape the loaves, the first step is to divide each dough into four equal pieces.  The easiest way to ensure your pieces are the same size is to use a kitchen scale.  I first weighed the intact piece of dough then divided the weight by four to figure out how much each small piece should weigh.  If you don’t have a scale, just divide the dough as evenly as possible.  You want to end up with four dark pieces and four light pieces.

Rolling Marbled Rye Dough

Next, each small piece of dough is rolled into an oblong about 5 inches wide by 8 inches long.  They don’t have to be perfect, but try to roll each one as close to the same size as you can.

Layers of Marbled Rye Dough

To create a loaf, stack four pieces of dough, alternating the light and dark colors.

Shaping Marbled Rye Loaf

Starting at a long end, roll the stack up into an oblong loaf, or bâtard.

Shaping

Pinch the seam together at the top (the seam side will become the bottom of the loaf).

Marbled Rye Loaves in Pans

Repeat the stacking and rolling to form the second loaf then place the loaves into loaf pans.  If you prefer free-form loaves they can be placed directly on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Allow the loaves to proof at room temperature for another 60-90 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size.

Marbled Rye, Risen and Slashed

Although not required, I chose to slash the tops of the loaves once they had finished proofing.  It was mainly for decorative purposes, but I also wanted to practice my slashing technique since I’m still a bit timid with a razor blade.

Side Split

The loaves were baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  They had tons of oven spring – so much, in fact, that both loaves split open a bit on the sides.

Marbled Rye Loaves

Despite the blowouts, they were absolutely beautiful and I was thrilled that the slashes on top opened up to show the different colors inside the loaves.

Marbled Rye Crumb

I’d have to say that the most rewarding part of this entire experience was slicing open the loaves to see the beautiful swirl inside…

Reuben Sandwich on Marbled Rye

But this Reuben Sandwich with homemade thousand island dressing was a close second.

If you’re following along in the challenge, the formula can be found on page 184 of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  The next bread is Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire – hopefully the bread will live up to its fancy name!

Want to Join The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun!  First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  Read the first section of the book carefully, as this will prepare you for the bread recipes in the second section of the book.  Then just jump in and bake some Anadama Bread, which is the first bread formula in the book.  You may also visit The BBA Challenge Page for more details on how to participate in the group.

If you haven’t already, you might want to bookmark the BBA Challenge Page.  From there you can see which breads are coming up soon, find answers to Frequently Asked Questions, visit and/or add yourself to our World Map, see the BBA Challenge Blogroll, and check out the continually updated slideshow of BBA Bread photos from our ever-expanding group of bakers!

Marbled Rye Bread from other BBA Bakers:

  • Two Skinny Jenkins
  • Italian Food Forever
  • The Other Side of Fifty
  • I Can Do That!
  • Texas Farmer’s Hot Stove
  • Yumarama Bread Blog
  • Bewitching Kitchen
  • Something Shiny
  • Salt and Serenity
  • Round the Table
  • Susie’s Home and Hobbies
  • Goth Panda
  • Phoo-D
  • Second Dinner
  • Gourmet Hotdish and Other Culinary Disasters
  • Pete Eatemall

Filed Under: Adventures in Baking, BBA Challenge

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. bigjobsboard says

    April 21, 2010 at 4:42 am

    Wow. That looks pretty good! Thanks for sharing how to make bread. Thanks a lot.
    Reply
  2. Supriya Raman says

    April 21, 2010 at 7:54 am

    Oh my god, look at that beautiful marbled bread! Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.
    Reply
  3. Daniel says

    April 22, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    Wow! Absolutely beautiful. I love the peeking through of the various layers from the slashing. Looks totally yummy. Every time I see caramel coloring in the baking aisle, I want to re-do this bread, as mine came out too light. Oh, and don't worry about taking so long to complete. You did, after all, set the rules that we could take as long as we wanted to! And- you're also getting to an awesome stretch in the book. The next one is just heavenly.
    Reply
  4. Michelle says

    April 22, 2010 at 5:28 pm

    Gorgeous. I didn't realize that's how the swirl became so perfect in this bread. You did it justice, for sure!
    Reply
  5. bhagheerathy says

    April 23, 2010 at 11:27 am

    at last i got my answer ...always i'm wondering how it works i mean design inside the bread...thanks dear
    Reply
  6. MyGreenFork says

    April 25, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    I have been baking bread for about a year now and have loved it! I just stumbled across your blog. I have not tried marbled rye yet but you have inspired me! Thanks for sharing.
    Reply
  7. cleawalford says

    April 26, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    nothing compares to a self-baked bread & yours looks fantastic!
    Reply
  8. Joel says

    May 3, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    I like this post. Bread and butter is may favorite food. This bread looks awesome! Slather it with some soft spread butter or honey-spread . . . mouth is watering all over my keyboard.
    Reply
  9. Cook in a Bar says

    May 5, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    I was thrilled to see this posting. I'd just decided to try my hand at marbled rye bread as it is my husband's favorite. Thanks for sharing your experience.
    Reply
  10. Nutrition News says

    May 6, 2010 at 1:44 am

    Thanks for the "recipe"... Not only does it look great, it's aesthetically pleasing and healthy. Great with Olives and/or olive oil.
    Reply
  11. Sara says

    May 15, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    I love the color reverse effect where you slashed the loaves on top, as well as your his 'n hers/yin & yang version. Mine didn't quite have the impressive visuals but luckily that doesn't affect the taste!
    Reply
  12. Ckay says

    January 17, 2014 at 7:52 am

    Your loaves look amazing! The pattern is beautiful. Love them! Being a "bread-aholic" I've just bought the book,...and now I know, which bread I am going to bake first. Thank you for the lovely and clear step-by-step tutorial Best regards from Switzerland Ckay
    Reply
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