The Cheese Board (30 page)

Sprinkle a baking sheet with the 1 tablespoon cornmeal. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 pieces. Shape each piece into a
large round
and place on the prepared pan. Cover with a floured kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 1½ hours, or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression.

Fifteen minutes before the bread has finished rising, remove all but the middle rack from the oven. Place a metal roasting pan on the floor of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Slash
the top of each loaf and mist them with water using a spray bottle. Wait at least 10 minutes for the slashes to begin to open.

Pour ½ cup cold water into a measuring cup and add enough ice cubes to bring the volume to 1 cup. Working quickly so that you don’t lose too much heat, place the baking sheet in the oven and pour the ice water into the roasting pan. Immediately close the oven door to maintain a steamy environment.

Bake for 5 minutes, then prepare another round of ice water and repeat the process. Bake 15 minutes longer, then rotate the baking sheet front to back. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer, for a total baking time of 40 to 45 minutes, or until the bread is dark brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Using the spray bottle, mist the loaves to give the crust a glossy shine. Immediately close the oven door and bake for 1 minute. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool.

Marble rye is two breads in one, made by combining light rye and pumpernickel doughs. When cut, the bread has dramatic swirls of dark and light. Both the light rye and the dark rye used to be baked on Tuesdays at the Cheese Board, which gave the originator of this loaf the idea to roll them together and create marble rye.

Sprinkle each of 2 baking sheets with 1 tablespoon cornmeal.

Transfer the light rye dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle. On a separate floured surface, roll the pumpernickel dough out into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle.

Lay the pumpernickel on top of the light rye and roll the dough up
jelly roll
–style into a cylindrical loaf 6 inches in diameter and about 12 inches long. Cut the roll into 4 pieces and carefully tuck the cut ends under. Shape each piece into a
large round
, taking care to keep the light rye on the outside of the formed loaf. Place 2 loaves on each of the prepared pans and cover with a floured kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place for 2 hours, or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression.

Fifteen minutes before the bread has finished rising, arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Place a metal roasting pan on the floor of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°.
Slash
the top of each loaf
and mist them with water using a spray bottle. Wait at least 10 minutes for the slashes to begin to open.

Pour ½ cup cold water into a measuring cup and add enough ice cubes to bring the volume to 1 cup. Working quickly so that you don’t lose too much heat, place the baking sheets in the oven and pour the ice water into the roasting pan. Immediately close the oven door to maintain a steamy environment.

Bake for 5 minutes, then prepare another round of ice water and repeat the process. Bake 15 minutes longer, then rotate the baking sheets front to back and trade their rack positions. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer, for a total baking time of 40 to 45 minutes, or until the bread is deep brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Using the spray bottle, mist the loaves to give the crust a glossy shine. Immediately close the oven door and bake for 1 minute. Transfer the loaves to wire racks to cool.

 

People often refer to this sour, dense bread with its cornmeal-coated crust as an “old country” bread. One customer described it as “perfect with a bowl of hearty borscht.” Beer rye is a good keeper and can be eaten for up to a week after being baked. Our German members always claimed that it was better to wait a day before eating rye breads.

In a small bowl, whisk the yeast into the warm water until dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the flours, oats, cornmeal, cracked rye, salt, and caraway seeds.

If using a stand mixer,
add the yeast mixture, sourdough starter, and beer to the bowl. Mix on low speed with the dough hook for 5 minutes, or until the ingredients are combined. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and begins to lose its rough texture. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes, until the dough is smooth and a bit shiny.

If making by hand,
add the yeast mixture, sourdough starter, and beer to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and a bit shiny.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 2 hours, or until increased in size by one-third.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the cornmeal and put the remaining cornmeal in a medium bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 pieces. Shape each piece into a
large round
. Using a spray bottle, mist the loaves with water. Roll the loaves in the bowl of cornmeal to coat them. Place the loaves on the prepared pan and
slash
the top of each loaf. Cover with a floured kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for at least 1½ hours, or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression and the slashes have opened more fully.

Fifteen minutes before the bread has finished rising, remove all but the middle rack from the oven. Place a metal roasting pan on the floor of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Mist the loaves again with water.

Pour ½ cup cold water into a measuring cup and add enough ice cubes to bring the volume to 1 cup. Working quickly so that you don’t lose too much heat, place the baking sheet in the oven and pour the ice water into the roasting pan. Immediately close the oven door to maintain a steamy environment.

Bake for 5 minutes, then prepare another round of ice water and repeat the process. Bake 15 minutes longer, then rotate the baking sheet front to back. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer, for a total baking time of 40 to 45 minutes, or until the bread is deep brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Using the spray bottle, mist the loaves to give the crust a glossy shine. Immediately close the oven door and bake for 1 minute. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool.