walnut sour cherry rye bread

I am having a difficult time getting back into the swing of Houston life since we have been back.  The upheaval at work is not helping as well as the heat of late summer.  Our last traveling bit was for the boyos and I just did not feel like I came back refreshed.  I have already done some mending today and I hope to put my hands in dough and sit at my sewing machine.  That may help.

Before we left, I made a walnut sour cherry rye bread.  I have been listening to the Kerry Greenwood Corinna Chapman mysteries and since Corinna Chapman is a baker there are all these lovely descriptions of bread and food.  Corinna Chapman starts most mornings with some of her own bread, many times rye, and sour cherry jam.  I rifted on that for this bread.  I was thinking it would be great with cheese on our travels.  The youngest of the boyos though did not think this was food so there was much to much eating out done due to just trying to get him fed.

I made two loaves of this.  I gave half to two different co-workers.  One came back and said it was fabulous as the bread for grilled cheese.  The other, who like stout beers, said it tasted like a really nice Lambic beer, and also like a Flemish Sour Ale.  Since I have not found a beer I like, I would not know but someone else may.  I think it is pretty fabulous with butter and with cream cheese.  The grilled cheese is on my list and smoked salmon and cherry jam.  

walnut sour cherry rye bread

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

1 cup rye flour

2 3/4 cup water

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup walnut oil

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup finely chopped dried sour cherries

3 teaspoons salt

5 to 6 cups dark rye flour

The night before, mix the starter, 3/4 cup water, and 1 cup rye in a large bowl.  Cover and let sit overnight.  Take out a couple tablespoons of starter for the next batch of bread.

Into the starter, mix the water, honey, oil, walnut, and cherries.  Mix in two to three cups of rye flour.  It should be the consistency of pancake batter.  Cover and let sit until bubbly, a couple hours or more.

After the batter is bubbly, mix in the salt.  Mix in two more cups of flour.  You should have a stiff dough.  Turn out onto a counter floured with rye flour and start kneading.  The dough should be very soft.  The sour cherries may soak up more liquid and rye rises better if it is a moister dough.  Place back into a cleaned bowl, and let rise until double.

Grease two large loaf pans.  Divide the dough into two and form into a loaf shape.  Place into the pans.  Cover and let rise.  My house was cool so I let the loaves rise overnight.

Turn the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put in the loaves and bake for one hour.  The loaves are done when they sound hollow when tapped.

It is best if you can wait at least twenty minutes before cutting but that rarely happens in my house.  Enjoy.