Black Bread

1 1/2 cups rye flour
2 1/2 teaspoons active dried yeast
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/4 cup molasses
4 teaspoons caraway seeds, plus 1 teaspoon for the top
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups white bread flour (or 2 cups white flour and 1 cup white wheat flour)
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 cups finely shredded raw carrot
1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Put 1 cup of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Whisk in 1/3 cup of the rye flour with a fork - it will look like oatmeal - and let cool to lukewarm, about 15 minutes.  Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar, stir well, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes.  Heat 1/2 cup more water and add the cocoa, coffee, molasses, 4 teaspoons of caraway seeds, the rest of the sugar, and the butter.  Stir until the butter has melted.  Let stand until lukewarm.

Put the white flour and rest of the rye flour into a bowl with the salt.  Make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture into it, followed by the molasses liquid and the carrot.  Mix until you have a sticky dough.  Knead on an oiled surface for about 10 minutes, or in the food processor with a dough hook for about 5 minutes.  The dough will be glossy, taut, and a rusty mud color, flecked with carrot.  Put in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with oiled plastic wrap.  Let stand at room temperature for one hour - the dough should increase in size by about half.

Punch down the dough, then shape into a round loaf with the seam underneath and put on an oiled baking sheet.  Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for about an hour.  Heat the oven to 425°F. 

Remove the plastic wrap and brush the surface of the dough with water.  Sprinkle with the sesame and remaining caraway seeds and cut a deep cross in the top with a serrated knife.  Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 20 minutes.  If you slide the loaf off the pan and tap its underside, it should sound hollow.  Slide onto a wire rack and let cool.  


Makes 1 large loaf.

From A Change of Appetite by Diana Henry