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Polish" Rye Bread (As Made in Bucks County)

A historical recipe from Mary at the farm, and book of recipes compiled during her visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans", by Thomas, Edith M. (Edith May) (1915).

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A historical recipe

Mary at the farm, and book of recipes compiled during her visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans", by Thomas, Edith M. (Edith May) (1915). Project Gutenberg eBook #13545.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

United States

Known as an American recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 6 ingredients

  1. two quarts of white-bread flour
  2. one tablespoonful of a mixture of lard
  3. Two tablespoonfuls of sugar
  4. one-half tablespoonful of salt
  5. five cups of the mixed
  6. one cup has been added

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.

Method

  1. This excellent, nutritious bread, is made from the whole-ground grain.
  2. Every part of the grain is used in the flour, when ground.
  3. To bake this bread, sift together one quart of this "whole-ground" rye flour and two quarts of white-bread flour.
  4. Early in the morning of the day on which bread is to be baked, prepare a thick batter, or sponge, consisting of one quart of potato water (or the same quantity of luke-warm, scalded milk, or a mixture of the two);
  5. add one tablespoonful of a mixture of lard and butter and two boiled, mashed potatoes.
  6. Two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one-half tablespoonful of salt and one Fleischman's compressed yeast cake, dissolved in a small quantity of water;
  7. add about five cups of the mixed, sifted flour, beat the batter well, and stand in a warm place, covered, from one and a half to two hours.
  8. When well-risen and light, stir in balance of flour gradually, until all except one cup has been added;
  9. then turn onto a bake-board and knead well.
  10. This sponge should not be quite as stiff as for wheat bread.
  11. Turn the dough onto a clean, well-floured cloth in a large bowl, set to rise and bake according to directions for baking "Hearth-baked Rye Bread" or, if preferred, form into loaves, place in bread pans and, when light, bake.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Cake tin
  • Mixing bowl
  • Wooden spoon
  • Spatula
  • Sieve
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Mary at the farm, and book of recipes compiled during her visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans", by Thomas, Edith M. (Edith May) (1915). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #13545 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13545). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.