BAKING PANS

2 medium (8"-x-4") loaf pans, greased, plus a larger baking or roasting pan in which to place these 2 pans

PREPARATION

20 mins.

In a pot, boil the potatoes to get the 4 cups potato water. Save the potatoes for another use as only the water is used in this recipe.

BY HAND

15 mins.

Pour the boiling potato water into a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients.

Be forewarned: all-rye is a sticky mess that won't get better no matter how long it is worked. When the dough has cooled, use a spoon (and your fingers, sparingly) to blend all of the ingredients together.

BY PROCESSOR

8 mins.

Make the potato water, as above. Set aside. This sequence differs from above.

Use a plastic blade.

Measure 4 cups rye flour into the work bowl and add the salt, brewer's yeast, and caraway seeds. Pulse to blend. Pour in the hot potato water and molasses. Pulse to mix thoroughly.

Add the rye flour, 1/4 cup at a time. The addition of rye may create a dough that is too dense for the blade. If the blade slows or stops, scrape the dough onto a floured work surface or into a greased bowl and continue by hand.

SHAPING

8 mins.

Spoon the dough into the pans. Dampen your fingers and push the dough into the corners and smooth the surface.

Cover each pan tightly with foil. Place them in the larger pan and fill it with hot water an inch or so deep around the dough-filled tins. Cover the larger pan with a lid or improvise a cover with aluminum foil to keep the steam from escaping.

STEAM/BAKING 250°

3 hours 1 hour

Place the covered pan in the oven and set the temperature at 250°. Steam, covered, for 3 hours.

Lift out the larger pan, uncover, and then lift out the 2 bread pans. Remove the foil from each and return them by themselves to the oven for an additional hour, still at 250°.

No heat

1 hour

Turn off the heat. Turn the bread out from the pans and return them to the oven to dry, about 1 hour, for a total of 5 hours.

(Some home convection ovens will not hold both the bread tins and the large water-filled pan. I can just get a 13 1/2"-x-8 3/4"-x-1 3/4" pan in my oven. It is a tight fit for 2 bread pans but it will work. The alternative is to reduce the recipe by half and steam/bake a single loaf in a smaller pan that will fit into the oven. Set the temperature at 225°, and follow the same times and procedures as above.)

FINAL STEP

Place on a metal rack to cool before slicing 1/8" thick to serve.