Onion Rye Bread

I have come to the conclusion that bread is a miracle. You throw all these things in a pot, mash them up, and it miraculously swells and bakes into something edible and delicious. It makes me wonder who thought it would be a good idea in the first place. How did anyone know they were creating something edible?

Do you wonder about things like that? What caveman looked at mushrooms and thought yum! Who thought letting milk curdle into cheese was a good idea? Not to mention alcohol. I would have thrown it out as spoiled!

You might recall that I blogged about artisanal bread recently -- Almost No Knead Bread. The whole thing started because my mom asked for New York Rye. Well, this isn't exactly New York Rye, but it's really good! I experimented with a few loaves and finally decided this one works for us. It's made basically the same way as the other bread I blogged about. However, it does require kneading. Somehow, this kneading doesn't bother me so much. Maybe it's because it doesn't need a lot of kneading. Or maybe it's because it's the next day. I think I like having to start the bread at night -- it's not a big, long bread baking marathon. Plus, while it's a little intimidating at first, once you've baked bread this way a couple of times, it's no big deal at all. Never thought I'd say that about baking bread without a machine!

I've used pink sea salt, but any salt would work. You might want to use a little bit less if you use standard table salt.

Onion Rye Bread

• Dutch oven or deep lidded roaster that can withstand 500 degrees (wood or plastic handles may be a problem)
• Parchment paper
• kitchen towel

1 3/4 cups plain flour + extra for kneading
1 1/4 cups rye flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pink sea salt
1/4 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup mild beer (I used Heineken)
1/8 cup caraway seeds
1/4 cup minced dried onion
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
cold water
Kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until it looks ragged.

Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warmish draft-free spot overnight, about 8-12 hours.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead, adding flour as necessary until it is no longer sticky.

Scatter cornmeal over a long piece of parchment paper. Place the dough on top of the cornmeal. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warmish spot, out of drafts for two hours.

Place the Dutch oven into your oven and preheat to 500 degrees.

Meanwhile, brush dough with cold water and sprinkle with Kosher salt.

Using the ends of the parchment paper as "handles" place inside of the hot Dutch oven.

Cover and insert in oven. Reduce heat to 425 and bake 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 20-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.