The ultimate ham on rye

After finding a great recipe for Russian Black Bread on the Bob's Red Mill website, I've continued to explore the bread machine recipes on the site. I've never been a big fan of rye bread, but this recipe for Swedish Rye Bread looked interesting so I decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did. I think this is the best bread yet to have emerged from my bread machine, and there was a lot of agreement at the family dinner last night for Dylan's last evening at home before the end of spring break.

I used what was left of the bread from last night to make the ultimate ham-on-rye sandwich for lunch, using house-made prosciutto from the Timbercreek Market, Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, and Trader Joe's Dijon mustard (a little goes a long way—one review puts the mustard in its very own "my-nose-just-exploded category"). It was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had, and I'm already looking forward to a repeat for dinner.

Swedish Rye Bread

Adapted from Bob's Red Mill

You can find general instructions for making this bread by hand here.

250 grams (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) water
63 grams (3 tablespoons) honey
21 grams (1½ tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted (or oil)
272 grams (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
160 grams (1⅓ cups) dark rye flour
1 tablespoons whole caraway seeds, or to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt
¾ teaspoon orange zest, or to taste
1½ teaspoons instant yeast; or 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

    1. Add the ingredients to your bread machine pan in the order listed.  Set the machine for a 1.5-pound loaf, "Basic" cycle, and "Medium" color, and press "Start."
    2. The first kneading cycle lasts 10 minutes (on my machine). Near the end of that time, check the dough. If it feels a little sticky and there's a slight smear of dough under the knead blade(s), the dough is fine. If the dough is very sticky and clinging to the sides of the bread pan, add 1 tablespoon of flour. Allow the flour to be mixed in completely before making any more adjustments. If the dough is dry and very firm and the machine appears to be laboring, add 1 teaspoon of lukewarm water. Allow the water to be mixed in completely before making any more adjustments. The dough is just right when it is smooth and soft, and the bottom of the pan is clean. Check the dough again during the second kneading cycle (about 45 minutes in, when the alert sounds).
    3. Set a kitchen timer for about 8 minutes shy of the machine's full baking cycle. When the timer sounds, turn the machine off and unplug the power cord. Remove the bread pan, turn it upside down, and shake gently until the loaf comes out. Transfer the loaf to a rack to cool completely. Store the bread cut side down on a piece of foil. Makes a 1½-pound loaf.