Saldskaaba Maize (Latvian Sourdough Rye Bread)

Ingredients

• •3 1/2 cups, plus 1 tablespoon apple cider
• •2 tablespoons caraway seeds
• •5 1/2, or more cups coarse, whole grain rye flour
• •1 cup sourdough starter (1:1 ratio water: bread: flour)
• •1 tablespoon yeast
• •1 teaspoon salt
• •2 1/2 cups bread flour
• •vegetable oil spray

Directions

1. 1Heat 3 cups apple cider and 2 tablespoons caraway seeds to boiling; pour over 3 cups of coarse rye flour and stir. Let mixture cool. Add 1 cup active sourdough starter and mix well. The mixture will resemble heavy porridge as the rye flour absorbs the apple cider. Sprinkle 1/2 cup coarse rye flour over the mixture but do not stir at this point.
2. 2Cover your bowl with a dishtowel, and then wrap the covered bowl with a beach towel or blanket. Put wrapped bowl in a warm spot and allow the mixture to ferment for up to 24 hours.
3. 3Dissolve 1 tablespoon yeast in 1/2 cup warm apple cider. Let the yeast mixture bubble and then add it to the sourdough mixture. Gradually add 1 teaspoon salt, 2 1/2 cups bread flour, and 2 cups coarse rye flour. Knead with your heavy-duty electric mixer. If the dough seems too wet, add more rye flour. Wet dough will result in a soggy baked brick.
4. 4This type of bread is tricky to make, as the dough is always very sticky from the rye; it takes some trial and error to get a feel for the dough. If the dough is too wet, it becomes slack after a while; the correct consistency of dough remains rather firm.
5. 5Spray a Formica countertop or a marble pastry board with vegetable cooking spray. Use a small plastic pan scraper or something like that to scrape your dough out of the bowl and onto your work surface. Using a bench knife/dough scraper, divide the dough into two equal chunks. Wet your hands with water and keep a bowl of water handy for additional dipping. Form the dough into two loaves on the oiled surface, using just your wet hands; do not add flour at this point.
6. 6Place the loaves into oiled bread pans. Cover with a dishtowel and let rise in a warm place. Believe it or not, this very heavy dough will rise. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Farenheit; then turn heat down to 350 degrees Farenheit and continue to bake for an additional hour. Don't underbake. Remove loaves from pans and allow to cool on a rack.