Rye and Molasses Bread With Beer

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Dissolve yeast in milk. Set aside in a warm place to proof, about five minutes.

2. Step 2

   Mix all but one tablespoon of the molasses with orange rind, salt and ground fennel seeds in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then mix with beer in a large bowl. Mix the remaining tablespoon of molasses with a tablespoon of warm water and set aside to use as a glaze.

3. Step 3

   Stir in the yeast mixture. Then stir in the oats, bran and rye flour. Add the whole wheat flour, a half-cup at a time, to make a soft, somewhat sticky dough.

4. Step 4

   Turn the dough out onto a board liberally spread with the all-purpose flour. Knead until the dough is soft, smooth and fairly elastic, adding more all-purpose flour as necessary. Most of the stickiness should be gone from the dough.

5. Step 5

   Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and set aside to rise until doubled, one-and-a-half to two hours. Punch dough down, knead briefly and divide in half.

6. Step 6

   Shape each portion of dough into a narrow, plump oval and press the fennel seeds into the top of each loaf. Place loaves on an oiled baking sheet and set aside to rise until doubled, about one hour.

7. Step 7

   Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush each loaf with some of the glaze prepared in Step 2. Place breads in the middle of the oven and bake until they sound hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Brush more glaze on the loaves during baking.

8. Step 8

   Cover breads loosely with foil and cool on racks.