Last year, we were approached by Hannah Mellion from Farm Fresh RI about some Rye that had been grown at Schartners farm in Exeter, RI. The Rye would be ground into flour at Kenyons grist mill in West Kingston, RI . Would we be interested in some of this flour? Absolutely! Please see the Summer 2010 issue of Edible Rhody for the full story here. http://www.ediblecommunities.com/rhody/summer-2010/farm-to-table.htm
We made the bread last year until the Rye flour dried up. Well, we have some of this years rye, and we’ll be bringing the bread back for a limited time on Thursday only! We’ve changed it slightly from last year. The flour is more of what we would call Rye meal with large chunks of bran and germ retained. It is still the traditional dense, sourdough brick of bread that it was last year. The addition of a tiny amount of Whole Wheat has lightened it up a little. We feel like it has made for a better bread. Don’t worry; if you loved it last year, you’ll still love it this year!
This type of bread is common throughout Northern and Eastern Europe. This is not Rye bread for your reuben sandwich! The rich, strong flavored bread is meant to be sliced very thin, and eaten open faced with your favorite strong cheeses, sausages and mustards. Smoked Salmon and raw red onion is a favorite in Scandinavia. I like it lightly toasted with a dollop of honey!