Jewish Deli Rye Bread

Method

1. The night before, stir the rye flour, lukewarm water and 1/4 tsp yeast into a thick paste in a large bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature 12–16 hours, until bubbly, domed and smelling pleasantly sour. (Short on time? Let it sit just 1–2 hours for a milder, simple yeasted loaf.)
2. Add the bread flour, the 1/2 cup water, the remaining yeast, salt, caraway and oil to the sponge. Mix until no dry flour remains, rest 10 minutes, then knead 6–8 minutes (or 5 minutes in a stand mixer on low) until fairly smooth but still a little tacky.
3. Shape into a ball in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until about 1 1/2 times its size, 60–90 minutes.
4. With wet hands, pat the dough into a rectangle, roll it up tightly from a long side, pinch the seam, and roll it into a 12-inch oval with tapered ends. Set it seam-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with a little cornmeal or flour.
5. Cover and let rise until puffy and about 1 1/2 times its size, 45–60 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425 °F with a rack in the middle.
6. For the glaze, whisk the cornstarch into the cold water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil while stirring, and cook until clear and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Let it cool a little.
7. Brush the loaf with glaze, sprinkle with caraway, and cut 3–4 diagonal slashes about 1/2 inch deep. Bake 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 375 °F and bake 25–30 minutes more, brushing again with glaze right after baking, until deep golden and about 200 °F in the center.
8. Cool completely on a rack, at least 2 hours, before slicing; rye keeps setting as it cools.

Tips

• Sticky dough is normal with rye: its gums hold water and never turn as silky as a wheat dough. Knead with wet or lightly oiled hands and a bench scraper instead of adding lots of extra flour, which makes a dry, dense loaf.
• Weigh the rye flour if you can. It is light (106 g per cup) and easy to over-pack, which tightens the dough.
• The cornstarch glaze is the deli secret to that shiny, slightly crackly crust that holds the seeds. Cook it until it turns clear (cloudy glaze leaves white streaks), brush thinly before baking, and brush again the moment the loaf leaves the oven for extra shine.
• No overnight time? Skip the long rest and use the sponge after 1–2 hours. The bread will be milder, closer to a simple yeasted rye.
• Leave out the caraway for an unseeded “plain” rye, or add 1 tbsp dried minced onion for an onion rye.
• Inspiration: the sponge-then-dough approach and cornstarch glaze follow the classic Jewish deli rye formulas published by Stanley Ginsberg (The Rye Baker), Jeffrey Hamelman (Bread) and King Arthur Baking's Jewish rye bread. Quantities and wording here are our own.

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