Italian Rye

Not commonly thought of as Italian bread, this light rye from Jim Lahey's cookbook (I know it's becoming quite a theme) has a firm texture and a subtle almost sourdough flavor. By now we all know the no-knead method made famous when the New York Times' Mark Bittman published bread genius Jim Lahey's pot cooked procedure. This loaf is no different -- a mixture of bread and rye flour ( 2 1/4 cups to 3/4 cups), yeast, salt and cool water quickly turned into a sticky dough and left to rise and flavor for around 20 hours. After being quickly shaped and left to rise (2 hours) again, the soft dough is turned into a pre-heated 5 quart pot and baked at 475º for 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered until the crust is a deep rich brown and the crumb light and tender. So far James' favorite is Lahey's delicate whole wheat bread. All I know is when homemade bread is this easy to make there is no reason to buy anyone else's loaves.