Hearty Sour Rye Bread

I really enjoyed my bread baking the other day, and will probably be making a few more bread recipes in the next couple weeks, since I have a whole bag of bread flour now! This loaf is delicious for sandwiches.

To start, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3/4 cup finely chopped onion; cover and cook for ten minutes until golden. Let cool completely.

Dissolve 1/4 tsp. sugar and one yeast packet (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) in 2 tablespoons of water, warmed to between 100 and 110 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups plain soy yogurt (such as Whole Soy), 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 tsp. ground white pepper - I keep whole white peppercorns in my spice cabinet and grind them down with my trusty mortar and pestle by hand.

Make the equivalent of one egg using egg replacer (such as Ener-G) and stir with a whisk until slightly frothy. Add to the yeast mixture.

Spoon out 2 cups bread flour and 1 and 1/4 cups rye flour into measuring cups, leveling with a knife. Add to the yeast mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring until a soft dough forms. Stir in the cooled onions.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes (punch down, fold over, quarter turn, repeat!), adding 1/4 cup more bread flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.

Place in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover and let rise for 45 minutes, until doubled in size. Punch down and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Lightly flour your hands and knead the dough 5 times, then shape into a 7-inch round loaf. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Cut 3 (1/4-inch deep) diagonal slits across the top of the loaf. Make one more vegan "egg" using egg replacer, and brush over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. coarse salt.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes - the loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Cut into 12 slices - 170 calories each.

Cost:
onion $1.19
yeast packets $2.69
plain soy yogurt $1.98
rye flour $2.99