Classic Deli-Style Rye Bread, Gluten Free

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake up the yeast

   Stir the warm water, yeast, honey, and molasses together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until the surface looks cloudy and a little foamy. If nothing happens at all, your yeast is past its prime — start over with a fresh packet rather than pushing ahead.

2. 2

   Whisk the dry ingredients

   In a separate bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour blend, buckwheat flour, xanthan gum, psyllium husk, cocoa powder, caraway seeds, and salt until evenly combined. Buckwheat and cocoa stand in for the color and deep, earthy flavor rye normally brings, since rye grain itself contains gluten.

3. 3

   Mix the batter

   Add the eggs, melted butter, and vinegar to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment — not the dough hook — add the dry ingredients, and beat on medium for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway through. This will look like a thick, glossy batter rather than a kneadable dough, which is exactly right. There's no gluten to develop, so you're just making sure everything is evenly hydrated.

4. 4

   Rest to hydrate

   Cover the bowl and let the batter sit for 25 minutes. The psyllium and starches drink up a surprising amount of water during this time, and the batter will go from loose and sloppy to thick and scoopable. Skipping this rest is the main reason gluten-free loaves come out gritty and crumbly.

5. 5

   Fill the pan and rise

   Scrape the batter into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan and smooth the top with a wet spatula or wet fingertips into a gentle dome. There's only one rise here — cover loosely and let it rise 60 to 75 minutes, until the dough reaches about 1/2 inch above the rim. Don't wait for it to double; gluten-free batter has no elastic network to hold a tall rise and will collapse in the oven if it's overproofed. Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower third about 30 minutes in.

6. 6

   Wash and top

   Whisk the egg white with the teaspoon of water and brush it gently over the surface, using a light touch so you don't deflate the loaf. Scatter on the extra caraway seeds if you like. Skip the slashing on this version — cutting the risen batter will only make it sink.

7. 7

   Bake

   Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, tenting with foil after 30 minutes once the top is well browned. Gluten-free loaves need to go hotter and longer than wheat ones: pull it when the center reads 205 to 210°F on an instant-read thermometer. Anything under that will be damp and sticky in the middle.

8. 8

   Cool all the way

   Turn the loaf out onto a rack immediately so steam doesn't collect in the pan, and cool completely — at least 3 hours, or overnight if you can stand it. Gluten-free crumb genuinely finishes setting as it cools, and a warm slice will tear and gum up on the knife.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Medium rye gives the best balance of flavor and structure. Dark rye makes a denser, earthier loaf; light rye makes a milder, fluffier one. All three work, but expect the rise to shrink as the rye gets darker.

• 2.

  Keep rye flour in the freezer. It's higher in oils than wheat flour and goes rancid within a few months at room temperature, which shows up as a sharp, bitter aftertaste.

• 3.

  If you like a more pronounced caraway flavor, crush half the seeds with the side of a knife before adding them. If you don't like caraway at all, leave it out entirely — the loaf is still excellent.

• 4.

  Rye dough is meant to feel sticky. Flour your hands instead of the dough when shaping, and use a bench scraper to move it around.

• 5.

  For a chewier, bakery-style crust, slide a shallow pan of boiling water onto the oven floor right as the loaf goes in and remove it after 15 minutes.

• 6.

  Mixing by hand works fine. Combine everything with a sturdy spoon, then knead on a lightly oiled counter for 12 to 15 minutes.