Instructions: Combine water with yeast and sugar in 6 quart bowl. Let stand 1 minute then stir until yeast and sugar are dissolved. Add flour and stir until consistency of thick batter. You may need a bit more white ap flour. Continue stirring for 100 strokes until strands of gluten come off spoon when you press back of spoon against bowl. Scrape down sides of bowl and cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and put in moderately warm draft free place until bubbly and increased in volume (74-80 degrees). This poolish can be refrigerated overnight. Transfer poolish to 6 quart bowl. Add rye flour, caraway, oil, salt and sugar. Stir with wooden spoon until well combined. Add enough white flour to make thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto well floured surface. Knead 15-17 minutes. Dough is ready when small amount pulled from mass springs back quickly.

Shape dough into ball and let rest on lightly floured surface while you butter or Pam a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Ideal is temperature is 78. Cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and put in warm (74-78) place until doubled. Try to keep at 78). (Takes about two hours)

Deflate by punching down. Reform into ball and return to bowl and cover again. Sit until doubled. (About 45 minutes)

Cut in two pieces. Place in bread pans that have been Pamd, and let rise until doubled. (Takes 35-40 minutes)

30 minutes prior to baking, preheat oven with baking tiles in place, to 450. Scar loaves of bread with a sharp raxor blade on the diagonal. Brush loaves with corn starch mixture. One tbsp cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water. Pour into 1/2 cup boiling water and stir until boils again. Place rack in center of oven and put the bread on this. Needs lots of steam for a good crust, so spray oven before putting bread in. Repeat spray twice more at three minute intervals. Bake in bread pan for 25 minutes and then remove from pan and finish loaves directly on stone.

Using a razor blade, score loaves making shallow cuts 1/4 - inch deep along surface. Slide bread pans onto rack and quickly spray inner walls and floor of oven with cold water from spray bottle. Close door to trap steam - three minutes. Spray again and bake 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 and bake until loaves are rich caramel color and crust is firm, another 15-20 minutes. Tap loaves on bottom. If hollow sound - done. Cool on racks.

NOTES : I had tried both Geensteins and Bernenbaums recipes. They both had good parts, so I combined them as follows. This is a delicious loaf of rye! It takes a bit of time, but it is worth it.

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