Instructions: [Two large round loaves]

BAKING SHEET: One baking sheet, greased or Teflon

PREPARATION: 20 mins.

In a large bowl or cup dissolve yeast in water. Stir briskly with a fork or whip. Let it stand 5 minutes to begin its fermentation.

With a large wooden spoon stir all of the rye flour, sugar, molasses, cumin, fennel, orange rind, raisins, and about 1.5 cups of white flour into the bowl. Beat until smooth- about 100 strokes.

Add 1 cup flour, stir, and beat in the shortening and salt. By hand add more flour, a little at a time, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and is stiff. If a raisin works its way out, push it back into the dough. The slight discoloration that sometimes comes with working fruit into white dough will not be noticed in this dark loaf.

KNEADING: 10 mins.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board or counter top. Since this will be a slightly sticky dough, it may help to grease the fingers before beginning. Knead until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.

FIRST RISING: 50 mins.

Put the dough into the large bowl (which has been washed and greased), cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place (80-85 f) until it doubles in bulk. You can test if it has risen by poking a finger in it; the dent will remain.

SHAPING: 15 mins.

Punch down dough with quick jabs of the fist and fingers. Turn it over; let rest for 10 minutes. Turn the dough onto the board, knead briefly to press out the air. With a sharp knife, cut into two pieces. Pat and roll the dough into round balls. Place on opposite corners of the baking sheet. Flatten slightly.

SECOND RISING: 45 mins.

Cover the dough with wax paper or foil and return to the warm place until doubled in volume. You can test if it has risen by poking a finger in it; the dent will remain.

BAKING: 375f, 45 mins.

Preheat the oven to 375f. With a razor blade or sharp knife, slash a cross on top of each loaf. Bake in the oven. When the loaves are crusty and tapping the bottom crust yields a hard and hollow sound, they are done. If not, return to oven for an additional 10 minutes. If the loaves appear to be browning too quickly, cover with a piece of foil or brown sack paper.

FINAL STEP:
Remove from oven and place the loaves on a wire cooling rack.This limpa makes exceptionally good toast. The loaf freezes well.

My observations [Fred]:
This is one TERRIFIC loaf of bread... and the author is correct in his statement that it makes exceptionally good toast but it usually doesnt last long enough to get anywhere near a toaster.

When I make it I tend to find that it needs either a little LESS rye flour, or a little MORE water than the recipe calls for. Id suggest that you may want to try 2.5 cups of water instead of 2, but you may want to try it as written first, just to see how you like it.

Since it contains quite a bit of rye flour, its low in gluten, and really does get sticky, so the cautions about dealing with stickiness are entirely appropriate.

Also, since it contains a lot of rye (even more if you dont add extra liquid or cut back the rye a bit because it gets too stiff before you can get all the white flour worked in) it tends to take a lot of kneading and also may not rise well. Id take that as a hint to do what I suggested above, i.e., add water or cut back on the rye a bit.

Also, it may be my oven, but I find it tends to burn on the bottom if baked at even 350 degrees. The last time I made it I dropped the temperature to around 335-340, and covered the bottom of the baking sheets with aluminum foil (shiny side down) to prevent the bottom from getting so much heat. This just means the crust wont get quite so dark, and it may take a few more minutes in the oven to finish baking.

And, I find it works better to make each loaf on a separate baking sheet, as they tend to crash into each other and become Siamese twins.

This is one of the authors favorite loaves from among a dozen limpa recipes in his files. It has the chili-like flavor of crushed cumin seed, the unmistakable fragrance of fennel, and the pleasant goodness of orange. Studded with raisins, the loaf rises up to become a handsome brown ball. It sends forth a good aroma when toasted and buttered.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.