Dark Rye Bread and Corned Beef Tongue

delicious with slices of warm corned beef tongue topped

with barbecue sauce, Dijon mustard, and creamy horseradish

Rye bread is not one of my favorites specially the sour dense variety but I was willing to give it a chance to wow me. I baked a small batch and surprisingly this time, it did. I used a 3 to 1 ratio of rye/bread flour with a rye sponge in place of sourdough starter. The dense dark bread has no flavorings nor seeds like caraway that in my opinion mask the earthy somewhat smokey flavor of rye flour. I love that it has a bit of chew and is sweetish too. I prefer the bread untoasted with just a little butter or duck liver paté and with corn chowder, but I love it even more with thick slices of corned beef tongue.

yummy with duck liver paté


and with corn chowder

Dark Rye Bread

sponge

1 cup rye flour

a pinch of instant yeast

¾ cup water

dough
1 cup bread flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1¼ up to 1½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon barley malt syrup
2 cups rye flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ tablespoons caramel powder

• In a small bowl, mix sponge ingredients with a spatula until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the kitchen counter overnight or at least 12 hours. 
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together bread flour, yeast, and sugar. Stir in warm water and barley malt syrup; mix until smooth. Add sponge, rye flour, salt, and caramel powder. Mix with a wooden spatula until fully combined. The dough will be very sticky. With lightly oiled or wet hands, knead dough on kitchen counter for 6 minutes; it will still be sticky. Form into a ball and place on a lightly greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and let ferment on the kitchen counter for 3 hours. It may or may not double in size.
• With lightly oiled hands, knead dough a few times, flatten into a rectangle and roll to fit a 9 x 4-inch loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise up to the rim of the pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 1½ hours.

Corned Beef Tongue

1 beef tongue

½ cup kosher salt

water

2 tablespoon pickling spice
1 teaspoon sea salt, optional

• Wash and brush tongue; dry thoroughly with paper towels. Place in a container with lid and rub all over with salt. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. 
• Rinse tongue, place in a pot with pickling spice and 1 teaspoon sea salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, skim off top, lower heat, and simmer, covered, on medium-low heat for 3 hours or until very tender. Remove from broth; discard broth. Let cool slightly; peel off tough skin and discard skin. Let cool before slicing. Re-heat slices or serve at room temperature to fill sandwiches.