Black Bread

Ingredients:

This Black Bread recipe is traditionally a Russian bread - if you've never tried it before, it's worth baking it - it tastes absolutely delicious and full of flavour - great with a morning cuppa.

300ml water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

15g or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast

2 tablespoons molasses or black treacle

25g margarine

2 tablespoons vinegar

175g wholewheat flour

75g bran breakfast cereal

1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds, crushed

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

225g rye flour

Glaze:

1/2 teaspoon cornflour

3 tablespoons cold water

Method:

Heat 4-5 tablespoons of the water until lukewarm, then blend in the sugar and yeast.

Leave aside for 10 minutes until frothy. Gently heat the molasses and margarine in a saucepan with the remaining water until dissolved. Then, stir in the vinegar and leave aside until lukewarm.

Place the wholewheat flour, bran cereal, caraway and fennel seeds in a bowl with the salt - and mix in the yeast liquid and molasses liquid - and blend together to give a soft mixture.

Beat well.

Work in the rye flour to give a fairly soft dough and then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Cover the dough with the bowl and leave to rest for 15 minutes before kneading well for 10-15 minutes using as little extra flour as possible.

Place the dough in oiled polythene bag and leave aside in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough, knead until smootha nd then shape into a round about 6 inches in diameter.

Place the round on a greased baking tray and put to rise in a warm place until doubled in size - about an hour.

Bake in the centre of a moderate oven (180°C) for 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the cornflour and the cold water and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.

Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

As soon as the bread is baked, brush the cornflour mixture over the top oft he loaf.

Return the bread to the oven and bake for a further 2-3 minutes or until the glaze is set.

Remove the bread from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

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