Rye Bread: Part Two (Pastoli)

Pastoli!  Do you know what that means?  I didn't either because Charlie made up the word.  :)  I needed a name for the filled rye sandwiches I made with leftover rye dough, and he came up with pastoli.   I decided to keep the name when it passed the google test (it doesn't mean anything terrible and it isn't any sort of brand name as far as I can tell). 

This is a loose recipe for pastoli with salami, provolone, pickles, and spicy mustard. The ingredient quantities aren't exact because of the playful nature of this dish, and a zillion variations are possible. I think rosemary bread with brie, sliced turkey, and granny smith apples would be tasty. Maybe something with pesto? If anyone tries these at home please let me know what fillings you used and your level of success.

Rye Pastoli

ingredients:

1/2 recipe rye dough

8 slices provolone cheese

12 thin slices salami

spicy mustard

sliced pickles

1 egg

kosher salt

Make the rye dough and allow to rise for approximately one hour (first rise).

Take a large handful of rye dough and stretch it into a small square. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangle approximately 8 x 10 inches in size. (It doesn't have to be a perfect rectangle so don't stress over that.)

Place a small spoonful of spicy mustard in the center of the rectangle and spread around the center.

Top with pickle slices, 2 -3 slices of provolone cheese and 3 -4 slices salami.

Fold the short ends toward the center, leaving about 1/3 of the filling uncovered. Fold one of the long ends toward the center. Take care not to tear the dough.

Put a little water on your fingertips and wet the edge of the last side a little. Fold it over and press against the opposite edge to seal. You should have a neat little packet of dough.

Make four packets and place them seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow to rise a second time for approximately one hour.

I think they look pretty great at this stage!  Also, this is the point at which you can refrigerate them.  Keep reading for more info on that.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat an egg with 1 Tbsp water and lightly brush over each packet. Cut three slits in each bundle and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until bread is baked through and tops are golden.

Take a deep breath while the pastoli bakes because your house is going to smell amazing!  Cut each pastoli in half and serve while still warm.

I love how unfussy, yet somewhat impressive, these are.  Also, they can be assembled up to one day ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake.  Just let them come back to room temperature and rise for about thirty minutes.

 I think they would be perfect for taking on picnics because they're so self-contained.  I happen to know they're great around the pool, and everyone I've made them for (only four people so far, but they'll make an appearance at a larger gathering I'm sure) really likes them.  

I think rye bread is perfect for these, but I made another batch a few days ago using different dough and they were good too.  Still, as far as I'm concerned rye is the way to go.  

Rye Bread: Part One (Loaf and Rolls)

A couple weekends ago I assisted a wonderful class on baking bread at The Cook's Warehouse. Chef Doris Koplin, an amazing baker and a delightful person, instructed the class and over the course five hours produced an abundance of flavorful yeast breads. Everything she baked was melt-in-your-mouth good, but I was particularly taken with her rye. It had all the complexity that rye demands while still being light on the tongue.
Flash forward a week -- I decided to bake some rye at home so I could try out a few new techniques and the wonderful new recipe I have. I love this dough. It's so easy to work with, it smells great, and it makes really terrific bread. Also, it's quite versatile (as you will see). Here's the basic recipe.

Rye Bread
adapted from a recipe by Doris Koplin

ingredients:
6 cups bread flour
2 cups rye flour
3 Tablespoons caraway seed
1/4 cup sugar
2 packages (approximately 5 Tbsp) yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups milk, heated to room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil

Measure dry ingredients (flours, caraway seeds, and sugar) into a bowl. Place the yeast in the warm water and allow to sit for approximately five minutes or until mixture becomes foamy. This is called proofing the yeast. Combine the oil and milk and add to the dry ingredients. Add the proofed yeast (including the water) and mix well with a large wooden spoon. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. This should take approximately five minutes.



Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, about one hour.



Punch dough down and shape as desired (more to come on that). Place breads on baking pan which has been covered with parchment paper and cover again with the damp towel. Allow to rise again until doubled in bulk, about one hour. Brush breads with a beaten egg to glaze, sprinkle with caraway seeds and a little coarse salt. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven, 25 to 30 minutes for loaves, 15 to 20 minutes for rolls.

You might have noticed that this is going to produce a tremendous amount of dough. Eight cups of flour! What could you possibly do with that much rye bread? Plenty. Here are some suggestions.

The most obvious thing to do is bake rye loaves. This is certainly a worthwhile thing to do with the dough, and you'll have plenty to freeze for later. The recipe above will yield three loaves of rye. To make a loaf, divide the dough into thirds (after the first rise). Using one piece of the newly-divided dough roll out an 11 by 9 inch rectangle. Fold the 9-inch ends toward the center, about one third of the way. Now move to one of the 11-inch sides and carefully roll it toward the center until you have a nice tight loaf. Gently place the dough into a greased bread pan, seam-side down. You may need to gently press the ends of the dough toward the center in order to ensure a comfortable fit. It should look like this:



I have no idea why I didn't photograph the other steps, as it would really help to have a few visual aids here. The next time I bake bread (probably this weekend) I'll try to remember to take photos and update this post.

Cover the loaf with a dish towel and allow to rise approximately one hour or until doubled in size. Brush with an egg wash (one beaten egg with a splash of water) and sprinkle with your choice of caraway seeds or coarse salt (or both!). Bake the loaf in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown on top and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. That's it! Now you have a yummy loaf of rye bread.

If you're feeling a little more adventurous you can make rolls. I think rolls are so much fun to make. There are a zillion ways to shape rolls, my favorite being fancy tucked knots. The entire dough recipe given above will make approximately 3 dozen rolls small rolls or 18 large rolls.

To make one fancy tucked knot roll, pull off a handfull of dough. Using your palms, roll it into a long, thin rope. (This is kind of like making snakes with playdough when you're little.) Don't worry if it isn't perfect.



Now, take the rope and tie it into a knot. Don't make this too complicated! It's just a knot. :) Also, try not to break the dough or stretch it too much in the process. Just go with the flow.



Now take the ends of the rope (sticking out on either side) and tuck them. Go in the direction they're already tending toward. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect when you finish. They'll rise a little more and that will cover a number of flaws. You can see that mine isn't perfect in the photo below.



Now you have a roll. Place the formed rolls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, then cover them with a damp dish towel. Allow to rise for approximately one hour or until doubled in size. Glaze with an egg wash and sprinkle with caraway seeds and/or coarse salt. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. You can use a toothpick to test doneness just as you might do with a cake. If the toothpick comes out clean they're done. If has dough stuck to the sides they should bake a little longer. Pictures of the rolls before the go into the oven:






And after baking:





Yum, yum, yum!

There's one other thing I did with my rye dough, but it will have to wait until later. It's quite wonderful. And we call it...a pastoli! Stay tuned!