Bread Diary - Rye Bread

Finally... the bread I've been dying to make. I love the smell of rye bread, and as an adult packing a lunch for work, it was my go-to bread of choice. Slather on some mustard and then layer the pastrami, and you've got yourself a delicious lunch time snack. In my attempt to follow along with the recipes in the book, rye bread was stuck in the middle, so I patiently waited as I cooked through the various other loaves (yes, anyone else probably would have just skipped ahead and baked that one... but not me). I also wanted the rye bread to coordinate with our 3rd piece of brisket. And so, finally, the stars aligned.

Baking up the bread, you can already smell the rye with a hint of caraway seeds bringing a nutty aroma to the kitchen. That's probably what I love most about the rye bread. Without the caraway, it is really not the same. And it baked up so nicely, you might almost think it came from the store. But let's get straight to the point - the brisket!

The brisket steams over a boiling pot for about 3 hours, the saltiness wafting in the air. Combine that with the cooking rye bread, and it was like my condo was turned into a mini deli (I don't know how the neighbours would feel about that...). I had even planned on making my own mustard for this event, but after reading the directions and seeing that it had to rest for 2 weeks, I realized I was a little late on starting. Luckily we had a bottle in the fridge, but next time, it will be the real deal (we still have 1 piece of brisket left, and have already decided to pick up another from Schwartz's if we go to Montreal this year. Although, I think they do deliver...).

It was time to put it all together... slice the meat (aided greatly by an electric cutting knife my mother had 'lent' me - allowed some nice thin slices), slice the bread, slather with mustard, pile on the meat, and enjoy! With a side of salt and vinegar chips, no less (not homemade this time...). Pretty soon I think I might be able to make an entire meal from scratch!

Mmmm...I'm already looking forward to the 4th and final piece of brisket. But in the meantime, turns out rye bread is pretty good with peanut butter and honey in the morning.