I brought this bread to a New Years party, where we scarfed two thirds of it before we even managed to warm it back up. The bread part was tasty, the proportions of the filling things were right… in general, yum!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup dark rye flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup thousand island dressing
• 10 ounces thinly sliced corn beef
• 4 ounces havarti cheese
• 8 ounces sauerkraut, well drained
• 1 egg white
• caraway seeds, optional

Combine the warm water, honey, and olive oil in a mixing bowl. Add the whole wheat and rye flours, the mustard, and the yeast, and stir until smooth.

Let rest, uncovered, for ten minutes, then add the salt and 2 cups of the bread flour. Stir together with your mixer’s dough hook, then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of bread flour 1/2 a cup at a time. After all the flour is mixed in, let the machine knead for about 5 minutes. It’s a somewhat moist dough, so it will still be a bit sticky – that’s ok.

Transfer to a greased bowl and turn the dough to grease all over. Cover, and let rise 1 hour.

Grease your work surface and rolling pin. Gently deflate your dough and pour it out onto the greased counter. Roll out to a 15X12″ rectangle. Spread the thousand island dressing over the dough, leaving 2″ clear along the long sides.

My 2 inches were…short inches.

Lay out the corned beef evenly over the dressing, then the cheese.

Top with the sauerkraut, then cut the long, uncovered sides into a series of inch-wide tabs. Fold the short ends over.

Alternating sides, pull the side pieces in towards the middle, pressing each into the last to make a braid pattern. I thought I would have trouble with this, since I made my sides so short, but it was a very stretchy dough.

Carefully transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with the egg white. Sprinkle with the caraway seeds, if using.

Let rise a further 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 375. Bake 35-40 minutes, until browned. Eat right away, or cool on a wire rack.

This held together well when you cut it up and were waving a slice around in the general vicinity of your face. I love stuff baked into breads! I’ll be submitting this to YeastSpotting.

Reuben Bread

Lightly adapted from The Knead for Bread.

• 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup dark rye flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup thousand island dressing
• 10 ounces thinly sliced corn beef
• 4 ounces havarti cheese
• 8 ounces sauerkraut, well drained
• 1 egg white
• caraway seeds, optional

Combine the warm water, honey, and olive oil in a mixing bowl. Add the whole wheat and rye flours, the mustard, and the yeast, and stir until smooth. Let rest, uncovered, for ten minutes.

Add the salt and 2 cups of the bread flour. Stir together with your mixer’s dough hook, then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of bread flour 1/2 a cup at a time. After all the flour is mixed in, let the machine knead for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a greased bowl and turn the dough to grease all over. Cover, and let rise 1 hour.

Grease your work surface and rolling pin. Gently deflate your dough and pour it out onto the greased counter. Roll out to a 15X12″ rectangle. Spread the thousand island dressing over the dough, leaving 2″ clear along the long sides. Lay out the corned beef evenly over the dressing, then the cheese. Top with the sauerkraut, then cut the long, uncovered sides into a series of inch-wide tabs. Fold the short ends over. Alternating sides, pull the side pieces in towards the middle, pressing each into the last to make a braid pattern. Carefully transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with the egg white. Sprinkle with the caraway seeds, if using.

Let rise a further 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 375. Bake 35-40 minutes, until browned. Eat right away, or cool on a wire rack.