Bread Baker's Apprentice: New York Deli Style Rye

John Thorne, writing about one of Reinhart's earlier books, Brother Juniper's Bread Book, noted that Reinhart particularly shines when it comes to specialty breads. After my seriously mediocre experience with his Basic Sourdough, I'm inclined to agree. This Deli Style Rye more than made up for any sourdough disappointments. It was a rye sourdough starter, into which was stirred that staple of Ashkenazi cooking, fried onions. That sat on the counter getting wet and grey for a few hours, then went into the refrigerator for 24 more. At the end of all that, I mixed it in with some more rye flour, some bread flour, and some buttermilk, sugar, caraway, yeast and oil. The resulting dough was hard to knead, heavy and somewhat unpleasant, but it baked beautifully, both in and out of the pot, and tastes perfect. The crumb is a good sandwich size, fine without being dense., and the taste is just made for deli meats (the dairy in it could be a sticking point for some, but not me). This might even beat out my former favorite, Rose Levy Berenbaum's Jewish Rye, which is a little lighter and softer. The onions, while they added their indefinable essence, were undetectable in the finished loaf.