DOUBLE APPLE RYE BREAD

Our apple tree is laden this year. Even though we have given away bags of fruit, apples are dominating the house and our diet.  Apple tart, apple crumble, apple juice, blackberry and apple pie - we are picking faster than we can eat.
One of the ways to use up a few more is to make "double apple rye bread", aka bread with both dried apple chunks (for sweet, chewy texture) and grated fresh apple (to create a moist, dense loaf).  Now, it is OK to use any old commercial dried apple for this, but much more satisfying to create your own.

Dried apple is easy to make: it is a great snack or it can be sprinkled over breakfast cereals:

1   peel and core several apples (you can leave the peel on if you prefer, it adds a little more texture) and slice into thumbnail size chunks;

2   drop the apple pieces into a bowl of water into which you have squeezed the juice of a lemon, to stop discolouration;

3   heat the oven to 130C degrees;

4   lightly oil a wire rack;

5   drain and dry the apple chunks and place them on the rack, making sure they do not touch; you can sprinkle them with cinnamon or other spices if you wish;

6   bake in the oven for 30 - 40 mins, or until they are caramel coloured and chewy (the time will vary depending on the size of the apple chunks and their moisture content); switch off the oven but leave the apple chunks in to continue to dry;

7   store in an airtight box in a cool dry place; they should keep for up to two weeks, but they tend to get eaten more quickly than this.

Double apple bread is quite easy too.  Because of the moisture from the grated apple, it takes more flour than you might expect.


150g   rye flour
250g   strong wheat flour
200g   grated apple (including peel but not core)
250g   dried apple
250g   starter (equal flour/water)
125g   water
50g     yoghurt
10g     salt.

Double Apple rye bread with honey

Mix all the ingredients (except the dried apple) together and knead well for 15 minutes; it will be quite sticky at first, but will become smooth and stretchy after kneading.
Leave to stand for an hour, then knead again for a couple of minutes, adding the dried apple.
Place in a well-floured banneton and leave to rise for three hours.
An hour before baking, heat an oven and oven brick to 250 degrees celsius. 10 minutes before baking, place a dish with ice cubes at the bottom of the oven to create steam.
Turn out the loaf onto a baking sheet, slash the surface, and slide onto the baking stone.
Bake for 45 minutes.


The loaf will mature a little over 24 hours and the apple will keep the crumb moist.