Lager and Rye Bread to Kick Off #SundaySupper Month!

I love making bread for my mom, and now that the overindulgence of the season is on it's way out she can finally start transitioning to her favourite, hearty, grainy loaves again. She's a huge fan of dark, crusty rye bread, and found a loaf during one of our market excursions that was definitely everything she adores about the carb - dense, molassesey, topped with flaked grain and when it was cut into released a burst of slightly malty aroma. I couldn't wait to try my hand at making something similar.

I started with the base, which I adapted from Paul Hollywood's Bread - lots of dark, rich rye flour, just enough whole wheat bread flour, both molasses and barley malt syrup and a flavourful lager teamed up for a fantastic crumb that rose quite well, given the lower gluten structure. To up the ante, the same lager and rye flour gets whisked into a lovely paste that coats the whole boule, both deepening the crust and serving as "glue" to hold on the mixture of rye and oat flakes I sprinkled on top.

The bread smells like Heaven in the oven, and as soon as it was cool enough to cut the knives came out - a hearty slab made the base for a cream cheese, veggie and leftover charcuterie open face sandwich that disappeared in a flash!

The Sunday Supper Family is kicking off 2016 in a big way! January is designated National Sunday Supper Month so what better time to get together? We all know that the practice of Sunday Supper starts off as just one day a week before blossoming into a lifestyle built around the family table. The biggest gift we can give to our family is to hug, laugh, share our stories and enjoy great meals together.

Appetizers and Soups

• Borscht from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls from Wallflour Girl
• Cheesy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms from Runner’s Tales
• Creamy Zucchini Soup from Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen
• Garlic Chili Tiger Prawns from Food Lust People Love
• Honey Bacon Ranch Boneless Chicken Wings from From Gate to Plate
• Lion’s Head Meatball Soup from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• New England Seafood Chowder from Curious Cuisiniere
• Potato and Carrot Leek Soup from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Steve’s Crab Dip from Monica’s Table

Main Courses

• Almond Breaded Pork Chops from Casa de Crews
• Bourbon Glazed Porkchops from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Cauliflower Tetrazzini with Poblano Peppers from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Chicken Pot Pie from Feeding Big and more
• Cranberry Mustard Pork Chop Skillet Dinner from Momma’s Meals
• Fideua (Catalan Pasta Paella) from Caroline’s Cooking
• French-Inspired Macaroni and Cheese from MyGourmetConnection
• Grandma’s Fried Chicken from The Freshman Cook
• Gluten Free Buffalo Quinoa Vegetable Bowls from Fearless Dining
• Huevos Rancheros from Palatable Pastime
• Indian Spiced Roast Salmon from Soni’s Food
• Italian Style Swiss Chard and Beans with Orecchietti Pasta from Delaware Girl Eats
• Korean Spicy Braised Mackerel from kimchi MOM
• Larb Gai (Spicy Thai Chicken Salad) from Rhubarb and Honey
• Mediterranean Flatbread from Magnolia Days
• Mustard-Crusted Pork Roast from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• New York Strip Roast Dinner from Gluten Free Crumbley
• Red Wine-Mushroom Braised Beef from The Crumby Cupcake
• Rustic Portuguese Chicken Stew from Family Foodie
• Sausage & Pasta in a Quick Tomato Sauce from The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
• Savory Ham, Cheese and Sage Waffles from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Shrimp and Asparagus Crepes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Simple, Healthy, Light and Lemony Fettuccine from MidLife Road Trip
• Simple Roast Chicken from Get the Good Stuff
• Slow Cooker Italian Meatball Soup from Food Done Light
• Smoked Mozzarella and Sausage Pizza from Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Smothered Pork Chops from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Spinach Spätzli with Sage and Speck from Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Turkey Cutlets with Sausage Stuffing from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Ultimate Mac and Cheese from Our Good Life
• Vegan Mexican Rice and Lentils from PancakeWarriors
• Ziti with Porcini Bolognese Sauce from Cooking Chat

Side Dishes

• Gramma Buckholt’s Yeast Rolls from The Weekend Gourmet
• Lager and Rye Bread from What Smells So Good?
• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower from Nosh My Way
• Sweet Potato Crescent Rolls from Wholistic Woman
• Winter Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Desserts

• Bacon Buttermilk Biscuit with Chocolate Gravy from Brunch-N-Bites
• Caramel Apple Rice Krispies Treats from Pies and Plots
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Kahlua Buttercream Frosting from Flour On My Face
• Chocolate Hazelnut Tart from Taste And See
• Death by Chocolate from Desserts Required
• Fudge Frosted Brownies from Party Food and Entertaining
• Gluten Free Tropical Banana Pineapple Coconut Muffins from Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Layered Mousse Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Peanut Butter Cup Flourless Chocolate Cake Roll from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Pistachio Macaron with Apricot Ganache from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

• Take the Sunday Supper Month Pledge plus Family Friendly Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement

Help us celebrate National Sunday Supper Month by entering the Idaho® Potato Let's Poutine recipe contest, sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission, with prizes of $500, $200 and $100, plus a ticket for each winner to Food and Wine Conference 2016. All the rules and conditions for entry can be found on our Sunday Supper Movement website.

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat.

To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Lager and Rye Bread
Makes 1 boule, 16 slices
12.3 oz (350 g / a generous 3 ¾ cups) dark rye flour
7 oz (200 g or 1 ½ cups) whole wheat bread flour
1 tsp salt
½ tbsp instant yeast
¼ cup molasses
2 tbsp barley malt syrup or dark honey
⅓ cup lager beer (I used Birra Moretti)
⅓ cup warm water

Paste:
⅔ cup lager beer
3.5 oz (100 g or 1 cup + 2 tbsp) dark rye flour
1 tsp raw sugar
handful rye flakes or large-flake oats

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine the flours, salt and yeast.
2. Mix the molasses, barley malt syrup and lager in a measuring cup and add to the flour mixture.
3. Using the paddle (or a wooden spoon), mix the ingredients together, adding water as required until the dough is clearing the sides of the bowl but is still soft.
4. Knead with the dough hook or by hand on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. The dough will seem too wet at first, but will smooth out as you go.
5. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave for 2-3 hours, until doubled.

Topping and Assembly:

1. Mix the beer, flour and sugar to form a thick batter.
2. Punch down the dough, knead briefly and shape into a boule.
3. Place onto a sheet of parchment and spread all over with the paste.
4. Sprinkle with rye flakes or oats.
5. Place in a cold oven (leave the light on) and let rise 1 ½ - 2 hours.
6. Near the end of the rising time, remove bread from the oven and turn the oven to 425F, using convection if available.
7. Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
8. Reduce the oven temperature to 400F (375F convection if using it) and bake for a further 5-10 minutes.
9. The loaf will be a rich brown and should sound hollow when tapped on the base.
10. Cool completely on a rack. 

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 163.7
Total Fat: 0.8 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 146.4 mg
Total Carbs: 34.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.5 g
Protein: 4.4 g