New York Deli-Style Rye Bread

Look, to all you good folks complaining that this doesn't use an overnight ferment or sourdough starter, as Ms Moskin's writes: "This recipe restores some of the original charm, but is still quick and easy for home baking."

I've been a bread baker for 40+ years and have done a few shifts in bakeries. Sourdoughs and overnight ferments are not "quick and easy for the home baker." This direct method dough looks like a good compromise for the typical home baker.

Oil? Honey? Sacrilege. The best deli rye is simply bread flour, rye flour, water, sourdough starter, caraway, and salt. Nothing else. I use the Bread Bible proportions of 230 grams bread, 95 grams rye, 232 grams water, 360 grams 50% hydration sourdough, 14 grams caraway, and (here I make a change) 5 grams salt. It works every time.

Nobody cares what you call this bread. Deli, New York Deli, New York Style Deli, or just plain Simple and Easy Rye with (or without) caraway seeds. Or even better: Julia's Rye! Why fight or argue about the name...semantics! I have made this numerous times according to the instructions and it gets better every time. Love to bake it for my neighbors who know how to appreciate a good rye. You simply cannot go wrong with this one, NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT.

I don't have a standing mixer. Is there a "by hand" version of this recipe?

Having been involved in the food inspection game in NYC and elsewhere for a number of years i had the opportunity to be in and out of numerous bakeries large and small, (think Levy's, Pechters both defunct and numerous neighborhood places in Brooklyn and the Bronx where "Jewish" rye was made. All used a sourdough starter and the dough was in most cases allowed to sit overnight to develop the proper sour.

Being a native Californian I'm sure I don't know from New York deli rye. But as the first rye bread I've ever baked, I enjoyed this loaf very much. It rose beautifully and makes great sandwiches. I added poppy seeds and dill seeds to the caraway. A keeper for our house.

Some of us don't have the cabinet or kitchen space for a mixer with a dough hook or don't bake that often to justify its purchase. If a baking recipe strikes my fancy how about telling me how to make this if I just use basic kitchen implements and plain own elbow grease to do the mixing.

I made this dough, fully expecting to be in for the night, but got a last minute invitation I couldn't pass up...so into the fridge it went. Got home really late -- no way I'm making bread now! -- so I punched it down and stuck it back in the fridge. Next morning I let it warm up to room temp, shaped it, proofed and then baked it. I ended up with a wonderful loaf, softer than expected, with great crumb, and much taller than the one in the photo above. God, I love bread.

We made this and were very happy with the outcome! We doubled the caraway seeds and used dark rye flour (that's what we had) and it came out as a lovely loaf! I don't understand in Step 5 the fussy two rimmed baking sheets with one lined with foil. Not having two equal sized sheets we improvised, but I don't get why you can't just put the loaf on a single sheet. It would be nice if recipes explained their reasoning for an unusual step like this.

Um, no it doesn't say it's completely different. It says that it is traditional deli rye, which is still made today and used in some delis but is likely not what you get if you buy rye bread in a supermarket or in delis that use mass produced bread. It is absolutely still made today and many people really like it so not sure where the "for good reason" comes from. People who don't care for the taste of actual rye bread, will, indeed, be disappointed with the recipe

Made this in the bread machine. Left out the optional caraway seeds but added raisins. Turned out very well making a 1.5 lb loaf in 4 hours.

I believe it keeps it from getting a hard, thick bottom from baking faster than the rest of the loaf. I use this method with roasts because I have a convection oven with the heating element at the bottom of the oven.

The headline of this recipe is crazily misleading. This is NOT "deli rye." The article states that it is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from deli rye because it includes much more rye flour --- and for sure it looks nothing like deli rye, particularly the crust. A reader who looked to this recipe to make deli rye at home would be egregiously disappointed. It seems to be an exercise in food anthropology, helping you make something that isn't made anymore, quite possibly for good reason.

Making sour rye is less messy if you make only the amount of pre-ferment necessary and mix the dough in the same bowl--no waste or mess. (Pyrex makes mixing bowls with lids.) Here is Greenstein's rye sour recipe scaled to make 2 cups: Starter--38 grams rye flour, 120 grams water, tiny pinch yeast, dash of minced onion, some crushed caraway if desired. Stage 1: 60 grams water, 113 grams rye flour. Stage 2: 60 grams water, 75 grams rye flour. Stage 3: 60 grams water, 75 grams rye flour.

I used my breadmaker and adjusted quantities appropriately. I also used some whole wheat flour to add fiber, texture and nutrition. It came out perfect and delicious.