This Rustic Rye Bread might not be the prettiest loaf, but it's definitely tasty. Made with a mixture of rye and white bread flour, it's light and hearty with a malty flavor. Get in there and make some bread.

Rustic Rye Bread | How to Be Awesome on $20 a Day

Did you watch the Super Bowl Halftime Show? No surprise, I didn't see it, but I did see all the photos and memes on Instagram for the few days afterwards. People couldn't stop talking about how great Jennifer Lopez look at 50. People were not wrong. She is super hot and still an amazing dancer. It almost set off my envy alarm.

But then I remembered that J-Lo has a lot of resources available to help her look that amazing. Somebody to style her perfect, expensive hair extensions. A team of makeup artists. Not to mention a personal trainer, a personal chef, and probably a physical therapist who comes to her house where she might have her own gym. At 41, I have nowhere near the range of motion or the glowing skin (or extraordinary spray tan artist) that J-Lo has. And for once, I'm cool with that.

I am imperfect. I think that's fine. That hasn't always been the case. I will never be Jennifer Lopez, and she will never be me. Or you. And we're all fine.

You know what else is imperfect? This Rustic Rye Bread. Mine turned out totally wonky because I'm still learning how to work with bread dough and my shaping skills are crap. Yours might be better than mine. It doesn't matter. This bread tastes so good, you should make it no matter what.

I loved the flavor of this bread so much, that I really wanted to share it with you. I could have made it over and over until I got it perfect, but I think we need to embrace imperfection and focus on what really matters. This bread tastes great. That's all that matters.

You and your bread making skills are great just the way they are, and this Rustic Rye Bread is going to make your life extra awesome.

Rustic Rye Bread

Recipe by ReneeDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

hours

minutes

Ingredients

1-½ cups rye flour
2 cups white bread flour
1 package (¼ ounce) instant yeast
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1-⅓ cups warm water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided

Directions

Add both flours, yeast, brown sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Slowly add the water, mixing with your hands until it all comes together. Mix in one tablespoon melted butter and turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough, adding a sprinkling of white bread flour as needed to stop it sticking. Knead for about 10 minutes until it forms a smooth dough.
Transfer your dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and leave it to rise in a warm place for about an hour. Alternatively, you could put it in the fridge over night for a slower rise.
When the dough has roughly doubled in size, punch it down and knead it a few times. Form it into a round loaf (hopefully better than I did) and place it on a baking sheet. Cover it with your clean tea towel again and let it rise again for about 30 minutes.
While your dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C). When your dough is ready, pop your loaf in the oven for about 50 minutes. It should sound hollow when you tap the bottom of the loaf to check that it's done.
Brush the top of your loaf with a tablespoon of melted butter and leave it to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.

Falling in love with bread making? Try this awesome Potato Bread recipe next.