Baby, It's Cold Outside, So Let's Bake
A soulful seeded rye and a chocolate-beet (that's right) cake
Rye You Should Bake This
I’ve been loafing — in a good way — since I revived my bread-baking jones. Using New York baker Jim Lahey’s My Bread no-knead recipes, I’ve made the basic loaf, pancetta bread, asiago cheese bread and whole wheat bread.
But on Thursday (January 11), I finally got around to making the type of bread with most personal resonance. My recent order to Janie’s Mill included a bag of light rye flour, and the first result is that pretty loaf above.
I made one adaptation to Lahey’s recipe, mixing in caraway seeds as I prepared the dough. Seeded rye is one of the soul foods of my people. Sam Weinstein, the long-deceased uncle in whose household my father grew up, owned Jewish delis in New York City, so perhaps my rye loaf is a shoutout to him.
For many years, there was a legendary ad campaign with the slogan “You don’t have to be Jewish to Love Levy’s Jewish Rye,” accompanied by photos of people of a wide range of demographics enjoying the product. So even if you don’t have any emotional resonance, I recommend that you buy the My Bread book and try baking your own.
Here’s what a toasted slice of the loaf looks like, awaiting a schmear of Rushing Waters Smoked Trout Spread (produced in Palmyra, Wisconsin).
How to Make a Unique Chocolate Cake? Beet It!
In partnership with University of Illinois Extension and UI Health, Local Food Forum is happy to share a series featuring healthy, tasty and affordable recipes. The series supports UI Extension’s Eat.Move.Save. program, which provides tips and information on how to eat healthy on any budget.
Thanks to Bianca Bautista of UI Extension Cook County, who reached out to offer the content to Local Food Forum, and who produced the following feature about a dessert treat with an unusually healthful ingredient that can help you reduce the amount of sugar you consume. Introducing the Chocolate Beet Snack Cake!
Now on to the next goal…