Plain Rye Bread

Here's how:

• 1

  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees or 225 degrees on the convection setting.

• 2

  Melt the butter and add the milk. Heat to 37 degrees.

• 3

  Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Pour the yeast mixture over it and stir until the yeast has dissolved.

• 4

  Add the syrup, salt, spices, and most of the flour. Save a little for rolling out the dough. Knead the dough thoroughly.

• 5

  Let it rise, covered, for about 40 minutes.

• 6

  Place the dough on a floured work surface, knead it until smooth, and shape it into two oblong loaves. Place them in greased 1.5-liter loaf pans. Let rise for 30 minutes, covered with a cloth.

• 7

  Cover the pans with two layers of aluminum foil. Make sure they are completely sealed. Bake on the lower rack of the oven for about 45 minutes.

• 8

  Remove the foil and move the pans higher up in the oven. Bake for another 5 minutes until they have a nice, dark color.

• 9

  Mix together the syrup and water. Remove the bread from the pans and brush several layers with the syrup mixture. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the bread cool in the pans.