March 02, 2000

Blackbread Recipe

by Linda DeLaine

Makes two large round loaves; about 30 servings

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups water	2 pkgs. dry yeast	1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup white vinegar	1/4 cup blackstrap molasses	1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 tsp. salt	1 tblsp fennel seeds	4 1/4 cups flour
5 cups rye flour		3/4 cups dates

Preparation

1. Place 1/2 cup warm water in large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add remaining water, butter, vinegar, molasses, melted chocolate, salt and fennel seeds. Note; many like to add 2 tsp. instant coffee granules, too.

Slowly stir in 3 cups of flour; blend well. Stir in rye flour and make a soft dough.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cover with damp, clean dish towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

2. Punch dough down. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead in chopped dates. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a ball. Place each ball in a greased 8-inch round cake pan or on large greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake loaves for 45 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; let cool on wire racks.

Tags: russian cuisine blackbread recipe

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine, layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context.

GET YOURS

Join Our Tribe

Get The Weekly Russia File + exclusive discounts. It's like a smart, offbeat friend who emails you every week with all the stuff you don't want to miss.

Join Now

On This Day

Notable events on this day in Russian history

1995: Chechen terrorist take hostages in Budyonnovsk

1963: Sino-Soviet split becomes public.

1951: Alexander Sokurov, film director, born

1905: Potemkin mutiny began.

1897: Anatoly Mariengof, writer, born (died 1962)

1835: Nikolai Rubinshtein, pianist, founder of Moscow Conservatory, born

Read Me Too

Halloween Week: Get your Putin (and Brezhnev and Lenin) Masks here!

October 28, 2013

A Friend of Both Russia and Ukraine

July 15, 2019

17% of the Earth Day

April 25, 2019

Role of Women in Russian Cooking

June 13, 2000

A Few Books

The Spine of Russia

July 01, 2016

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

November 01, 2010

Red Star Tales: A Century of Russian and Soviet Science Fiction

October 15, 2015

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.