After a bunch of nice breads in the BBA challenge, it was bound to happen.  Let’s just say that I have “issues” with this recipe.  In practice, it was not too different from the previous assignment (light whole wheat bread), except that such rye-containing doughs should not be kneaded very long, or they become gummy.

For Marbled Rye you prepare two batches of dough, one that gets a darker color from  the addition of caramel coloring or coffee. I chose coffee.  The first thing that I noticed was that my darker dough was not dark enough, but at that point it was too late and I couldn’t do anything, as the texture seemed perfect. I took a deep breath and moved on.

I formed the loaf, placed it in the pan, and it rose beautifully….

I recommend accepting Reinhart’s advice and shaping it free-form. My pan was not big enough, and the bread ended up with a boxy shape.   But, the most important thing for a marbled rye, is the marbling!  Which  in my case didn’t exist.  It just wasn’t there, it wasn’t anywhere!

I’m accepting names for my fiasco, which tasted pretty good, if that’s any consolation…  “Blobbed Rye”, “Faint Marbled Rye on Drugs”, “Drunk Baker’s Marbled Rye”…

With my self-confidence bruised, I will move on.

Nineteen breads down, twenty-four to go….

Please make sure you check the other bakers who already made this bread, and did a much better job than me:

Carolyn and Joe from Two Skinny Jenkins

Deborah, from Italian Food Forever

Mags, from The Other Side of Fifty

Oggi, from I Can do That

Txfarmer, with her gorgeous website in Chinese

Paul, from Yumarama Artisan Bread