Munsterland Buttermilk Bread

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 50 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 ounces yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1 cup warm buttermilk
• 1/2 lb light cream cheese, room temperature (or quark)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups rye flour

Recipe

• 1 combine the yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour; add 1/4 cup of the buttermilk and blend.
• 2 let mixture stand covered for 15 minutes, till spongy.
• 3 add the remaining buttermilk, cream cheese (or quark), butter and salt and mix for about one minute.
• 4 add 1 1/2 cups of the remaining flour and all of the rye flour and knead till smooth and elastic (about 3-5 minutes).
• 5 shape the dough into a ball and place in a well-buttered warm large bowl.
• 6 with well-buttered hands, pat the surface of the dough so that it is nicely buttered, too.
• 7 cover with a clean, dry cloth and set to rise in a warm spot, till doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
• 8 when doubled, punch down dough, place on floured surfaceand work in as much dough as needed to make a very stiff dough. once the dough is a good manageable consistency, knead hard for 5 minutes, till very springy.
• 9 shape the dough into a ball, dust all over with flour and place in a lightly buttered 8-inch round cake pan.
• 10 make a deep x-cut in the top of the ball of dough, cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm, dry spot for 30 minutes. meanwhile, preheat oven to 400.
• 11 bake the bread for 30-40 minutes, till richly browned and hollow-sounding when thumped.
• 12 remove the bread from the oven and from the pan, set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
• 13 slice about 1/2 inch thick, using a sharp, serrated knife and serve.