Flavorful and light with a crispy crust. Found the recipe at King Arthur Flour. It certainly went together easily, but it calls for deli rye flavor, a specialty ingredient sold (only?) by King Arthur Flour. I already had some on hand, so it was not a big deal for me to use it in this bread, but I'm not sure what to recommend as a substitute. Maybe just sub a half cup of rye flour for some of the white flour? Add a little vinegar for some tang? Hmmm...
With a full tablespoon of yeast for just three cups of flour, the dough certainly did rise quickly. In fact, it nearly got away from me and I had to walk it very gently from the counter to the oven, so it would not deflate. But it took forever to bake. At least 60 minutes (the recipe said 35-40 minutes) and, ideally, it should have gone another 10-15 minutes because the very top, under the sauerkraut, was barely cooked. Perhaps I did not squeeze the sauerkraut dry enough? Another possibility is that I used only 3 cups of flour rather than 3-1/2 because my flour is so dry this time of year. But the consistency of the dough after mixing seemed perfect and I think if I'd added all the flour, it would have been very difficult to spread in the pan.
This bread also needs to cool quite a bit before cutting it. I did not wait and the first pieces were quite gummy, but the piece I ate later, was much better (additional cooking time would have probably also helped with this). Changes I'd make next time would be to bake it even longer, until medium brown on top, and to sprinkle the top with a bit of salt before baking (I imagine this depends a lot on the particular brand of sauerkraut -- I used Del Monte).
One last quibble... I'd make this again, but probably not when we have company over. While the sauerkraut topping adds a nice flavor, it dries in the oven into little strands that are easily lodged between your teeth. So while it went well with the arugula salad I had for dinner, it needed to be served with a side of dental floss or toothpicks.
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