Homemade Rye Bread Recipe

Sandwiches of Baristaville: Part One

It is difficult to imagine what life was like before sandwiches.  What more efficient way is there to convey tasty ingredients into your mouth than by layering them between two slices of bread?

Baristaville has an abundance of great sandwich places, from humble delis to sophisticated gourmet shoppes.  Recently, I embarked on a sandwich tour of our area.  Reader, it was delicious.  Here is part one, which covers sandwich standouts in SOMA.  Next up will be Montclair and environs (let me know if there is a place I absolutely cannot miss.)

Town Hall Deli :  No serious discussion of sandwiches in New Jersey is complete without the Sloppy Joe.  This uniquely Garden State creation can be found throughout Baristaville, but the place where it all started nearly eighty years ago is South Orange’s Town Hall Deli.

A classic joe consists of ham, tongue, and Swiss cheese, topped with cole slaw and Russian dressing, piled on three layers of thinly-sliced Pullman rye bread.  This is a sandwich for sharing – just one can feed two or three people (and costs almost twenty bucks).

Owner Tony Wonski said that although tongue remains a popular choice, the most-ordered item on the menu is The Favorite, made with roast beef, turkey and Swiss.

“On an average day we make about 80 Sloppy Joes,” said Wonski, “but on New Year’s Eve, Christmas Eve and Superbowl Sunday we make around 800.”  That is a lot of sandwiches, especially since it takes about ten minutes to carefully construct each one. 

What makes Town Hall’s the best?  “We make all the ingredients here, the bread is fresh and we make our own dressing with our secret recipe,” said Wonski.

Town Hall ships sandwiches several times a week to such far-flung places as Florida and California, for New Jersey expats who can’t do without their joe fix.   

Maplewood Deli and Grille :  After the sloppy joe, the Golf Tee is the most popular choice at this cozy, classic deli on Maplewood Avenue.  This sub combines roast beef, turkey, Swiss, lettuce and tomato, onion, oil and vinegar, oregano and salt and pepper.

What makes it so delectable?  “I think it’s the way we dress them,” said Mike Helfrecht, who expertly made me a Golf Tee in record time.  “Plus, the Russian gives it an extra kick – and the portion size helps too!” 

“We make everything in house,” said owner Sean Flood, “including the roast beef and dressing.”  It shows in the sandwiches, which are perfectly made and completely delicious.

Homemade Rye Bread | What Would Betty Do?

I’ve always loved a nice rye bread. I did not, however, have any illusions that such a thing could be created at home. That’s crazy. Isn’t it?

Maybe not. I expected this recipe to be edible. I didn’t expect it to be where-did-you-find-a-Jewish-deli good.

This recipe makes four 1-pound loaves. The bread freezes well; defrost overnight and warm in the oven to re-crisp the crust.

Ingredients

Instructions

Mix water, yeast, salt and caraway seeds together in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Do not knead. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

At this point, the bread is ready to be prepared for baking, or it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To bake, dust the surface of the dough with flour and cut off 1/4 of the dough. Quickly shape the dough into a ball, adding more flour if necessary. Shape the ball into an oval-shaped loaf. Rest dough for 40 minutes on a baking sheet covered with cornmeal.

Arrange your oven racks so that one is in the lowest position and the second is in the middle. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put an empty broiler tray on the bottom rack.

Make a cornstarch wash by combining 1/2 tsp cornstarch with a small amount of water to form a thick paste. Add 1/2 cup of water and whisk to combine. Microwave for 60 seconds.

Paint the top of the loaf with the cornstarch wash and sprinkle with caraway seeds, if desired. Slash deep, parallel cuts across the loaf; a serrated bread knife works best.

Have one cup of hot tap water on hand near the oven.

Slide the baking sheet onto the middle rack. Pour the hot water into the broiler pan to create steam. Quickly close the oven door. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the bread looks golden and sounds hollow when tapped.

Results

The Tiny Kitchen Assistant would like it if I made bread every day. My husband prefers a version with fewer caraway seeds, so I only use them inside the bread dough where they impart a more subtle flavor, and skip the surface dusting after the cornstarch wash.

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