Rye and Raisin Bread


If anyone's household is like mine, then your weeknights go something like this:

- clock out of work as soon as possible, even though you feel like you could stay forever and still not get everything done
- hurriedly drive home, since husband is picking up toddler
- frantically start making dinner, because it's not almost 6 pm, daddy and toddler are home, and said toddler is hungry
- if you're lucky, you get the adult dinner done and adults and toddler can eat together
- toddler asks for bbq sauce.  You give him bbq sauce and then he cries because it's not ketchup
- unsuccessful dinner with tears and whining
- clean up/load up dishes
- upstairs for bath, story time, and bedtime
- adults are now free!  It's already almost 9 pm
- adults go to bed
- repeat the next day

Seriously, I feel like between Monday and Friday, there is simply no way I can do anything except the steps listed above.  It makes me (sometimes) longingly wish for those pre-kid days where after work, I had the whole, vast, gloriously empty evening to myself.  Luxurious trip to Target?  Sure!  Pick up something fun for dinner on the way home?  Yes! Eat dinner at 8 pm with a lazy glass of wine?  Yes, please!  Or maybe let's go see a movie?  I mean, really.  What did I do with all that time?

Ok, so back on track.  My husband actually bookmarked this recipe after he watched an episode of that British bake-off show that aired sometime late last year.  It was a cool show in that they did really neat baking exercises, their commentary was wickedly smart and funny, and the end results were sometimes glorious, sometimes not (which is life, right?).  Somehow he found this link and sent it to me.

If you're still reading and nodding your head to my above bullet points, then you can make this bread.  Seriously.  Assuming you can find rye flour (thanks, Amazon!  See above for reasons why I have no time to browse through Whole Foods), this bread will cater to your schedule.  I soaked the raisins (for only 2-3 hours in hot water) and then mixed the dough that night.  I put it in the fridge for almost a full 24 hours, then the next night I took the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temp.  While toddler whined about dinner, I preheated the oven, and then after bedtime I shaped the dough and let it rise for about 30 minutes.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, and before you know it could too can be in your kitchen, alone, eating a slice of slightly warm bread that has been slathered in salted butter.  See?  Who needs fun trips to Target?  I HAVE BREAD.

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