Finnish Potato Rye

I found this recipe in one of my several bread books, The Festive Bread Book by Kathy Cutler.  I was looking for a way to use up the Rye flour I had and this also let me use up the potato flakes that were just sitting around.  Of course I changed it slightly, and Tom loved this bread so much he wants me to make it all the time.  Here's what I did:

2 - 3 cups of Bread flour
1 cup Rye flour
1 Tablespoon Instant Active Dry Yeast

Stir in the yeast to the flour and let it sit for 1 minute before adding:

1/2 teaspoon of Salt
2 teaspoons of Caraway seeds

In a 2 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup, combine and stir till dissolved

2/3 cup instant potato flakes
nearly boiling hot water, fill to the 1 1/2 cup marker
1/4 cup Molasses (I use Grandma's Brand Molasses, it's dark)
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar

Add to the flour mixture, make sure to stir in gradually, or let it cool slightly, so you don't kill the yeast.  Knead with a mixer for about 5 minutes, by hand 10.  If the dough does not come together, add more bread flour.  Grease the bowl under and around the dough, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.  I put a pot of water on the stove and when it comes to a boil I pot it and the dough bowl into the oven.  It creates a warm, moist environment perfect for raising dough.

Punch down the dough.  Shape loaf and place in a greased and floured metal loaf pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven, on the middle rack, for 45 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.  Once cooled, place in a plastic bag to let the crust soften which will make it easier to slice.

The original recipe calls for a boiling potato that you use 1/2 cup of "potato water" (leftover from boiling) to proof the yeast and then add 1 cup of the mashed potato to the recipe.  It also calls for 1/2 cup of Molasses and no brown sugar.  I tried this and it was good but a denser loaf that did not want to dome, but fell when baked.  I also tried it with just 1/4 cup Molasses and no sugar, and I substituted 1 cup of Whole Wheat White for Bread flour.  It was dryer, not as soft, and did not have the characteristic tang that the sweetness gives.

I also learned that Rye flour doesn't really give us that traditional flavor we associate with Rye bread.  It's all about the Caraway seeds.  Some recipes call for you to crush or grind the seeds to enhance that flavor.