I'd certainly use it, even if it hadn't been in the freezer.

Thanks sherrmann! Wasn't sure if it would have gone rancid or not. Read on google that six months was the norm for storage or it go rancid. I trust you and this group so I'm loading up the bread machine to do the kneading.

David

In the freezer it's fine....not in cold storage it will get "funky"...

I agree, it's in the freezer, it's fine. I'd be tasting it and smelling it if it were just sitting in my pantry for a year, but in the freezer? I'd go ahead and use it without worrying.

Annie

Thanks for the confirmation Linda and Annie! I'm trying a copycat recipe for the bread they serve at the Outback Steakhouse. Had lunch there with a client this week and I just love that bread. I think that's why I bought the rye flour almost a year ago. Probably the last time I'd been to Outback too. LOL! Found some rice flour in the freezer too. I'm sure I have a recipe or use from here but I have no idea what or where it is!!

David

DAvid, the only thing I've ever used rice flour in was Readinglady's shortbread. It gives it a grainy, crunchy texture. I like it better with cornstarch but Ashley loved it with the rice flour.

Annie

Here is the recipe Claire posted a year or so ago itÂs really good. I only use 2 pkgs of yeast and bake it at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes but my oven bakes on the hot side.

Claudia

Here is a link that might be useful: Outback Bread Recipe

David I have a bag in the freezer just a tad older than yours. Used a 1/4 cup last week and I'm here to talk about it so go ahead.

Report back on your bread please. Did you use the recipe Claire posted or another? I need to know because I have no idea what to do with the rest of this 5 pound bag!

Annie, that could be it. YOu know me and my sweets/desserts. I'll have to give them a try.

Claudia, I must have missed Claire posting the recipe but that is the one I found on google. I thought it might be the one as all the others had 100 drops of various food coloring in them to color the bread...LOL

Sharon, I'll report back tomorrow. Heading over to the party here in a bit. Didn't taste it last night as I wanted my loaves to look good for the party. Mom bought french hard rolls as a back up just in case....LOL!

David

My reply is a bit late but I agree with everyone... as long as it doesn't smell or taste funky, it should be fine to use. The worst case scenario would be nutrients loss. Since you're trying out something new, I would definitely use the old flour as play dough. I use Roger's, a Canadian brand, and it's so darn expensive that I would never throw any of that out.

I use rice flour along with regular wheat flour to create special texture in my cookings, including breads and muffins. A lot of my Chinese recipes call for rice flour as well.

Can't wait to hear your report. Maybe a couple of pictures for the curious ones?

Al

Your nose will tell you whether it's good to use or not.

Here is the bread....not the best pic but things were crazy at the party due to the rain keeping everyone inside.

This was good bread and everyone liked it. I think it fell short in coming close to what they serve at the Outback. It is a dense and heavy bread and it went well with our salad and steaks. I made mine the night before and reheated in the oven before serving. I didn't care for it cold or at room temp.

I'm going to play with this recipe and try a another that uses whole wheat flour and honey. Most of those recipe called for food coloring to color the bread....I'll skip that part of the recipe. I'm thinking a combo of WW, rye, and bread flour might do the trick.

Playing around with this will take care of the rye flour that's for sure. Who knows, maybe I'll be buying more.

David

Way to go, David! Glad to hear the bread was well received. It looks good to me! We use quite a bit of rye flour at home because hubby likes black bread. We don't use food coloring though. The trick we use is to add cocoa powder and instant coffee into the mixture. These two not only add nice color but also enhance the flavor of the loaf. :-)

Al

I'll second what Al says about cocoa and instant coffee. We used to get black bread at a Jewish bakery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and it was a minor miracle whenever a loaf lasted the trip from bakery to home. Eventually we had to start buying two loaves, one for the ride home and one for when we got there. We were like ravening wolves devouring that stuff, and I always said, "It's like eating devil's food cake in a loaf." Turns out I was right--they used cocoa powder to darken (and flavor it).

You can also use caramel powder. I can't vouch for this recipe for making it yourself, because I didn't find it till after I'd bought some from King Arthur, but maybe you can try it with your next attempt.

I would definitely eat that bread. Looks great!

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY caramel powder

What - no caraway and salt? I've never had Outback Rye, but I sure love Jewish Rye. Or any rye, for that matter. I'm gonna get me some rye flour!

Yours looks deeeelish, David.

Thanks Al! The other recipes I found did use cocoa and coffee in their recipes...but they had food coloring too. Outback's bread is very dark but not as heavy as this one. Kind of a sweet thing going on with too. I'm guessing the honey might help with that.

Hey Maureen! Thanks for the link to the carmel powder. I'll have to check out the stuff from KA or try the recipe in the link. It is a very dark bread but not as heavy as a traditional rye....which I do like.

Thanks Sherman! I'm going to try a few more recipes and play around with them. It is just basically flour and water for the most part. Not like playing with lobster or beef tenderloin. LOL!

This is good bread... just not what I was looking for compared to Outback's.

David

David, I made that Outback Rye that Claire posted, and it had molasses for darkness. It was pretty sweet, I liked it because I like molasses.

Yours looks really good, though, I wouldn't turn down a slice, toasted with butter would be very nice I'll bet.

Annie