Dark rye flour is like using whole wheat flour, or a 100% extraction - it's milled from the whole grain so you have the bran, germ and endosperm making up the flour. Light rye is like using unbleached flour - 60% extraction - the bran and germ have been removed. Medium rye is between 75-85% extraction and may contain some bran/germ. Light rye will be much lighter in color and texture in a recipe than dark or medium rye. In and of itself, rye flour doesn't impact the flavor of bread all that much, it's all the add-ins associated with "rye bread" that flavor it: coffee, molasses, onions, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, etc. You can add caraway seeds to white bread and people will think it's a light rye bread because caraway is the flavor they associate with rye, not the rye itself. You can use rye flour in recipes that don't require a lot of gluten development - try it in cookies, muffins and other quick breads - in combination with wheat flour. What we call Pumpernickel Bread in the U.S. has very little in common with real pumpernickel, which is a heavy, coarse steamed bread. This was a favorite BM recipe from "Bread Machines for Dummies" by Glenna Vance and Tom Lacalamita. LIGHT RYE BREAD (instructions for 1-1/2 # loaf with changes in (----) for 2#) 1 c. water (1-1/2 c.) 4 t. vegetable oil (2 T.) 1-1/2 t. salt (2 t.) 2 T. sugar (3 T.) 1-1/2 t. fennel seeds (2 t.) 1 t. caraway seeds (1-1/2 t.) 1-1/3 c. medium rye flour (1-2/3 c.) 2 c. bread flour (2-1/2 c.) 2-1/4 t. active dry yeast (1 T.) - do not use a fast-rising yeast 1. Be sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before you place them in your bread pan in the order listed. 2. Select the Normal or Basic setting and a light to medium crust color and press Start. 3. Open the lid after the machine has kneaded the dough for about 5 minutes. the dough should be formed into a very soft, sticky ball. If the dough is sticking to the sides or the bottom of the pan, you need to add a bit more bread flour. If the dough appears firm, add more water. Your machine still has kneading time and will work the water into your bread dough. Keep checking your dough until you're satisfied that a soft, sticky ball has formed. 4. After the machine has completed the baking cycle, remove the pan from the machine and the bread from the pan to cool on a wire rack. If you cut the bread before it's cooled for about an hour, it will look doughy. The bread has to cool completely to allow the structure to set. Per serving - 12 servings per 1-1/2# loaf, 16 servings per 2#. Calories - 130; Protein 4 g; Carbohydrates 26 g; Dietary fiber 2 g; Total fat 2 g; Saturated fat 0 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 290 mg. Grainlady note: This recipe is great with dilly cream cheese on it and topped with sliced cucumbers. I always made it with 100% rye flour milled from the whole grain I milled at home. PUMPERNICKEL \- makes 2 7x3\-1/2\-inch loaves (source: Bread of the World \- by Jennie Shapter) 4 c. dark rye flour 2 c. whole wheat flour 2/3 c. bulgur wheat 2 t. salt 2 T. molasses 3\-1/2 c. warm water 1 T. vegetable oil 1\. Lightly grease two 7x3\-1/2\-inch loaf pans. combine the rye flour, whole wheat flour, bulgur wheat and salt in a large bowl. 2\. Mix the molasses with the warm water and add to the flours and the vegetable oil. combine to form a dense mass. 3\. Place in the prepared pans, pressing well into the corners. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 18\-24\-hours. 4\. Preheat the oven to 225\-degrees F. Remove the plastic and cover the pans tightly with foil. Fill a roasting pan with boiling water and place a rack on top. 5\. Place the pans on top of the rack and transfer very carefully to the oven. Bake the loaves for 4\-hours. Increase the oven temperature to 325\-degrees F. Top up the water in the roasting pan if necessary, uncover the loaves and bake for another 30\-45 minutes or until the loaves feel firm and the tops are crusty. 6\. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve cool, very thinly sliced, with cold meats. Cooks tip: This bread improves over time. Keep for at least 24 hours double\-wrapped inside a plastic bag or waxed paper and foil before slicing. \-Grainlady

I am no longer a bun virgin! You folks inspired me to try them. I have a bread machine that I used to use many many years ago, back when I had a metabolism. LOL All these posts about yeasts and how forgiving dough is made me brave. I figured I would give it a shot with the recipe in this thread. I used the bread machine to mix the dough. I confess that I never even thought about using the dough cycle, always baked the bread in the machine. I poured the ingredients in, walked away for 1:30 came back and dumped it on the counter and made cute little balls (thanks for the video link). Came back 1 hour later and baked these delicious rolls! Oh yeah, my yeast expired in May, I used it anyway. No problem. We are such city slickers and my Mom and her Mother were not cooks. So the most amusing part of making these rolls is my Mom saying "Wow you can do that? Make hamburger buns at home?" She was pretty funny. After they were done she kept touching them saying "I'll be darned, aren't they beautiful?" Here they are after 5 minutes of hands on. The results How easy was that? I think I'll leave the bread machine out. Thanks for all the encouragement. A special thanks goes to Ann T and Annie for being so encouraging to us novices about bread baking. And Maureen thank you for the recipe. I think next time I will weigh the little balls to get them the same size. Does anyone know how much hamburger sized buns should weigh?

Thanks Teresa, Grainlady and Annie for your help. Mad about Mickey, what a coincidence. The first one was certainly not my best either. Teresa- You answered one of the questions I didn't ask... I wondered if I was supposed to use the paddle then switch to the hook. Do you switch after all ingredients are in I'm guessing? I use my mixer a lot, but for the same few things... cookies, an occasional cake, whipped cream and dog treats. I should probably read the instructions again. Grainlady - here is the recipe... 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons water 1 1/3 cups (10 1/2 ounces) water 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil 1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey, molasses, or maple syrup 3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour 1/4 cup (1 ounce) nonfat dried milk 1 1/4 teaspoons salt Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual.") Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly. Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices. I think when I made it by hand, I basically did what you were saying. When I tried to strictly follow directions, the dough was too sticky to work with, so I added the flour until I could work with it. I finished kneading with the oil. I didn't punch the dough, but I don't think that hurt much of anything, I only have one spot with a bigger air bubble, so I must have smushed it enough when I shaped it. I have never tried the sponge, in fact, I had never heard of it before last year when I was thinking about learning to make some different types of bread. I will try that sometime. I was taught how to bake bread by my great aunt when I was in elementary school (early 80's??) I make some here and there, but years go by without making any, so I have to regain the "feel" of it. That's why I posted, I the dough didn't feel right when I followed the directions, and I was second guessing myself. I have also discovered you can learn A LOT from these forums, so I thought it might be educational to ask! I think I need to re-acquaint myself with bread baking the way I was taught, and then I should try out some other methods. There seems to be a ton of variety out there, and I should learn some of it. Thank you, and BTW, this loaf did turn out much better than the first one.

I definitely will try that one... Whole grain breads are my favorite for flavor and texture... Here is my favorite Wheat Bread recipe.. Honey Cracked Wheat Bread Ingredients 1 1/4 cups warm water 1/2 cup cracked wheat 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 2 tablespoons butter, softened 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons molasses 2 tablespoons honey 1 cup milk 1 cup whole wheat flour 4 cups all-purpose flour Directions 1.In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in cracked wheat and simmer for 10 minutes; let cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. 2.Pour the cracked wheat mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the butter, salt, molasses, honey, milk, yeast mixture, whole wheat flour and 2 cups of the bread flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. 3.When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. 4.Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 5.Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on top and bottom. Cool on racks. I sometimes add nuts, sunflower seeds or flax seed to the dough too... or wheat germ... whatever the spirit moves me to put in...