Sourdough rye bread

Rye bread is a type of bread made with various percentages of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat flour. It is higher in fiber than white bread and is often darker in color and stronger in flavor. Rye bread has notable health benefits when compared to white bread.

Biochemistry of rye bread[link]

While rye and wheat are genetically close enough to interbreed (the resulting hybrids are known as triticale), there are some substantial differences in the biochemistry of wheat and rye that can drastically affect the breadmaking process. A key issue is amylases – while wheat amylases are generally not heat-stable and have no effect on the stronger wheat gluten, rye amylase remains active at substantially higher temperatures. Since rye gluten is not particularly strong, the main structure of the bread is based on complex polysaccharides, including rye starch and pentosans, and the amylases in the flour can break down the resulting structure, inhibiting the rise of the dough.^[1]

Dark rye bread

There are two common solutions: The traditional manner, acidification, uses Lactobacillus cultures in a naturally-derived sourdough starter to inactivate the rye amylases, which cannot function in an acidic environment, and to help gelatinize the starches in the dough matrix. In areas where obtaining wheat has traditionally been impractical because of marginal growing conditions or supply difficulties, this has been the most important technique to creating lighter breads. As a byproduct of this intentional cultivation of lactic acid and acetic acid from the sourdough bacteria, standard baker's yeast is not often used, since Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known to be rather intolerant of acid environments. (Commercial yeast can, however, still be used; recipes substituting citric acid or vinegar and commercial yeast for the sourdough culture are sometimes used in baking trades.)

In areas where high-gluten hard wheat is readily available, on the other hand, the need for a complex polyculture of bacteria and yeast can often be reduced or removed by adding a large proportion of hard wheat flour to the rye flour; the added gluten compensates for amylase activity on the starch in the bread, allowing it to retain its structure as it cooks. (The Jewish rye bread tradition in the United States is based upon this mixing of grains.) The use of high-gluten wheat flour also makes possible multigrain breads, such as the "rye and Indian" bread of the American colonies, which combined rye and wheat with cornmeal in one loaf.

Rye bread contains phenolic acids and ferulic acid dehydrodimers.^[2]

Types[link]

Pure rye bread contains only rye flour, without any wheat. German-style pumpernickel, a dark, dense, and close-textured loaf, is made from crushed or ground whole rye grains, usually without wheat flour, baked for long periods at low temperature in a covered tin. Rye and wheat flours are often used to produce a rye bread which has a lighter texture, color and flavor than pumpernickel. 'Light' or 'dark' rye flour can be used to make rye bread; the flour is classified according to the amount of bran left in the flour after milling. Caramel or molasses for coloring and caraway seeds are often added to rye bread. In the United States, breads labeled as "rye" nearly always contain caraway unless explicitly labeled as "unseeded." In Canada (especially Montreal), breads labelled as "rye" often have no seeds, whereas breads labeled as "kimmel" are usually rye with caraway seeds. Rye bread recipes typically include ground spices such as fennel, coriander, aniseed, cardamom, or citrus peel. In addition to caramel and molasses, ingredients such as coffee or cocoa (or even toasted bread crumbs) can also be used for both coloring and flavor purposes for very dark breads like pumpernickels.

Straight rye breads[link]

A simple, all-rye bread can be made using a sourdough starter and rye meal; it will not rise as high as a wheat bread, but will be more moist with a substantially longer keeping time. Such breads are often known as black breads,^[3][4] from their darker colour than wheat breads (enhanced by long baking times, creating Maillard reactions in the crumb). The German Vollkornbrot (whole grain bread) is something of an archetypical example, containing both rye meal and cracked whole rye grains (which are generally soaked overnight before incorporating into the dough). It is used both as an appetizer substrate for such things as smoked fish and caviar and as a sandwich bread. A very similar, but darker, bread, German-style pumpernickel, has an even darker color derived from toasted leftover bread and other agents. Due to the density of the bread, the yeast in the starter is used at least as much for the fermentation character in the bread itself as it is for leavening. Danish rugbrød (rye bread), another archetypical example, is typically made with sour dough, with either straight rye flour, or mixed with whole and/or cracked rye kernels. Any breads containing wheat flour are not considered rugbrød, but white bread. A variety of seeds, such as pumpkin, poppy and caraway, may be added for taste. Rugbrød is a staple lunch food, typically eaten topped with cold or warm fish and meats, cheese or any other cold cut.

As stated above, all-rye breads may have very long keeping times, measured in months rather than days, and are popular as storage rations for long boat trips and outdoors expeditions. Such breads are usually sliced very thin because of their density, sometimes only a few millimeters thick, and are sold presliced in this manner.

Multigrain rye breads[link]

It is fairly common to combine rye with other grains and seeds. In southern Germany and Switzerland, for example, it is not uncommon to find a variant of Vollkornbrot with sunflower seeds instead of the rye seeds, and some traditional recipes also substitute whole wheat grains for the rye grains.^[5] In the colonial era in North America, particularly in the United States, it became common to mix rye and cornmeal in what was known as "rye and Indian" or, if wheat flour was added, "thirded" bread; the resulting bread, though less dense than a whole-rye bread, was still heavier than the more expensive wheat-only breads that later became commonplace.

In England, a mixed rye/wheat bread known as maslin (or several other variants of the name) was the bread of the peasants for hundreds of years,^[6] in contrast to the manchet bread eaten by the rich.

White rye-type bread

Wheat-rye breads, particularly light rye (sissel) and American pumpernickel, but also a combination known as "marble rye", are very closely associated with Jewish-American cuisine, particularly the delicatessen. The bulk of the flour is white wheat flour (often a less-refined form known as "first clear"), with a substantial portion of rye mixed in for colour and flavor. The dough is often, but not necessarily, leavened, in whole or in part, with sourdough, but sometimes uses a small addition of citric acid or vinegar to achieve the lowered pH needed to neutralize the rye amylases; so-called "Jewish rye" is further seasoned with whole caraway seeds and glazed with an egg wash, and is traditionally associated with salted meats such as corned beef, pastrami, and (outside kosher circles) ham. High-gluten wheat flour can be used with rye flour to make a dough suitable for bagels, as well. Jewish-style American rye bread is sometimes referred to as "corn bread" or "corn rye"; the term comes from the use of cornmeal as a coating and handling aid and does not necessarily imply the use of cornmeal within the dough itself as in rye and Indian.

The Jewish-American variety has Eastern European antecedents, including Russian-style brown bread and Riga-style rye bread.^[7] In Scandinavia, similar breads are made, some of which also include sweeteners and/or citrus peel, as well as spices such as anise, fennel or cardamom, when made for more festive occasions (such as in the Swedish limpa).

In Canada, Winnipeg-style rye bread does not actually contain much, if any, rye flour. Instead, this Jewish and Slavic influenced bread is made from cracked rye or coarse rye meal added to wheat flour, often flavored with caraway and other herbs.^[8][9]

Crisp rye flatbreads[link]

There are three different types of rye crisp bread: yeast fermented, sourdough fermented and cold bread crisp bread. Most of the crisp bread produced in Scandinavia is baked following three to four hours of fermentation. Sourdough crisp breads are used in Finland, Estonia, Latvia^{[citation needed]}, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and India. The third type of crisp bread is the so-called cold bread crisp bread, essentially a type of hardtack (known in Sweden particularly as knäckebröd and in Finland as näkkileipä), which is baked without the addition of any leavening.^[10] The dough gets the right texture from a foaming process, where air is incorporated into the cooled dough, which also leads to the almost white color of the finished bread. Crisp bread owes its long shelf life to its very low water content (5–7%).

One of the largest producers of rye flatbreads, and one of the most prominent in overseas markets, is the Swedish-founded company Wasabröd.

Rye quick breads[link]

Rye flour is sometimes used in chemically-leavened quick bread recipes as well, either batter-type or dough-type (similar to Irish soda bread). In such cases, it can be used in similar applications as whole wheat flour, since an egg matrix often provides the bread structure rather than the grain's gluten.

Health benefits[link]

Rye bread contains a large amount of fiber and only a little fat. Rye bread does not create high spikes in blood sugar as white bread and other breads do.^[11]

History[link]

Dark rye bread became a staple which lasted to the Middle Ages. Many different types of rye grain have come from places all over Europe such as Finland, Denmark, Russia, Baltic countries and Germany. In Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Poland, Belarus, Slovakia, and Russia, rye is the most popular type of bread. A common saying in modern-day Alaska is "eggs on rye," which is an expression used when something tastes delicious. In 500 AD., the Saxons and Danes settled in Britain and introduced rye, which was well suited to cold northern climates.^{[citation needed]}

Uses[link]

Rye is a popular bread for sandwiches. In the United States, corned beef or pastrami on rye is particularly popular; it is considered a classic element of Jewish-influenced New York City cuisine.^[12] One common form of this combination is the reuben sandwich.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rye bread

• Pumpernickel
• Ruisleipä
• Rugbrød

References[link]

v t e Bread List of breads Types Brown bread White bread Whole wheat Flatbread Quick Rye bread Salt-rising Soda bread Sourdough Unleavened Ingredients Barm Calcium propanoate Flour Flour treatment agent Leavening agent Pre-ferment Improver Equipment Oven Bread machine Bread pan Dough scraper Lame Peel Stand mixer Processes Autolysis Baking Biga Chorleywood bread process Kneading Leavening Maillard reaction Proofing Pre-slicing Steaming Vienna process Uses Breadcrumbs Bread bowl Bread pudding Croutons French toast Stuffing Sandwiches Toast Other Breadmaking Baker percentage Recipes on WikiBooks Category:Breads The Food Portal

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2011)

James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959, Minneapolis, Minnesota) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956, Omaha, Nebraska) are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team.^[1] They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most notably Janet Jackson.

History[link]

Jam in January 2012

Lewis in January 2012

Jimmy Jam is the son of Cornbread Harris, a Minneapolis blues and jazz musician. Jimmy Jam met Lewis in high school in Minneapolis and formed a band called Flyte Tyme, which evolved into the Time. In 1981, they were joined by Morris Day and toured with Prince as his opening act. As members of The Time, they recorded three of the group's four albums (The Time, What Time Is It? and Pandemonium). The first two albums are said to have shaped early 1980s R&B music^{[attribution needed]} (featuring "Cool," "Get it Up," "The Walk," "777-9311," and "Gigolos Get Lonely Too").

In 1982, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were introduced to the music executive Dina R. Andrews, who was then an employee of Dick Griffey's Solar Records (The Whispers, Shalamar, Lakeside (band), Klymaxx, The Deele, Babyface). The pair asked Andrews to manage them, and through her relationships Andrews first introduced Jam and Lewis to Music Executive Clarance Avant. They produced their first masters for Avant for the SOS Band. Andrews set-up Jam and Lewis's company Flyte Tyme Productions as a business entity, and continued shopping them to her other record executive colleagues. The producers went on to produce several other masters for Avant under Dina Andrews Management for the SOS Band, Cherrelle, Alexander O'Neal and Change. Additionally, Andrews shopped the duo to many of the executives and artists who used their services, such as Klymaxx, Cheryl Lynn (Encore), and executives such as John McClain (Janet Jackson), Clive Davis, Sylvia Rhone, and Warner Chappelle (Rachele Fields).

The pair was fired by Prince from a tour because a blizzard left them unable to rejoin after a short break to produce music for The SOS Band. However, one of the tracks they were producing, "Just Be Good To Me", became a hit and sealed the duo’s reputation, as well as that of the SOS Band. The duo would rejoin The Time for two albums: 1990's Pandemonium and the recently released Condensate under the name the Original 7ven.

The duo was noted for early use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine in English-language popular music, which was used in most of its productions. After working with other artists such as Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal, Jam and Lewis were introduced to Janet Jackson and produced her breakthrough album Control in 1986, for which the duo won a Grammy Award. Their collaboration on her next album, 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814, proved even more successful as the album became one of the top-selling albums in history with five No.1 hits.

Since that time, they founded a record label, Perspective Records (an A&M/PolyGram Records-distributed label that has since shut its doors), and worked with artists including TLC, Sounds of Blackness, Yolanda Adams, Jordan Knight, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Prince, Spice Girls, Vanessa Williams, George Michael, Melanie B, Rod Stewart, Kelly Price, Gwen Stefani, New Edition, Eric Benet, Pia Zadora, Solo, Morrison Slick (an unreleased cut, slated to appear on Morrison Slick's Flyte Tyme Records debut Kiss Da Sky came out on little known UK compilation Soul & The City),^[2] and The Human League. In 1999, they produced the hit "Open My Heart" by Yolanda Adams which helped her popularity. In 2000, the two were guest performers for J-pop singer and songwriter Hikaru Utada's 'Bohemian Summer' concert tour in Japan.

Terry Lewis married R&B singer Karyn White, with whom he had a daughter, Ashley Nicole Lewis. The pair has since divorced. He later married Indira Singh and had two children, Talin and Tierra. Jimmy Jam served as Chairman of the Board of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He is currently listed as Chairman Emeritus.

In 2005 Jam and Lewis opened their new recording studios in Santa Monica California naming it Flyte Tyme West. In 2006, they won a Grammy for Yolanda Adams' song "Be Blessed", from her 2005 album Day By Day. In 2007, Jam and Lewis produced the two-time Grammy Award winning CD Funk This for Chaka Khan, which included the Award winning R&B duet "Disrespectful", with Mary J. Blige.

The production duo recently reunited with The Time at The 50th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008 in a medley that included the artist Rihanna, and featuring "Jungle Love". In June and July 2008, all of the original members of The Time (Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, and Monte Moir) reunited once again for a series of shows at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Jam and Lewis worked on Ruben Studdard's album, Love Is.

To date, Jam and Lewis have produced 16 Hot 100 #1 singles:

• New Edition's "If It Isn't Love", "Can You Stand the Rain"
• Johnny Gill's "Rub You the Right Way", "Wrap My Body Tight"
• Ralph Tresvant's "Sensitivity"
• Boyz II Men's "On Bended Knee" & "4 Seasons of Loneliness",
• Mariah Carey's "Thank God I Found You" featuring Joe & 98 Degrees,
• The Human League's "Human",
• Janet Jackson's "When I Think of You", "Miss You Much", "Escapade", "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", "That's the Way Love Goes", "Again", "Together Again", "Doesn't Really Matter" & "All for You",
• George Michael's "Monkey",
• Usher's "U Remind Me"
• Karyn White's "Romantic".

A documentary film called Flyte Tyme was made recently, which focused on their label and the duo.

Discography[link]

• List of songs produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jimmy Jam biography at Yahoo.com
• Terry Lewis biography at Yahoo.com
• Flyte Tyme Productions
• BBC Interview, May 2005
• (French) Le groupe SoulRnB.com consacré à Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
• Njs4ever.com