TYROLEAN BLACK PEPPER BREAD with egg salad dip

I found the recipie for this bread about 10 years ago while still working in bakeries that supplied massive amounts of foods, often themed, for buffets.

Though I have modified this( so I will call this recipie a mock tyrolean) to fit my "use what you have" way of doing things, except for the small amount of rye flour traditionally used, and keeping it a softer bread( I like softer breads) the effect is the same.

This bread was one of the staples often carried in years gone by, by mountaineers that climbed the Alpines.

I created the egg salad to compliment the bread, which it did very well, making it a meal in itself. Enjoy!

The  bread:

1 packet of dry yeast

1 cup warm water

2 tbl molasses

Disolve yeast in water with the molasses, stir and allow to set till bubbly, about 5 minutes.

1 tsp salt

2 tbl molasses

2 tbl caraway seed

2 tbl celery seed

2 tbl ground flax seed

2 tbl fresh ground black pepper

2/3 cup oatmeal

1 cup bread flour

2 tbl bacon grease

Place the above ingredients in your mixer bowl with the salt in first on the bottom. Add in your activated yeast mix, and mix till combined.

5 strips of  crisp cooked bacon crumbled

1/2 of large onion chopped and sauted

1 cup bread flour

Add the bacon ,onion, and last cup of bread flour and knead for 10 minutes or untill elastic. Dough should come clean from the sides of the bowl.

Grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer dough to the bowl turning once to coat with oil. Cover and allow to rise till double, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down while in the bowl and transfer to a clean surface.

On clean surface flatten the dough removing all the air bubbles you can and form into a ball( if you make a ball flatten the top of the ball before proofing) or loaves. Place on baking stone or pan dusted with corn meal.  Cover and allow to rise again till double, about 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake bread for 17 to 20 minutes( I would check it at 15 minutes and turn it to get even coloring since this is a dark bread.) Brush it with butter if you like soft crust when it comes out of the oven.

Cool completely.

The egg salad:

This is a very simple egg salad, using ingredients that you might for deviled eggs, so vary them as you like. I sauted onion and celery, aprox. 3 full large stalks of celery and the other half of the large onion, chopped. Since I did not do accurate measurements in the making, I will tell you I used 8 boiled eggs, chopped, which gave me enough salad to fill the round loaf with a bit left over for two sandwiches..YUM!

celery chopped & sauted

onion chopped & sauted

chopped egg 

mustard

salad dressing

Harry and David's pepper and onion relish

salt

celery seed

ground fresh pepper