Rye Bread

• 4 cups warm water
• 3 cups rye flour
• 12 cup molasses
• 14 cup brown sugar
• 2 envelopes dry yeast (or 4 teaspoons yeast)
• 1 tablespoon fennel seed, crushed
• 3 tablespoons corn oil or 3 tablespoons other vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 8 -9 cups flour

1. In a large bowl stir together the first six ingredients (water-fennel seed) until smooth to make the sponge.
2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for one hour or until doubled.
3. Stir down the sponge with a wooden spoon and add oil, salt and 3 cups of flour, stirring until combined and smooth.
4. Stir in remaining flour (1/2 cup at a time) until you have a soft dough.
5. Place dough onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes or until dough is no longer sticky (you will need to add more flour as you knead the dough).
6. Grease a large bowl (or I use a large pot) and add dough, turning to grease all sides and then cover bowl (or pot) with plastic wrap.
7. Let dough rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until doubled.
8. Punch down.
9. Let rise until doubled (1 hour).
10. Grease baking sheets.
11. Put dough on floured board and knead dough for a minute or two and then divide dough into four pieces.
12. Working with one piece at a time, knead each piece into a round loaf and then place each round on a baking sheet.
13. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for one hour or until doubled.
14. (Optional) With a sharp knife mark an "x" on top of each loaf.
15. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
16. Bake loaves for one hour or until done.
17. To test for doneness tap loaves on bottom and if it sounds hollow loaves are done.

warm water, rye flour, molasses, brown sugar, yeast, fennel, corn oil, salt, flour

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/rye-bread-109085 (may not work)