Homemade Pastrami and Reuben sandwiches were my goals for this project. I found the Pastrami recipe here http://www.lakestockton.com/read.php?56,80436 [1].

I considered making DMSnyder's Corn Bread Rye as described on The Fresh Loaf. It sounds yummy but looked to be more time consuming than I wanted. So I turned to page 58 of the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, where I found a recipe for light Deli style Rye bread. I've had great luck with other no knead recipes from this book so why not give this one a try?

The results were better than I expected. 

The loaf pictured was made with two pounds of bread dough. I used 385 grams of General Mills Harvest King Flour, 80 grams Hodgson Mill Rye Flour, 1.5 cups water, 1 Tablespoon French Grey Sea Salt (coarse), 3/4 Tablespoon (1 packet) instant yeast, 1 Tablespoon Caraway Seeds. The ingredients were mixed by hand without kneading and placed in a food grade plastic container in the refrigerator. (note: This recipe is just slightly different from the one found in the book)

On baking day (about a week later) I turned out the dough on a floured work surface. It was then stretched and letter-folded four or five times. I shaped it into one 12 inch long loaf and let it proof for about an hour. Then it was slashed with a serrated bread knife and painted with a cornstarch wash (1/2 teaspoon cornstarch in 1/2 cup water microwaved for a minute). I then sprinkled on some additional Caraway seeds.

I proofed the loaf on a Silpat Silicone baking mat and transferred the mat and loaf directly onto a preheated baking stone in a 450 degrees F oven. For steam, I placed a shallow pan with half a cup of hot water on the oven shelf below the baking stone. 30 minutes later the loaf was done.

It is perfect for making Deli style sandwiches. The crust is crisp but not too crisp. The crumb is open and moist. The flavor is a very good light rye. (photography courtesy of Apple's iPhone).