Reuben Style Roll

I've had more than my fair share of bad food days lately. Homemade pasta (sore arms and all) that ended up in the trash, stir fried beef and broccoli that tasted bitter (most've burned something), and a really weird chocolate cake thing that I had to bake for a photography contest that's just...I dunno...I'm afraid to taste it. All this has been extremely frustrating to say the least.

Thank God this one was worth eating. Actually, more than that....according to my daughter's friend...it was bomb. (not a bomb....but the bomb!)

The last assignment from HBin5 was to make Whole Grain Rye Bread.

 
Not only did I add the caraway seed as instructed, but I did add some dill and parsley. YUM!!! It's a fantastic dough which makes a fabulous loaf

Of course I had enough dough to make more loaves. And what did I do? I made a Reuben Style Roll!

Talk about delicious! And I'm not a sauerkraut fan at all. But I found a way to ease that issue. I took an onion, sliced it and sauteed it in some oil. I took a bag of sauerkraut and rinsed it really well under cold water and then added it to the onion along with a teaspoon of paprika, some pepper and a tablespoon of sugar....continued sauteing for 20 minutes.

HUGE difference...and way awesome

Now...I had some hesitations about using Thousand Island dressing in this recipe. Don't get me wrong...I really like Thousand Island. Before Ranch came around (yes, there was a time in my lifetime when Ranch Dressing had not yet been invented or well known), Thousand Island was my dressing of choice. Anyways....the idea of baking the dressing kinda grossed me out a little. But...a sandwich without a condiment just aint right. And now for my other food issue...I'm not a mustard fan. There are only 2 things that I will eat mustard on....corn dogs and pastrami sandwiches. But, believe it or not, I really like honey mustard.

And that's what I used....2 parts mustard to 1 part honey

Good stuff. 

Now that all my issues were under control....the fun began. I took a wad (about 1 pound) of my rye dough and rolled it into a rectangular shape. I spread the mustard over it, leaving about 1 inch along the edge "clean". I put a layer of thinly sliced corned beef, topped with Baby Swiss Cheese

Last but not least....the sauerkraut

Don't try and pile on the goods too much. It's a little tricky to roll up and as you go, the goods move ahead and you end up with more on the end than you began. And besides....it gets heavy. And then you need tools (ie: spatula) to help you safely place the roll in the bread pan.

Sooo, yes you roll it up like a log, starting on one of the short ends. You pinch the seam and the ends (folding the ends under) and you gently place it in a bread pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover it and let it rise for 90 minutes (hey...they say food is safe for 2 hours, right? and remember all those years we packed a lunch without ice packs? Oooh...am I aging myself again? Anyways....90 minutes is cool)

Bake in a 350' F oven for about 50 - 60 minutes.

Aaaaaaaaaan Voila!!

Ya...it cracked along the edge...and it sagged like an old nag. But what actually happened was that my log was longer than the bread pan....and the ends got squished and well...this was the result. Let's just say it has personality

And great taste!

 

 

Hot meat, melty cheese....sweet and sour sauerkraut with every inch of it surrounded with fresh homemade Rye Bread!

My next post? I'll show you what I served this with. (I'll give you a hint....I made it in a big old pot).

Btw...in case you're wondering....I don't have the bread recipe on here because when I 'signed up' to be part of the HBin5 group, I agreed not to publish the recipes because we are baking our way through the entire book and it really would not be cool to basically re-publish it all here. But, if you have the book, the dough recipe can be found on page 113. Now I did make a small change, which is typical for me...I always use white whole wheat for its more mild flavor. I also half the amount of whole wheat flour that's called for and increase the all purpose flour by that amount. It cuts down on the whole earthiness...which isn't really my thing.

I'm really excited about the next assignment Michelle over at BigBlackDogs.net (Michelle is the one who has organized and runs the whole HBin5 show) has us doing....Pumpernickle!! How fun will THAT be?!