Nana’s Rye Bread

Scald milk and set aside to cool. Take 1 cup water and in a sauce pan add brown sugar, molasses, shortening, anise and orange peel. Bring to a boil and pour in milk. Put your yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water to activate it. It should get foamy in a couple minutes.

Meanwhile, turn off pan and let the milk cool. Then add the yeast mixture. Get yourself a big old bowl and add the milk/yeast mixture, the rye flour and the salt. Mix well. Let sit and rise 20 minutes. Add your white flour little by little to make a stiff dough. You may not need all 3 1/2 cups.

Take the stiff dough out and knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes. Let it rise again until doubled. Punch the raised dough ball down and separate and shape it into 2 round loaves. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let them rise up again for 20 minutes.

Bake on a big round stone or pan for 45 minutes. Brush tops with butter when they come out of the oven.

* You could put these into greased loaf pans too. Just shape them into loaves instead of round balls.