Kassler with Bread Crust Baked

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg pickled, raw smoked Kassler
• 275 g rye whole grain flour
• 475 g wheat whole grain flour
• 1 cube fresh yeast
• 250 ml water (lukewarm)
• 200 ml low-fat milk (lukewarm)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 150 g natural sourdough starter (1 packet)
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg yolk (whisked with water)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Mix the two flours in a bowl and press a well in the center. Break the yeast into it and stir with 5 tbsp lukewarm water, add the sugar and fold in some flour from the edges. Dust the pre-ferment with flour, cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place until the surface shows cracks. Add the remaining water, milk, sourdough starter and salt and knead the dough until it releases smoothly from the bowl edge. Cover again and let it rise until doubled in volume.

2. 2.

   Pat the Kassler dry with kitchen paper and bake at 100°C in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Knead the bread dough and roll into a 1 cm thick, 40 x 40 cm square. Remove a 10 cm wide strip. Insert the Kassler into the dough, overlap seam areas, press firmly together and trim excess dough edges. Brush dough edges with whisked egg yolk and fold in the dough ends. Cut 1½ cm wide strips from the 10 cm strip using a serrated dough cutter. Knead leftover dough and roll again into a 1 cm thick, about 15 x 15 cm rectangular sheet. Also cut 1½ cm wide strips with the serrated cutter. Brush the wrapped Kassler with egg yolk, lay cross‑cut strips over it, brush again.

3. 3.

   Place the Kassler in dough on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spray all sides with water to aid crust formation through steam. Bake the Kassler for 5 minutes at 200°C, reduce heat to 180°C and bake another 60 minutes until the surface is crisp brown. After baking, brush with cold water and cut into not too thin slices with a bread knife, serve warm.

4. 4.

   Serve with a mixed salad.