Eastern European Rye - TWD: Baking with Julia

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia - 73rd installment. The recipe is Eastern European Rye.

What a relief to bake rye bread after fussing with phyllo in the previous installment!  This was relatively easy, and fairly similar to the Pumpernickel Loaves we did in November 2013, although with fewer flavoring ingredients than that one.  The ingredients were fairly straightforward including yeast, rye flour, bread flour, ground caraway seeds and whole caraway seeds.  I watched the video on the PBS site where she makes the Pumpernickel bread, to review how she does the shaping, because, again, the description in the book was confusing.  There's a step where she flattens out each end of the roll in turn, and then tucks it way inside the center by stuffing it in with her hand - I wonder if that's what gives the end its rounded shape (?).  

It didn't look all that gorgeous after shaping :-)

Here are the loaves hanging in their towels - just like the Pumpernickel, I still didn't punch a hole in the towel to hang them from an S hook, despite the recommendation in the recipe.  They did just fine with the towel corners tied.  I wonder if hanging them also helps them get rounder.
I baked them on the baking stone, with water and ice cubes thrown on the floor of the oven, and they did bake up quite nicely, and kept well for a few days.  We used them the first night for Reuben sandwiches...yummy.....