Stephanie Stone, a member of our Baker's Store and catalogue teams, is a regular participant in the New York City Marathon; her training sessions are often fueled by this bread, which she comments on as follows:

"This recipe is based on one in Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. My father is a rye bread fanatic who grew up in a Jewish household in Albany, N.Y. and has yet to find a rye bread that compares to the great bakery stuff he ate growing up. This bread has gone through many variations and taste tests -- several times I've even driven to my parents' summer home in Lake George, N.Y. with my starter and ingredients and finished it there -- and the following version is the one he likes the best."

Starter/Sponge
2 cups medium rye flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon 5-Seed Baking Blend*
1 1/2 cups water

Dough
all of the sponge (above)
1 cup water
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon 5-Seed Baking Blend*
1 egg
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups medium rye flour
2 cups first clear flour
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Topping
1 tablespoon (or more, to taste) 5-Seed Baking Blend*

*Or your favorite seeds or blend of seeds (caraway, sesame, poppy, etc.)

The Sponge: Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at least 2 hours or up to three days. The longer it stands, the more flavor it will develop.

Mix all of the ingredients (except the seeds for the topping) until the dough is a shaggy mass that no longer adheres significantly to the bowl. Turn it out onto a well-floured board; it'll be fairly sticky and soft throughout the kneading process, but knead it until it's smooth and supple. Place in a well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the dough down, shape into two round loaves, and place on a lightly greased pan. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. Brush loaves with water or egg white, and sprinkle with seeds. Bake at 45O°F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 190°F to 200°F. remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack. Yield: 2 loaves.