Russian Black Bread

4 cups rye flour
2 cups whole bran cereal
2 envelopes dry yeast
2 tablespoons caraway seeds, crushed
2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 (1 ounce square) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Lightly grease a large bowl and two 8-inch layer cake pans; set aside.

Combine first 8 ingredients in mixing bowl.

Combine 2 1/2 cups water, butter, vinegar, molasses and chocolate in 2-quart saucepan.
Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until chocolate is almost melted but mixture is still lukewarm.
Turn into mixing bowl and begin beating. Gradually add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to make a soft dough and beat about 3 minutes.
Turn dough onto lightly floured board.
Cover with bowl and allow dough to rest 10 to 15 minutes.

Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes, adding additional flour as needed.
Place in greased bowl, turning to coat entire surface.
Cover with plastic wrap and hot, damp towel and leave in warm place until doubled in volume.

Punch dough down and turn onto lightly floured board.
Shape into 2 balls and place in prepared pans.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave in warm place until doubled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake breads 40 minutes.

Combine water and cornstarch in saucepan and bring to boil over high heat; boil 1 minute.
Brush lightly over bread and return bread to oven for about 5 minutes, or until tops are glazed and loaves sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from pans and allow to cool on racks.

Romovaya Baba (Rum Cake With Currants and Raisins)

Serves 10 to 12

2 packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
8 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 pound plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dried currants (2 ounces)
1/4 cup sultana raisins (1 ounce)

In a small, shallow bowl, sprinkle the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk.
Let the mixture stand for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast completely.
Set the bowl aside in a warm, draft-free place, such as an unlighted oven, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the mixture doubled in volume.

In a deep mixing bowl, combine the remaining sugar with salt and flour.
Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture.
Add the remaining milk, drop in the eggs and, with a large spoon stir the flour into the liquid ingredients.
Continue to stir until fairly stiff dough is formed.
Knead the dough by pulling it with your hands - as though are pulling taffy - for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.

Drape the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel and set it aside in the warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in bulk.
Then punch it down and knead in 3/4 pound of the softened butter, a tablespoon or so at a time.
Knead in the currants and sultana raisins.

With a pastry brush, coat the inside of a 12-cup mold with the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter.
Pat the dough into the mold; it should come about halfway up the sides.
Cover the mold loosely with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in volume and has risen almost to the top of the pan.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F and bake another 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, drape a kitchen towel loosely over the top of the mold and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Run a knife around the inside of the mold and turn the cake out into a serving dish.
Then carefully turn the cake over on the plate.

Syrup
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup dark rum

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook briskly for 5 minutes, undisturbed, until the mixture forms a syrup thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
Pour the syrup into a bowl, then stir in the rum.

Icing (optional)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cold water
3 teaspoons fresh, strained lemon juice

With a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar, water and lemon juice.
Slowly spoon the warm syrup over the warm cake.
With a large spoon, baste the cake every 10 minutes or so with the syrup collecting around the cake.
When all the syrup has been absorbed, you may ice the top of the cake with the white icing just before serving, if desired.

Russian Chicken Pie (Kurnik)

Pastry
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked regular rice
2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon
2 large onions, thinly sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and
finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced dill weed
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Prepare Pastry; wrap in plastic wrap.
Heat water, rice and bouillon to boiling, stirring once or twice; reduce heat.
Cover and simmer 14 minutes without lifting cover or stirring.

Remove from heat.
Fluff rice lightly with fork; cover and let steam 5 to 10 minutes.

Cook and stir onions and mushrooms in butter in skillet over medium heat until onions are light brown.
Mix half and half and cornstarch; stir into onion mixture.
Stir in chicken broth.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute.
Stir in chicken, parsley, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg and pepper.
Mix chopped eggs and dill weed.

Spread one-third of the rice mixture in bottom of ungreased 12 x 7-inch baking dish.
Layer with half of the chicken mixture and half of the egg mixture.
Repeat the layers; top with remaining rice mixture.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Unwrap Pastry; place on well-floured cloth-covered board.
Roll into a 13 x 8-inch rectangle with floured stockinet-covered rolling pin.
Cut a 1-inch circle in center of pastry.
Place Pastry over top of dish; turn edges under and flute.
Mix egg yolk and water; brush over pastry.
Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Yields 8 servings.

Pastry
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Cut butter and shortening into flour and salt until particles are the size of small peas.
Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl.
Gather pastry into ball; shape into flattened rectangle.