Czech Rye Bread (Chleba)

1st bread dough (yeast starter):

1. Sift 1 cup rye flour into a bowl and mix it with 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast. Dissolve 1 teaspoon honey or sugar in ⅔ cup lukewarm water, then pour it into the bowl with the flour. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture into a thick dough. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 60 minutes – I suggest placing the dough in your oven with a pot of hot water at the bottom.

2nd bread dough (add to the starter):

1. Add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons caraway seeds (crushed), 2 teaspoons salt, 1 small potato (boiled, cooled and shredded), and ⅔ cup lukewarm water to the fermented starter.
2. Stir with a wooden spoon, then turn the mass onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough well by hand. The dough is quite sticky, so expect to end up with some dough on your hands.
3. Return the dough to the bowl and let it rise for another 45–60 minutes. I put the dough back in the oven to proof.
4. Prepare a round, deep bowl and a clean tea towel. Dust the cloth evenly with flour and line the bowl with it. Carefully transfer the raised dough to a bowl lined with a floured tea towel. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.
5. About half an hour before the bread is proofed, turn the oven to 450 °F. Place the Dutch oven, including the lid, in the preheated oven and let it heat up.
6. Prepare a cooling rack and heat-resistant oven gloves, placing them next to the oven. Open the oven and, if it has telescopic rails, slide them and the pre-heated dish out. With gloves on, carefully remove the lid and place it on the cooling rack.
7. Put the risen bread into the pot. Cover it with the lid, slide the rails back in, and close the oven door. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid, reduce the temperature to 380 °F, and bake for another 10 minutes or until a crusty skin forms.
8. Turn out the bread and place it on a cooling rack. Leave to cool for at least two hours before slicing with a knife.