Rye bread needs a bit of sweetness and molasses was the perfect iron-rich, ration point–free choice. Although everyone was very busy, the number of yeast bread recipes published leads me to believe that homemade bread was still important enough to homemakers that they found the time to make it for their families.
1 cup milk
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup vegetable shortening or butter (or a mixture)
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup warm (105° to 110°F) water
1 package active dry yeast
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 to 3½ cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 cup unsifted rye flour
Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form at edge of pan; stir in molasses, shortening, and salt. Pour mixture into a large bowl; set aside to cool to between 105° and 110°F.
Meanwhile, combine warm water and yeast in a cup and set aside for yeast to soften.
When milk mixture has cooled, beat in egg and yeast mixture. Add 3 cups all-purpose flour and the rye flour; stir until a soft dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a work surface sprinkled with some of remaining ½ cup all-purpose flour. Knead 5 minutes, adding as much flour as necessary to make dough manageable. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and set aside in a warm place until double in size—about 1 hour.
Grease an oval in center of a baking sheet. Shape dough into an oval loaf and place on greased pan. Set aside in a warm place until double in size—about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake bread 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350°F and bake until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the top—20 to 25 minutes longer. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.