Benoîton

Put 75 g flakeds almonds in a non-stick frying pan on high and toast for 5 to 7 minutes. They should only just begin to colour.

Set aside.

You can also do this in the oven at 360°F (180°C): spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes.

In bread-making, the water temperature is always important. It's not a fixed value, but related to 3 other temperatures: 1) the temperature of your flour, 2) the room temperature in your kitchen, and 3) the basic temperature of this recipe, which is 56-60°C.

You can calculate the temperature of the water for this recipe in one click, using this small calculator.

Put into a mixer bowl: 380 g water at the correct temperature, 100 g leaven, 200 g rye flour, 300 g plain white flour (French Type 65), 9 g fine (or table) salt and 10 g yeast.

Knead on slow speed for 12 minutes, adding 300 g raisins and the toasted almonds 2 minutes before the end of kneading.

Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home..

Gather the dough into a ball and transfer to a large, clean bowl.

Cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest for about an hour and a half. It's pointage (starting).

After this time, flatten out the dough by hand, or with a rolling pin, into a large rectangle about half an inch (a generous centimetre) thick. Scatter 50 g Pearl sugar over and press gently into the dough by hand or with the rollling pin.

Cut the rectangle in half.

Cut each half into rectangles about 1x4 inches (2x10 cm) and arrange these on a baking sheet.

Cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 460°F (240°C) and bake for about 30 minutes.

Note: As when baking any bread, you should ensure that the oven is filled with steam for the first 15 minutes of baking. This page shows you how; it really is the secret of golden-brown, crusty loaves..

Leave to cook on a wire rack.