My very favorite bread is rye and I can't have ham without rye bread. On Christmas eve morning I made a loaf of marbled rye bread. I used the same recipe as I did last year and again it turned out perfect. The recipe I use is from King Arthur's web site and adapted it a little or you could use your favorite recipe.

Marbled Rye Sandwich Bread

3 c Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 c rye flour
3/4 c pumpernickel flour
1/4 c nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3/4 c warm water

1-2 tablespoon cocoa powder and 1 tsp oil for coloring of half the dough

Combine all of the ingredients except cocoa powder and the 1 tsp oil, stirring until the dough comes together. Knead until smooth, adding additional water or all-purpose flour if needed--the dough should be soft and quite sticky. Take out half the dough and put in a well oiled bowl. To the other half add the cocoa powder and 1 tsp oil and knead until combined. Put the colored dough into the oiled bowl. Cover and put in a warm place and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down and take out the light rye dough and pat out on a sheet of wax paper, then put the colored rye dough on top and pat it out. Roll tightly and put seam side down on a sheet of parchment paper. Let this rise for about 1 hour.

Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes (tenting it lightly with aluminum foil). Remove the bread foil, and let the bread bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until it's golden brown on top. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing.
Yield: 1 large loaf.

Give me a slice of this bread and a piece of cheese and this makes a wonderful lunch. In fact I took the heal of the bread and some cheese and it made a good Christmas breakfast.