Pumpernickel Bread
Hearty dark pumpernickel is delicious plain, and develops a deeper flavour when toasted. I like it both ways. This recipe has been adapted from Martha Stewart to make it simpler to put the ingredients together. I make it by hand with no difficulty, I also added raisins as an option, which produced a different taste. Whichever way you make it, enjoy.
More bread recipes: Challah, No-Knead Artisan French Bread, No-Knead Artisan Rye or Whole Wheat, No-Knead Irish Brown Bread (with Stout), Crusty Baguettes, Soft Baguettes, New York Style Bagels, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns, Classic Sticky Cinnamon Buns, Foccaccia, Classic White Bread, Pillowy Buttermilk Buns, Flax and Honey Bread, Portuguese Cornmeal Bread, Olive Bread, One-Rise Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Babka, Italian Bread (Pani di Terni)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups warm water, divided into 1/4 cup and 1 1/2 cups
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast or 1/10 lb. cake yeast
4 tablespoons butter, softened, plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped (1/4 cup) or cocoa powder (I prefer the results with chocolate)
2 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 cups medium or dark rye flour
3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Options (none, or either of the two, but not both):
2 tablespoons ground caraway seeds (optional)
1 - 2 cups raisins, soaked in hot water and drained (optional)
Method
Brush a large bowl with butter; set aside. Combine 1/4 cup warm water with sugar; sprinkle yeast over top. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat espresso, chocolate, molasses, and 1 1/2 cups water over medium. Cook, stirring often, just until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until warm but not hot (below 110 degrees).
Either by hand using a spoon or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine both flours, salt, and EITHER the caraway OR raisins, if using.
Add the chocolate mixture into the flour, then the yeast mixture. Mix by hand or using the hook, combine. Knead by hand or turn the mixer on medium and mix until the dough comes together in a smooth, springy ball around the hook, 12 to 15 minutes.
Note: Martha Stewart suggests you remove a small piece of dough and stretch it to see if the dough holds together in a thin "windowpane" without breaking. If it does, the gluten is sufficiently developed. I simply knead the dough well.
Knead in the 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated, about 4 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead a few times to form into a ball. The dough will be slightly sticky; don't be tempted to add more flour. Transfer to buttered bowl, turning once to coat, and cover loosely with buttered plastic. Let sit at warm room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Pat the dough out into a rectangle, roughly 10 by 12 inches with short side facing you. Fold the bottom edge two-thirds of the way up the rectangle, and top edge down to cover. Rotate dough 90 degrees and repeat the fold. (This is called a business-letter turn.)
Return the dough to the buttered bowl and cover with a towel or buttered plastic. Let it sit at warm room temperature until doubled in size again, about 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl, gently deflate, and work it into a round boule about 6 inches in diameter. Place a clean dish towel in a medium bowl and generously dust it with flour. Simply round the dough and wrap, seam-side up, it in a floured towel or place the boule, seam-side up, in the bowl. Loosely fold the floured towel over the dough to cover. Let it sit at warm room temperature until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a 9- or 9 1/2-inch cast-iron pot (or enameled cast iron pot or stew/soup pot) in the oven with the lid to preheat. When dough is ready and the pot is "smoking" hot, carefully remove the lid, pull back the corners of the towel, and flip the bowl upside down to transfer bread to the heated pot, seam-side down. Quickly slash an "X" in the top of the bread with a serrated knife and using an oven mitt, cover with lid. Return the pot to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 400 degrees. Remove the lid and continue to bake for 20 minutes, until the bread feels hollow when tapped and internal temperature registers 205 degrees. Immediately turn the bread out of pot onto a cooling rack.
Hearty dark pumpernickel is delicious plain, and develops a deeper flavour when toasted. I like it both ways. This recipe has been adapted from Martha Stewart to make it simpler to put the ingredients together. I make it by hand with no difficulty, I also added raisins as an option, which produced a different taste. Whichever way you make it, enjoy.
More bread recipes: Challah, No-Knead Artisan French Bread, No-Knead Artisan Rye or Whole Wheat, No-Knead Irish Brown Bread (with Stout), Crusty Baguettes, Soft Baguettes, New York Style Bagels, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns, Classic Sticky Cinnamon Buns, Foccaccia, Classic White Bread, Pillowy Buttermilk Buns, Flax and Honey Bread, Portuguese Cornmeal Bread, Olive Bread, One-Rise Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Babka, Italian Bread (Pani di Terni)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups warm water, divided into 1/4 cup and 1 1/2 cups
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast or 1/10 lb. cake yeast
4 tablespoons butter, softened, plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped (1/4 cup) or cocoa powder (I prefer the results with chocolate)
2 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 cups medium or dark rye flour
3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Options (none, or either of the two, but not both):
2 tablespoons ground caraway seeds (optional)
1 - 2 cups raisins, soaked in hot water and drained (optional)
Method
Brush a large bowl with butter; set aside. Combine 1/4 cup warm water with sugar; sprinkle yeast over top. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat espresso, chocolate, molasses, and 1 1/2 cups water over medium. Cook, stirring often, just until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until warm but not hot (below 110 degrees).
Either by hand using a spoon or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine both flours, salt, and EITHER the caraway OR raisins, if using.
Add the chocolate mixture into the flour, then the yeast mixture. Mix by hand or using the hook, combine. Knead by hand or turn the mixer on medium and mix until the dough comes together in a smooth, springy ball around the hook, 12 to 15 minutes.
Note: Martha Stewart suggests you remove a small piece of dough and stretch it to see if the dough holds together in a thin "windowpane" without breaking. If it does, the gluten is sufficiently developed. I simply knead the dough well.
Knead in the 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated, about 4 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead a few times to form into a ball. The dough will be slightly sticky; don't be tempted to add more flour. Transfer to buttered bowl, turning once to coat, and cover loosely with buttered plastic. Let sit at warm room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Pat the dough out into a rectangle, roughly 10 by 12 inches with short side facing you. Fold the bottom edge two-thirds of the way up the rectangle, and top edge down to cover. Rotate dough 90 degrees and repeat the fold. (This is called a business-letter turn.)
Return the dough to the buttered bowl and cover with a towel or buttered plastic. Let it sit at warm room temperature until doubled in size again, about 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl, gently deflate, and work it into a round boule about 6 inches in diameter. Place a clean dish towel in a medium bowl and generously dust it with flour. Simply round the dough and wrap, seam-side up, it in a floured towel or place the boule, seam-side up, in the bowl. Loosely fold the floured towel over the dough to cover. Let it sit at warm room temperature until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a 9- or 9 1/2-inch cast-iron pot (or enameled cast iron pot or stew/soup pot) in the oven with the lid to preheat. When dough is ready and the pot is "smoking" hot, carefully remove the lid, pull back the corners of the towel, and flip the bowl upside down to transfer bread to the heated pot, seam-side down. Quickly slash an "X" in the top of the bread with a serrated knife and using an oven mitt, cover with lid. Return the pot to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 400 degrees. Remove the lid and continue to bake for 20 minutes, until the bread feels hollow when tapped and internal temperature registers 205 degrees. Immediately turn the bread out of pot onto a cooling rack.