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16

Strong Black Pumpernickel Bread

September 16, 2007 |

The dog wags his tail, not for you, but for your bread.
- Portuguese Proverb

Click on the logo to see previous posts in the series.

The year - 1998. The setting - a mall in upstate New York. As it always happens on those rare occasions that I go to the mall (I really detest spending time at the mall), I end up browsing in a bookstore. Mercifully these bookstores break up the garishness and cacophony of the rest of a typical American mall.

As I was leaving the checkout counter, I saw the bargain desk. I like the bargain desk not just because some deals are truly a steal (like the New Yankee Workshop Complete Guide to Power Tools that I saw the other day for $1.99) but because you find all kinds of books in one place !! It’s perfect for somebody who doesn’t know why they ended up in the bookstore in the first place. I chanced upon Martha Rose Shulman’s book on breads. What attracted me was, of course, the picture on the cover. However, what kept me there drooling for the next 20 minutes were the sheer array of things that I had never heard of nor had a clue could be created with flour and water. Time to expand horizons, I said to myself, and found myself at the checkout counter again.

I had never heard of her before. Now I know better. After trying many of her recipes, I just believe she is a genius. She has an ability to translate her expertise in a very conversational, non-didactic manner which is not intimidating.

Better still, she tries to incorporate whole grains into her recipes to the extent possible, and makes bread the traditional way - with a wooden bowl, spoon and an oven. I started out with a “safe” banana nut bread which still remains one of our favorites. B took to baking in 2001 and since has bought several other bread-making books but we still keep going back to Great Breads to whip up some traditional and sumptuous breads. One of our recent creations from the book was Strong Pumpernickel Bread. The crust turned out to be a wonderful rich brown and the inside was just perfect. Thinly sliced and eaten with cheese or salads, this dense, flavourful bread tastes just like one from a European bakery.

When I met B, she had no cookbooks and I had just this one. This is the first cookbook either of us bought. We have nearly 40 now, but this remains one of our favourites.

- Jai

Pumpernickel is a type of German sourdough bread traditionally made with rye meal (a coarsely ground form of the rye flour). It is now often made with a combination of rye flour and whole rye berries. It has been long associated with the Westphalia region of Germany. …

Traditional German pumpernickel contains no coloring agents, instead relying on the Maillard reaction to produce its characteristic deep brown color, sweet dark chocolate coffee flavor, and earthy aroma. Loaves produced in this manner require 16 to 24 hours of baking in a low temperature (about 250°F or 120°C) steam-filled oven. The bread is usually baked in long narrow pans that include a lid. Like the French pain de mie Westphalian pumpernickel has little or no crust. …

A separate pumpernickel bread tradition has grown up in America. The American pumpernickel loaf approximates the dark color of traditional German pumpernickel by adding molasses, coffee, cocoa powder, or other darkening agents. In addition to coloring and flavor agents, American bakers often add wheat flour (to provide gluten structure and increase rising) and commercial yeast (to quicken the rise compared to a traditional sourdough). Because of the ways in which American bakers have changed the original German recipe, and for economic reasons, they tend to eschew the long slow baking that is characteristic of German pumpernickel. The result is a loaf that resembles commercial American rye bread — a bread made with a mix of wheat and rye flour — but with darker coloring.

(Source: Wiki)

This recipe is more in the American Jewish tradition with caraway seeds, blackstrap molasses, chocolate and coffee - all adding to its spicy, intense flavour.

STRONG BLACK PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

(Makes one round loaf)

Ingredients
1.5 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 square (half ounce) unsweetened chocolate chopped
**or 2 tsps unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 and 3/4 cup dark rye flour
1/2 cup bran (we used oat bran)
1.5 tsps salt
1.5 cups unbleached white flour
**we used a combo of whole wheat pastry flour and unbleached white flour

cornmeal or semolina for sprinkling on pan
1 egg beaten with 2 tbsps water for egg wash
1.5 tsps black poppy seeds for topping (optional)
**we used black sesame seeds

Method
1. Warm 1/2 cup of the water. When it is lukewarm (not more than 105 F, just warmer than your hand), add the yeast and sugar. Stir and set aside for five minutes. It should get foamy.

2. In a microwave, heat the remaining water, chocolate, molasses, coffee, caraway seeds and vinegar. Heat until the coffee and chocolate dissolve.

3. Bring the mixture to lukewarm, add the yeast mixture and the remaining ingredients (except the cornmeal, egg and the poppy seeds).

4. Knead for 6-8 minutes until you get a smooth, elastic ball of dough. If it is too dry, add 1 tbsp. water at a time. If it is too wet, add 1 tbsp. flour at a time. The dough will be dense and a bit stickier than normal, and that’s fine.

6. Shape it into a ball. Put it in a large bowl lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with a plate, or oiled cling wrap, and keep it in a warm place until doubled in quantity. (one to 1.5 hours)

6. Oil a baking sheet or round cake pan and sprinkle it with cornmeal or semolina.

7. Punch the dough down gently, knead it a bit, shape it into a ball, and place it in the pan.

8. Cover it with a floured tea towel and let it rise again until almost doubled (about 50-60 minutes).

9. Preheat oven to 375 F with a rack in the middle.

10. Brush the loaf with egg wash, sprinkle with poppy seeds. Slash the loaf across the top to let out steam. Bake for 35 minutes or so. Halfway throuh baking, brush again with egg wash.

11. Let it cool on a wire rack.

There are two events featuring cookbooks currently in the blogosphere.

One is Weekend Cookbook Challenge by Sara. The theme for WCC#20 is Show and Tell.

The other is Show Me Your Cookbooks, started by Sabrina of YumSugar. The current hostess is Nags @ For the Cook in Me.

This is our entry for both these events.

Other cookbooks from our collection featured here:

Gusto Italiano
Whole Grain Breads By Machine or Hand
Bread Machine: How to Prepare and Bake the Perfect Loaf
Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts
The Complete Gujarati Cookbook
Fresh Flavours of India
Dakshin
Cooking at Home with Pedatha

America-Jewish, BOOK REVIEWS, BOOKS, caraway-seeds, cookbook, Flours, Great-breads, Martha-Rose-Shulman, molasses, Rye, strong-black-pumpernickel, vegetarian recipes, Wheat

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26 Comments so far

Anh on September 16, 2007 1:43 pm
Beautiful bread… And wow!!! your rbead turns out just like the book! You are such a wonderful baker
Pooja on September 16, 2007 1:54 pm
I loved the entire write up. Very informative.
Sara on September 16, 2007 2:44 pm
What a gorgeous bread! Interesting ingredients too. Sounds like a wonderful book, thanks for sharing it with us for WCC, hope to see you again!
musy on September 16, 2007 2:47 pm
I love both the traditional and the American pumpernickel breads! Yours looks just perfect! This might well be my next baking project :).
roopa on September 16, 2007 6:11 pm
i love the breads you bake and learning fromthis book would be wuick start for me!nice writeup
Kajal on September 16, 2007 7:27 pm
WOW…….you use unsweetened chocolate is nice idea my dear. I always love the home made bread….rocking Breads….
Nags on September 16, 2007 8:20 pm
lovely bread. thank u so much for participating
Anjali on September 16, 2007 10:18 pm
That looks fantastic. Does this bread have texture like brun? J you are a fab baker.
Srivalli on September 16, 2007 10:42 pm
wow.. thats such a romantic post…and your bread is looking just out of that book…great…thanks for the details…
Jyothsna on September 16, 2007 10:59 pm
The aroma of freshly baked bread inside and fragrance of fresh flowers outside your home…..what a beautiful place to stay!!
Raaga on September 16, 2007 11:24 pm
Wow… hey even I baked bread on Sunday :-) what a coincidence :-)
keerthi cherukuri on September 16, 2007 11:51 pm
The roll looks fantastic…well informative write-up too..
sandeepa on September 17, 2007 5:52 am
Hey Mr.Pumpernickel…you look just as in the book.
Happy Cook on September 17, 2007 7:54 am
Good looking bread. I think i should try it once. I make the german brea&d called Rogge bread. But with my bread machine. Guess i am just lazy :-))
TC on September 17, 2007 9:35 am
This is my father’s most favourite bread!
Bookmarked, to bake when the kitchen is done.
Good to lure him into visting us.
wokandspoon on September 17, 2007 9:46 am
Your bread looks fantastic! Love the photo too!
rashmi on September 17, 2007 12:45 pm
Hai Bee & Jai

Another great recipe..I am planning to buy some cook books on bread making.Could you kindly suggest me some names ? It would be really helpful.Thanks.

i am going to try this recipe soon.

Rashmi

dear rashmi, we will post a list of baking cookbooks in the next week or two. if you want a list sooner than that, do send us an e-mail. - b.
Jyothi on September 17, 2007 12:49 pm
HHHmmmmm…..yum and perfect shape. Looks great.
sharmi on September 17, 2007 1:27 pm
such a beautiful looking bread!! you guys rock.
Nora on September 17, 2007 2:42 pm
Jai (& Bee) - such a wonderful story and a terrific recipe.
Savithri on September 17, 2007 5:47 pm
Wow! That bread looks like it came from a specialty bakery:) Great post:)
Cynthia on September 17, 2007 6:48 pm
Jai, you are a man after my own heart
zlamushka on September 18, 2007 12:20 am
Wow, great bread. i just posted my Five-Spice mix that I use in pumpernikel recipes. I havent tried this one yet. Coffe sounds a delish add… Nice one, thanx…
rashmi on September 18, 2007 6:42 am
thanks bee for the response….will send u a mail…
Padma on September 19, 2007 9:30 am
Wish I had the inside view of the bread too!..I know I am greedy…thas looking awesome n wholesome bread ;) ;)
pelicano on September 20, 2007 11:33 pm
Beautiful bread you two, and I’m so glad you explained the differences between the two versions of this bread - great post…and I’ll be trying your recipe sometime!