Pumpernickel Melts Recipes

PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

Steps:

• 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).
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine both flours, caraway, and salt. Add the chocolate mixture then yeast mixture. Mix by hand, using the hook, to combine. Turn mixer on medium and mix until dough comes together in a smooth, springy ball around the hook, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove a small piece of dough and stretch it. If the dough holds together in a thin "windowpane" without breaking, the gluten is sufficiently developed. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated, about 4 minutes. Turn 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 dough has doubled, turn out onto a work surface. Pat dough out into a rectangle, roughly 10 by 12 inches with short side facing you. Fold 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 to buttered bowl and top with buttered plastic. Let sit at warm room temperature until doubled in size again, about 1 hour. Remove from bowl, gently deflate, and work into a round boule about 6 inches in diameter. Place a clean dish towel in a medium bowl and generously dust with flour. Place boule, seam-side up, in bowl. Loosely fold floured towel ends over dough to cover. Let sit at warm room temperature until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a 9- or 9 1/2-inch enameled cast-iron pot in oven with the lid to preheat. When dough is ready, carefully remove the lid, pull back corners of towel, and flip 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 pot to oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until bread feels hollow when tapped and internal temperature registers 205 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes more. Immediately turn bread out of pot onto a cooling rack. Let cool at least 2 hours before slicing.

PUMPERNICKEL BREAD II

Steps:

• Mix well bread flour, rye flour, cornmeal, salt, yeast, cocoa, and brown sugar. Add milk, oil, and molasses. Mix thoroughly. When mixed well enough that the dough holds together, knead by hand 15-20 minutes.
• Cover, let rise in bowl 30 minutes. Punch down, form, and place into 9 1/2x5 inch pan. Cover with damp cloth and let rise about 1 hour.
• Bake in preheated 375 degree F (190 degrees C) oven 25 to 30 minutes, covering top with aluminum foil last 10 minutes.

PUMPERNICKEL BAGELS

Steps:

• Combine warm water, whole-wheat flour, and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens and begins to froth and bubble, about 10 minutes.
• Mix rye flour, molasses, cocoa powder, vegetable oil, coffee granules, caraway seeds, and salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and all-purpose flour. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Grease a large bowl.
• Transfer dough to greased bowl; cover with warm damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Divide dough into 13 pieces; shape into balls. Press a hole into the center of each dough ball; pull dough to form a 1-inch hole in the center, keeping dough about 1/2-inch thick. Drop dough circles into boiling water, 3 or 4 at a time. Boil each side for 45 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain for about 1 minute. Arrange boiled bagels on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake bagels in the preheated oven until just starting to brown on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.

SCREAMING CRAB MELTS ON PUMPERNICKEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese and heavy cream until smooth. Fold in crab, chives and horseradish. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Transfer mixture to a small baking dish and bake 10 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
• Preheat broiler.
• Spread 1/2 teaspoon mustard on 1 side of each pumpernickel round. Top with spinach leaves and crab mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan over top. Broil 2 minutes, until top is golden brown. Place 2 olive rings on the top of each crab melt and fill the center with a piece of pimento, making "eyes". Use another strip of pimento to make a circle for a "screaming mouth".

BABY PUMPERNICKEL TURKEY-BACON CHEESE MELTS

Steps:

• Place the pumpernickel slices onto a large baking sheet; broil 6-inches from heat source for about 4 minutes (watch closely not to burn!) set aside.
• Melt butter in a saucepan, add in the chopped jalapeno, stir with wooden spoon for 1 minute.
• Add in flour and whisk until smooth.
• Gradually add in the half and half cream; cook over medium heat whisking continously until thickened and hot.
• Add in the grated chedder cheese, stir until melted.
• Add in chopped turkey or chicken; season with salt and black pepper and cayenne (if using).
• Spoon EACH slice pumpernickel bread with the warm turkey/cheese mixture, then sprinkle with a small amount of grated Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle with the crumbled bacon .
• Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 3 minutes or until the Parmesan is melted.
• Remove from oven and top with a tomato slice then serve.

PUMPERNICKEL BREAD I

Steps:

• Place ingredients into the bread machine in order suggested by the manufacturer.
• Use the Light Crust or Whole Wheat settings. Start the machine.

PUMPERNICKEL SPINACH DIP II

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, blend dry vegetable soup mix, sour cream and spinach.
• Remove top and insides of the pumpernickel loaf, creating a bread bowl. Reserve removed bread.
• Spoon the dry vegetable soup mix, sour cream and spinach mixture into the pumpernickel bread bowl. Serve with removed bread pieces for dipping.

PUMPERNICKEL MELTS

Steps:

• Spread bread thinly with mustard.
• Top with cheese and shake chives over the top.
• Place under the broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.