Super Good Pumpernickel Bread 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.

HOMEMADE PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the molasses, butter, chocolate, vinegar, salt, rye flour and 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Shape into a round loaf. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With a sharp knife, make three shallow slashes across the top of loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes., Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

SUPER-GOOD PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

Steps:

• Combine white and rye flours.
• In a very large bowl, thoroughly mix 2 cups flour mixture, salt, cereal, cornmeal, and undissolved yeast.
• Combine water, molasses, chocolate, and margarine in a saucepan.
• Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm (120°F- 130°F).
• Margarine and chocolate do not need to melt.
• Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Add potatoes and 1 cup flour mixture.
• Beat at high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Stir in caraway seed (if used) and enough additional flour mixture to make a soft dough.
• Turn out onto lightly floured board; cover and let rest 15 minutes.
• Then, knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
• Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.
• Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down; let rise again 30 minutes.
• Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly floured board.
• Divide into 3 equal pieces.
• Shape into round balls.
• Place in 3 greased 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.
• Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Bake at 350°F, about 50 minutes, or until done.
• Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

BITTERSWEET PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

Steps:

• Combine water, vinegar, apple butter, molasses, brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, salt, butter, wheat germ, fennel seed, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until just combined. Add whole wheat flour; mix to combine. Add all-purpose flour, 1 cup at time, mixing on medium-high speed after each addition. Knead until fully incorporated and the dough forms a ball, about 4 minutes.
• Grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cornmeal onto a large baking sheet. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Tuck the edges underneath each dough ball to form tight loaves. Place loaves on the baking sheet; let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place a large pizza stone in the oven.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cornmeal onto a bread paddle. Transfer 1 loaf carefully onto the bread paddle. Gently jiggle the loaf while sliding it onto 1 side of the hot pizza stone. Dust the bread paddle with the remaining cornmeal and repeat to transfer the second loaf.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Continue baking until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes more. Slide the bread paddle underneath each loaf, 1 at a time. Transfer to a cutting board and gently tap the bottom; if it sounds hollow, the bread is done. Set loaves on their sides; let cool for at least 20 minutes.

GREAT PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

Steps:

• Put the first four 6 ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients in order except the reserve flour and egg for wash.
• It will be sticky but keep going. Beat this on medium speed until well blended.
• Now add another cup of the reserve flour or as much as needed to make a dough that is still very sticky but pulling away from the bowl and blades if pushed.
• Beat this for 6-8 minutes. Remember you want it stringy and sticky.
• Now add a bit, tablespoon at a time sprinkling as it mixes, of the reserve flour until it will come out with ease. Yeah, sticky but not too bad. The idea is don't add any more flour than ABSOLUTELY needed to handle the dough.
• Lightly sprinkle flour on the counter or board pour the dough into it and knead two to three turns. You are just covering this sticky dough so you can make a ball and pick it up.
• Now place in a oil sprayed bowl, cover with a linen, and rise until doubled.
• Punch the dough down and turn onto a lightly oiled board or counter top and knead down a couple of turns. Do not add any flour.
• Divide the dough into two pieces and make a ball of each.
• Place these into two sprayed deep dish pyrex pie plates, cover with your linen, and rise until doubled.
• With a very sharp knife cut slices, in a tic-tac-toe pattern, through the skin only of the dough. Not too deep just cut the skin these cuts will open and make a nice presentation. Another option is to use an egg wash. You have worked so hard on this treasure.
• Place in a preheated 375°F oven for an hour or until very hollow sounding when thumped.
• Serve slightly warm with butter and jam and later slices with fried cabbages and potatoes. It also works well with a nice robust barley soup or even a light bisque.