Dark Pumpernickel

pepperhead212 · #1

I made a favorite rye bread of mine, from another recipe from The Complete Book Of Breads, the first issue, from the early 70s - that's how long I've been baking it! It's called Dark Pumpernickel, even though it's not really dark - not much blackstrap, like some, but I think it's because of the dark, whole grain wheat and rye flours. It also has a little cornmeal, plus 2 cups of mashed potatoes. It makes over 6 lbs of bread! And does that ever smell good!

Dark pumpernickel, before baking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Dark pumpernickel, after baking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Rockoe10 · #2

Yummy! Those look delicious.

Tormahto · #3

They look great! But my question is, is there such a thing as light pumpernickel?

pepperhead212 · #4

[mention]Tormato[/mention] Actually, this is much lighter than most pumpernickels, with none of the usual "darkeners" in it - the original version had 2 tb dark brown sugar, and I substitute 2 tb blackstrap, which still isn't very dark for pumpernickel. Which is why I assumed the name came from the flours.

DirtTherapy · #5

I thought a lot of pumpernickels had dutched (unsweetened) cocoa powder? Maybe that's just the inauthentic store type.

worth1 · #6

DirtTherapy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 04, 2020 11:36 am I thought a lot of pumpernickels had dutched (unsweetened) cocoa powder? Maybe that's just the inauthentic store type.

You nailed it.
The so called real stuff is baked for a really long time in a steam oven to get the dark color from what I read on Wikipedia.

pepperhead212 · #7

Commercial varieties always have caramel color added, and probably others in many cases, as well.

bower · #8

How about sharing that recipe, pepperhead212? Pumpernickel is such a treat, my family would be wowed to have it for christmas!

pepperhead212 · #9

[mention]Bower[/mention] I wasn't sure it was in my recipe software, but here it is! As I noted before, if you have any caramel color (I have some I made for Vietnamese cooking), it was be added to this, and other rye breads, to make them darker, as the caramelized flavor goes well with it.

Dark Pumpernickel

3/4 cup(s) cornmeal
3 1/2 cup(s) water
2 cup(s) mashed potatoes
4 tsp yeast, instant
2 tb blackstrap molasses
3 tb oil
2 tb caraway seeds
1 1/2 tb salt
4 cup(s) dark rye flour
4 cup(s) whole wheat flour; OR bread flour

A. Combine 1 1/2 c cold water and cornmeal in a small saucepan. Add 2 c boiling water, and cook until thickened. Remove from pan, stir in potatoes, and cool to about room temp.

B. Stir in molasses, salt, yeast, oil, and caraway. Add rye flour, followed by WW or bread flour (a little more bread flour, if used), 1 c at a time. Let rest 10 min., then knead about 6 min. by machine, 10 by hand - dough will be very sticky. Turn into an oiled bowl, cover, and rise 3 hrs., turning dough after 30 and 45 min.

C. When risen, punch down, divide into 2 or 3 portions, and let rest while greasing pans - two 9x5, or three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 pans. Shape into loaves, spray with oil, and cover with plastic. Rise until double, about 45 min. Preheat oven to 425º.

D. Bake 10 min., lower heat to 350º, and bake 40-50 min. longer, or until well crusted and hollow sounding. Cool on a wire rack.

NOTE: to use instant potato flakes for the mashed potatoes, for each cup I always measure out 2/3 c of flakes, in a 1 c measuring cup, then add warm water to the 1 c line. it soaks it up fast, and is easy mashed potatoes for breads!

pepperhead212 · #10

I made 3 more loaves of this last night!

3 two lb loaves of dark rye, with potato and cornmeal in it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

greenthumbomaha · #11

Tormato wrote: ↑Wed Oct 21, 2020 4:27 pm They look great! But my question is, is there such a thing as light pumpernickel?

Yes, it does look great and I want to save this page, but to answer your question, sort of. The grocery near me with an in store bakery sells a black pumpernickel around xmas time to cut up and serve with dip. The remainder of the year pumpernickel looks like the loaves above when they even carry it.
I'm sure the real bakeries down town know the difference. Brugers makes a (dark) pumpernickel bagel, yum.

- Lisa

pepperhead212 · #12

By coincidence, I saw a show today, that I'm surprised I hadn't seen - Baking With Julia, S3, E5, in which they make a dark pumpernickel, in which the ingredients used to make it dark (unsw. chocolate, blackstrap, and expresso powder) were all things I've used, except one - Lekvar. You learn something new every day! I won't be using the whole recipe, with that stick of butter, and 1/4 c shortening, but I might try the lekvar.

worth1 · #13

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:01 pm By coincidence, I saw a show today, that I'm surprised I hadn't seen - Baking With Julia, S3, E5, in which they make a dark pumpernickel, in which the ingredients used to make it dark (unsw. chocolate, blackstrap, and expresso powder) were all things I've used, except one - Lekvar. You learn something new every day! I won't be using the whole recipe, with that stick of butter, and 1/4 c shortening, but I might try the lekvar.

Julia Child?

pepperhead212 · #14

Yes, Julia Child, a show probably from the 90s, which is why I am surprised that I hadn't seen it! There are a number of old shows like that on PBS around here - I just set my recorder to record them, and if it looks like something or someone good, I watch it. One of them actually had Julia's first show - The French Cook - that old B&W show, that was almost a comedy watching many of the shows, with all the butter she would use!

worth1 · #15

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:35 am Yes, Julia Child, a show probably from the 90s, which is why I am surprised that I hadn't seen it! There are a number of old shows like that on PBS around here - I just set my recorder to record them, and if it looks like something or someone good, I watch it. One of them actually had Julia's first show - The French Cook - that old B&W show, that was almost a comedy watching many of the shows, with all the butter she would use!

I found it on Google videos.

pepperhead212 · #16

I made another batch of this bread today, this one an unusual version, using about 1¼ c of pickle juice in place of some of the water, and adding 2 tsp finely minced dill weed, and 2 tsp dill seed, in place of 1 tb of the caraway. I don't make this often, but I have extra room in my freezer now, once all those cookies were baked, and a lot of stuff was used up in the cookies. And one of these I will give to a friend of mine.

The cooked coarse cornmeal, or polenta, and dill seed, dill weed, and caraway seed, for the rye bread. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mashed potatoes added to the stirred up cornmeal. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The almost finished rye dough, just slightly sticking to the bottom of the bowl. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The "dark pumpernickel", ready to rise 3 times 15 minutes, and fold the dough, then rise 60 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The dark pumpernickel, more than doubled. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The 3 loaves of dark pumpernickel, just over 30 oz each, ready to rise. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Dark pumpernickel, ready to go into the oven. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished dark pumpernickel. by pepperhead212, on Flickr