Sourdough Bread: Pumpernickel Bread
For twenty years I have been fascinated by, and have experimented with, rye breads in their many manifestations, but pumpernickel has always impressed me as the definitive rye (maybe it’s just that it has the best name). There are countless versions of pumpernickel bread. Many Americans think the name simply refers to a dark rye, made dark by the addition of caramel coloring. What the name really refers to is a loaf made with coarsely ground whole-grain rye flour, the distinguishing characteristic of this particular type of rye bread. Some versions, though not the one that follows, are extremely dense, what I call cocktail rye, which needs to be sliced very thin. People who love this dense rye really do passionately love it, but it has a rather small following in the United States. In some eastern European villages, this bread was, and still is, made by adding the bread crumbs from previously baked loaves to the new dough. This gives the bread a wonderful texture. You can make the following formula with or without rye-bread crumbs, but it’s a great way to use up dried-out leftover slices from the last loaf.
Recipe information
Yield
makes two 1-pound loaves
Ingredients
Rye Starter
Final Dough
Preparation
Step 1
The day before making the bread, make the starter. Mix together the barm, rye flour, and water in a bowl. It will make a wet, pasty barm. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 4 to 5 hours, or until the sponge becomes bubbly and foamy. Immediately put it in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 2
Remove the rye barm from the refrigerator about 1 hour before making the dough to take off the chill.
Step 3
To make the dough, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and yeast in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the rye barm, bread crumbs, and oil and stir until the ingredients form a ball (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment). Add water if the dough ball doesn’t pick up all the flour or more bread flour if the dough seems too wet.
Step 4
Sprinkle high-gluten, clear, or bread flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead the dough for about 6 minutes (or mix on low speed with the dough hook for 4 to 5 minutes). Add flour as needed to make a smooth, pliable dough. It should be tacky but not sticky. (Note: Rye bread will become gummy if you mix it too long, so try to make all your adjustments early in the mixing process and minimize the mixing or kneading time.) The dough should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77° to 81°F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Step 5
Ferment at room temperature for 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Step 6
Sprinkle a small amount of flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter, taking care to degas it as little as possible. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape them into either boules or bâtards for freestanding loaves (pages 72–73) or sandwich loaves (page 81). Line a large sheet pan with baking parchment and sprinkle with cornmeal, semolina flour, or coarse whole-rye flour, or lightly oil two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch bread pans. Transfer the dough to the pan(s), mist the dough with spray oil, and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel.
Step 7
Proof at room temperature for approximately 90 minutes, or until the dough crests 1 inch above the lip of the bread pans at the center, or rises to 1 1/2 times its original size for freestanding loaves.
Step 8
If you are making freestanding loaves, Prepare the oven for hearth baking as described on pages 91–94, making sure to have an empty steam pan in place. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Score the loaves. If you are making loaf-pan breads, preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Place the loaf pans on a sheet pan.
Step 9
If you are baking freestanding loaves, transfer the dough to the baking stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan). Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan and close the door. After 30 seconds, open the door, spray the oven walls with water, and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals. After the final spray, lower the oven setting to 400F° and continue baking for another 15 to 30 minutes. Check the breads, rotating them 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking. The finished loaves should register 200°F in the center and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. If you are baking in loaf pans, transfer the sheet pan with the loaf pans to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, then rotate the sheet pan 180 degrees for even baking. Continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves register 185° to 195°F in the center and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
Step 10
Remove the finished loaves from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
BREAD PROFILE
Step 11
Enriched, standard dough; indirect method; mixed leavening method
DAYS TO MAKE: 2
Step 12
Day 1: 4 to 5 hours rye starter
Step 13
Day 2: 1 hour to de-chill starter; 6 minutes mixing; 3 1/2 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 30 to 70 minutes baking
Commentary
Step 14
This version uses a mixed-method combination of wild-yeast starter and commercial yeast. The starter serves as both a pre-ferment and a soaker, improving the flavor enormously, while the commercial yeast gives a reliable final rise and diminishes the sour characteristics. If you prefer extra-sour bread, you can leave out the instant yeast and treat the dough as the sourdough bread described on pages 233–235, remembering to factor in the longer fermentation cycles.
Step 15
The rye flour is turned into a rye barm in order to acidify the rye flour. This not only activates enzymes for flavor, but also makes the rye more digestible. Although not all rye breads are made this way, as a general rule, rye bread is always improved by using an acidic starter even when the final leavening push is provided by commercial yeast.
Step 16
Cocoa is a traditional coloring agent for this bread, but you can also use one of the alternatives given, or simply leave it out altogether.
BAKER’S PERCENTAGE FORMULA
Step 17
Pumpernickel Bread %
Step 18
(RYE STARTER)
Step 19
Barm: 165%
Step 20
Coarse rye flour: 100%
Step 21
Water: 141%
Step 22
Total: 406%
Step 23
(FINAL DOUGH)
Step 24
Rye starter: 192%
Step 25
High-gluten flour: 100%
Step 26
Brown sugar: 11.1%
Step 27
Cocoa powder: 5.6%
Step 28
Salt: 4.2%
Step 29
Instant yeast: 1.6%
Step 30
Bread crumbs: 44.4%
Step 31
Vegetable oil: 11.1%
Step 32
Water (approx.): 22.2%
Step 33
Total: 392.2%
