Pumpernickel Food

PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

Steps:

• Put the berries in a small saucepan and pour boiling water over them to cover by at least 1 inch (2,5cm). Cover and set aside to soak overnight.
• For the levain, mix the rye flour, water and sourdough starter in a small bowl until well combined. Cover and let it rest overnight in a warm place.
• Add enough water to the soaked rye berries so that there is about three times as much water a berries. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, or until the berries are soft. Check for water once in a while to make sure the berries are always covered with plenty of water, and add more water if necessary. Drain the cooked berries and set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl mix the dark rye pumpernickel meal, cracked rye and salt. Add the levain and 1⅓ cup (300ml) water. Mix until well combined and no traces of flour remain. Add the cooked berries, syrup and sunflower seeds. Knead the dough using the dough hook of an electric mixer or your hands and add the rest of the water during kneading, as needed, until the dough starts to come off the sides of the bowl. The dough should be moist and slightly sticky so it might not come off the sides of the bowl like in other bread doughs, which is fine. Dust with rye flour and cover. Let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• Grease 5 (16 oz/450ml) straight-sided canning jars or 2 loaf tins.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface to remove any excess air. The dough should be slightly sticky. Divide the dough into equal portions and place it into your baking pans or jars. Leaving about 1 inch (2,5cm) headspace in the jars to allow for the bread to rise (depending on the liveliness of your starter, the dough may or may not rise, mine always does). Only fill the pans to two-thirds to make smaller loaves. Grease small pieces of aluminum foil and cover the jars/baking pans, greased side down. Let rest in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 300F/150C. Remove the aluminum foil from the jars/baking pans and lightly spray the surface of the dough with water. Place the aluminum foil back on the jars/baking pans, greased side down. Make sure that the jars/baking pans are tightly covered.
• Adjust the oven rack to the lowest setting. Place the jars/baking pans in the casserole and and place it on the oven rack. Pour about 1 inch (2,5cm) hot water into the casserole. Place the lid on the casserole.
• Bake for 1 hour at 300F/150C. Reduce the heat to 212F/100C, and bake for 13 more hours. Add hot water to the casserole every few hours to maintain the water level. If you bake the bread overnight, pour more water into the casserole before you go to bed. A higher water level of 1½ to 2 inches (3-5cm) does not harm but an empty dry casserole may cause the jars to crack and should be avoided by all means.
• At the end of the baking time, turn off the oven and leave the casserole in the oven for 1 hour. Then take the casserole with the jars/baking pans out of the oven and let everything cool on the counter for another 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile keep the oven door closed to trap the residual heat. Gently unmold the breads (promptly removing them is important, otherwise you will have trouble removing them later) and place them in the warm oven for a couple of hours to dry.
• Remove the breads from the oven. Let them cool completely, then wrap them in wax paper or parchment paper and either place them in freezer bags right away, or let the bread sit in a cool place for another two days before cutting it on Day 5. Store the pumpernickel in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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.

PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

Steps:

• Load bread machine according to machine standards.
• Use this recipe on the whole wheat cycle but can be made on the white or delay cycles.

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.

CLASSIC PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit in a warm place until the yeast mixture turns bubbly (about 5-10 min.).
• In a large mixing bowl (I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer with a dough hook), combine remaining 1 cup water, molasses, salt, shortening, caraway seeds and yeast mixture. Beat until smooth.
• Slowly beat rye flour into the yeast and molasses mixture. Mix in the all-purpose flour and mix until it is a soft, smooth dough ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. If dough is too moist, add a little more flour. If dough is too dry add a little more water.
• Knead the dough for 5 minutes.
• Lightly grease (or spray with cooking spray) a large bowl. Add the dough, turning once to coat the entire surface of dough with oil. Cover dough with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
• Punch down dough. Separate dough into 2 equal parts. Form 2 round, slightly flattened loaves. Score a 3/4 inch deep 'X" into the tops of both loaves with a sharp knife.
• Grease (or spray) a large baking sheet; sprinkle with cornmeal. Put the loaves on top and then cover with a clean cloth and let rise until doubled - about an hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degress F. Bake 30-35 minutes or until crusts are dark brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped.
• Remove from baking sheet and cool on a rack before slicing.

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.