Pumpernickel

Ingredients

Soaker

• 500 gcracked rye or coarse rye chops
• 600 mlboiling water

Dough

• 300 gwholemeal rye flour
• 200 gactive rye sourdough starter
• 15 gsalt
• 1 tbspmolasses, if wanted
• 200 mlwarm water, approximately

Equipment

• a lidded pullman tin, or a loaf tin and foil
• a deep roasting tray for water
• an oven that holds a very low temperature

Note

• no colouring of any kind is added

Directions

1. Flour alone gives a smoother, less characteristic loaf. Making the soaker is the first step and takes a day. Put the cracked rye in a large heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over it. Stir it once and then cover it.
2. Leave it at room temperature for twenty-four hours. Sourdough acidity is what gives rye dough enough structure to hold. Add the rye flour, starter and salt to the soaked grains. Add the molasses if you are using it for flavour. Mix it with a strong spoon or with wet hands.
3. Add warm water gradually until it comes together. It cannot be kneaded like a wheat dough and should not be. Work it just until everything is combined. It should be a thick sticky mass rather than a smooth ball. Grease the pullman tin thoroughly. Wet your hands and press the dough into the tin. Press out any air pockets as you go. Fill it about three quarters full.
4. Cover it and leave it at room temperature for three to four hours. It is ready when the surface shows small cracks. Put the lid on the pullman tin, or seal the tin tightly with foil. Set a deep roasting tray of water on the oven floor.
5. Set the tin in another tray with water halfway up its sides. That water bath keeps the temperature gentle and even. Heat the oven to its lowest setting, ideally around 110C. Bake it for sixteen to twenty-four hours.
6. Top up the water trays every few hours. Never let those trays boil dry. Take the tin out and let it cool completely, still sealed. Leave it sealed overnight to cool.
7. Let it rest for at least another day before cutting. A loaf cut too early is gummy and disappointing. Cut it into very thin slices, two or three millimetres. It is far too dense to eat in thick slices.

Technique

• No colouring is added; the black colour and sweetness come from the very long low bake.
• The tin must stay sealed through the whole bake, which is what makes it a steam bake.
• Rest the cooled loaf a further day before cutting, or the crumb is gummy.

Substitutions

• A loaf tin sealed tightly with foil in place of a lidded pullman tin.
• Rye flour alone if cracked rye is unavailable, though the texture differs.

Variations

• With a spoonful of molasses for a deeper flavour.
• Made with a mix of cracked rye and rye flour.
• Baked for a full twenty-four hours for a darker loaf.

History

Westphalian rye bread steam-baked up to twenty-four hours at low heat, which darkens and sweetens it; it has been recorded there since the fifteenth century.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pumpernickel?

Pumpernickel is a bread & pastry from Germany: dense black Westphalian rye bread, steam-baked for hours. Westphalian rye bread steam-baked up to twenty-four hours at low heat, which darkens and sweetens it; it has been recorded there since the fifteenth century.

How long does Pumpernickel take to make?

Pumpernickel takes 30 min plus 24 hours soaking of preparation and 16 to 24 hours of cooking. The recipe makes 1 loaf. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Pumpernickel?

Yes, within limits. A loaf tin sealed tightly with foil in place of a lidded pullman tin. Rye flour alone if cracked rye is unavailable, though the texture differs.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pumpernickel?

Add warm water gradually until it comes together. It cannot be kneaded like a wheat dough and should not be. Work it just until everything is combined. It should be a thick sticky mass rather than a smooth ball. Grease the pullman tin thoroughly. Wet your hands and press the dough into the tin. Press out any air pockets as you go. Fill it about three quarters full.