This is a wheatless bread recipe for Black Rye Bread, which is also called ‘Pumpernickel Bread’. However, because it is made with rye flour, which does contain gluten, it is not gluten free. This makes it unsuitable for people on gluten-free diets.
Black Bread, or ‘Pumpernickel Rye Bread’, is popular in Germany, Austria, and in Scandinavian countries.
This ‘Chicago Style Pumpernickel’ bread recipe is an adaptation of the original European rye bread recipes which German settlers took to America. This bread is a good keeper. It is still popular in parts of the USA because of its good keeping qualities, its nutritional food value, and its wonderful nutty, rich flavour.
All up, the recipe uses 750 gm of rye flour. This is added in three 250 gm lots, with rising time allowed after each addition of rye flour. You might need slightly more to use for kneading, and to make the dough a good consistency at the final kneading of the dough.
Yeast Starter: First of all, start your yeast off: Use can use a cake of fresh yeast, or two 7gm packets of dried yeast. Put 2/3 cup (1/4 pint) of warm water in a bowl and sprinkle over the yeast.
60 gm butter (2 oz)
1 1/4 cups (300mls) of milk
5 tablespoons of dark treacle or molasses
1 organic free range egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon of finely chopped lemon or orange rind.
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
Put the butter into a saucepan and melt gently on the stove. Add the milk and warm together. Take off the stove and stir in the treacle or molasses if you prefer a really dark bread, and the salt, caraway seeds and lemon rind. The mixture should be just luke-warm now – test by putting your finger into the liquid to make sure it is not too hot for the addition of the beaten egg and the yeast. If it is too warm, the yeast will be killed and your bread will be too heavy and hard.
Now add to this liquid mixture 250 gm of rye flour.
Beat this mixture of rye flour, treacle, egg, yeast and milk until it is smooth, and leave covered in a warmish place to work for half an hour.
Then add another 250 gm of rye flour into the mixture. Again, cover with a damp cloth and leave to work for another 30 minutes.
Final Addition of Flour: Add the last 250 gm of rye flour and knead the dough well for 10 minutes. Use a little more rye flour if needed, to bring the dough to a nice kneadable consistency without being too sticky. Divide the dough into two. Grease two loaf tins. Shape each piece of dough to roughly fit the size of the tine. Press down the dough into the tins.
Leave to rise for an hour this time, in a warm place. The hot water cylinder is good. Cover up the tins with a dry tea towel.
Heat up the oven to 200C degrees, or 400F. After an hour of rising the bread, put the two loaf tins into the already hot oven. Bake for 1/2 hour at 200C, then turn the oven down to 180C for a further 15 minutes.
Take out the bread and run a knife around the edges of the tins. Using a teatowel, hold the tins upside down and sharply tap the bottom of the tins to remove the bread. Allow the loaves to cool on a wire tray.
This bread is actually best kept for a day or two before cutting. It will cut better, and the flavour will be improved if it is left for two days to mature.