December 30, 2015 - 3:31pm
Westfalian Pumpernickel
Hi,I wish everybody a happy New Baking Year and would like thank all of you who have given feedback and answered my questions during this year.
I have tried lately Hammelman's Horst Bandel pumpernickel and was not satisfied with it. Then I found the "gingerandbread " site which posts a Westfalen pumpernickel formula. I was intrigued, went to work and this is the result. I think I am already addicted to it, it smells heavenly and has a wonderful creamy, yet chewy texture.
If anyone is interested go to
http://gingerandbread.com. Pumpernickel-German-rye-bread
PS I also love her idea to bake it in a mason jar. It makes a nice size of a bread which is eaten only in small quantities.
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Thank you so much for your positive feedback - I'm glad you enjoyed the pumpernickel! We've just given away 6 small ones (baked in pint-sized Weck jars) for Christmas presents, which means I'll have to bake a new batch soon.
Wishing you a wonderful 2016!
Ginger x
Hi Ginger, thank you for posting this wonderful formula. It made a German friend very happy today. It is very easy to mak and if one calculates the time right, one does not have to get up 3 and 4 am to tend to the pumpernickel :). I do have a question though: why is is necessary to bake it in a water bath? I covered everything well so no steam can get in or out ( as you suggest). At the end of the baking time ther was no water left.
I used maple syrup instead of golden syrup. Wonder about the difference but I don't think I can find golden syrup where we live.
Thanks again and happy New Year to you. Love your site!
Happy New Year!
I used the bain marie-type setup as that is how it is made in bakeries in Northern Germany: you can even buy loaf tins with lids for that purpose. I baked some of the bread in my Dutch oven and the rest, tightly wrapped in tinfoil, outside of it. The breads I baked outside rose more (they were a good 15% higher) but I, personally, couldn't really make out a dramatic difference in the texture or taste between the two batches!
I used golden syrup for tradition's sake: Westphalians have a similar sugar beet syrup. You want to bring on a Maillard reaction without raising the temperature or extending the baking time unnecessarily. I am sure any other syrup will have that effect, even adding sugar itself, but then you'd need to adjust the moisture levels of the dough.
As for the baking time: the other day my oven switched off in the middle of the night; as I had no idea when it happened, I simply heated it up again and baked it for another 8 hours, to be sure. It stopped once more and had to be restarted. The result, however, was even more convincing: darker, with an almost caramelised crust. The bitterness was more pronounced, but in a good, as in 'even more authentic' way.
I'll have to experiment with that a little more before I change the timings as I am not too sure as to what - and when! - happened.
I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you again for your lovely comments!
It's hard to find traditional pumpernickel formulas. Even the German bread sites I've run across have succumbed to the lure of quick American 'pumpernickel' with molasses, instant coffee and cocoa powder to simulate the bitter-sweet taste.
My own version (derived from several sources) is 100% rye with a sourdough leaven and a touch of salt. I roast/cook for 20 hours in a Pullman pan set in a covered roaster with water. It is very dark and very bitter. There is a hint of chocolate and sweetness, but both are pretty much covered up.
Yours is the first recipe that I've seen that uses a sweetener without otherwise being tricked up. I may try a little molasses next time, but less than your 14% syrup (11% actual sugar), say about half. I'll need to scrutinize your ratios closer.
Thank you very much for your blog posting, I appreciate it.
cheers,
gary
Hi Gary,
You are clearly much better informed than I am - maths is not my strong point... sugar beets seem to be pretty much standard, and has been for a long time, probably to bring down baking times, especially as the bread is mostly made by professional bakers who need to make a profit. 20 hours comes pretty close to my 'failed' second attempt, and the results were impressive, so I'll probably stick with that.
Thank you very much for your comments, I really appreciate the feedback!
Ginger
has to be our favorite bread. This looks like a very nice one and the low and slow baking really has to punch the flavor.
Well done and happy baking
thank you dabrownman. i gave a sample today to a German friend to learn if this is the real thing. Well, his eyes lit up and he started to tell me about his grandmother and how she used to bake pumpernickel and how he missed it. Think that is a nice ending of a baking year.
recently posted this video of a bakery, near where he grew up in Westphalia, that makes really old time pumpernickel and has been doing it this way for several hundred years. This one is just rye and water - no sweetener and no sourdough or yeast of any kind. There has to be as many pumpernickel recipes as there are bakers :-) Happy New Year and pumpernickel baking. I also have a very old Dutch recipe that is the same as this one rye meal and water only. I also would like to think the name pumpernickel comes from - Satan's Farts' :-)
Fantastic clip - really illustrates what pumpernickel means to people in Westphalia! Makes me want to try the ice cream and thus put an untimely end to all my good New Years resolutions ...
bread basket
I'm slowly working my way up to attempt a proper pumpernickle bread, so I am just lurking.
But you caught my attention with the 'Mason Jar' baking vessel, and I was wondering how one could bake in such and still get the bread out of the jar without breaking it.
But I see, her 'Mason Jar' is a bit different than mine (her's being open mouthed), and as such, would be quite doable. Maybe I can find something similar, somewhere, somehow.
Thank you, this is now on my list. The bread looks great.
dobie
thank you dobie. Yes an open mouth mason jar, came out beautiful. I just oiled a little bit before putting in the dough.
Barbara
Barbara
I know this may seem stupid, but I can't see most of the pics posted on TFL until I go to a friend's computer (in the morning).
Was your bread baked lid on, or lid off, and if so lid on, of what type and how tight?
I only ask because I have an experiment coming up with which I need to answer those questions.
Again, sorry, but I'm running blind at this point.
dobie
dobie, no worry ! Yes I had the lid on , fairly tight. I think Ginger closed the jar with some aluminum foil. The big piece was baked in a Pullman pan which has a lid. I put some additional foil on it because I don't know how tight they are.
Barbara
Thank you BB
Good to know. Apparently, no explosion.
dobie
Hi Dobie,
I didn't leave the lids on, for fear of said explosion, but wrapped them, As BB said, quite tightly in tinfoil which did the trick.
The jars I used are from a company called Weck. I used 5 of their 1 pint jars for one batch of dough, or one loaf tin and two of the jars.
I hope it works out for you - it's such an unusual and delicious bread! Happy New Year!
Thanks Gingerandbread
Come to think of it, I have seen the Weck name on some canning supplies, but I've never seen those jars.
I'm sure I'll be able to find them on this internet thing. Oh yeah, there they are. Sears, Williams & Sanoma, etc. Apparently, hidden in plain view.
Thanks for the heads up.
dobie
They're very versatile - I use them for pickling, even bake cakes in them (if you put the lids on the moment you take them out of the oven they'll stay fresh in the fridge for a week or two). I hope it works out for you!
Ginger
Thanks Ginger
I also do a fair amount of pickling and canning thru the year, so I'm sure they'll be useful no matter what.
I'm always looking for new vessels and forms to bake with, and I like this idea.
I am currently working on a sous-vide balloon sourdough recipe. What would happen if I tied off the balloon knot as it was proofing (and then sous-vide before the bake) was what got me here. I don't think it will be a problem from what I've gathered on this thread.
Anyway, interesting stuff.
dobie
That sounds just too intriguing! Looking forward to see and read about the results!