German Rye Black Bread

Profile picture for user Lothar Krepke
Lothar Krepke on 9 May 2020 at 09:17

 

Hello to all,

I'm usually good with my notes, but...

Years ago, I made a few loaves of a German style black bread and now cannot find the details of the technique.

Here's what I recall of the process:

It used a rye sourdough starter, to which was added (nearly) 100% coarse rye, salt, and water. The dough was impossibly soft and sticky. The dough was coaxed into a loaf pan, and was smoothed out for proofing.

The baking was unlike anything else I had ever done.

The pan was put into a larger pan to which water had been added, and that water-jacketed arrangement went into a cool oven (something about 225F.) The whole arrangement "baked" at that temperature for something on the order of 20 hours. The instructions I had (at the time) warned that the "stuff" in the pan would, at this point, be liquified, or  close to it. The "bread" then had to sit undisturbed for about 24 hours, so that it would set up into something firm.

Then, it having solidified, it was removed from the pan, and was cut into very thin slices. The taste was rather complex and very sweet, the texture super moist. The crumb was fine, and its color very dark brown...

That's everything I can recall, and I am writing now to ask if anyone here can provide further detail so that I can make this extraordinary bread again.

Sincere thanks for any help,

Lothar

Profile picture for user Lothar Krepke

Lothar Krepke on 9 May 2020 at 12:20

Hi Mini,

I sincerely appreciate your assistance. You have given me a lot to work with.

All the best,

Lothar

Lothar,

I make this bread on occasion from Hammelman's "Bread" book Horst Bandel Black Pumpernickel pp221-4. It is by far the best tasting and most challenging  bread I make.

I start with soaking Rye berries and then boiling them and leaving them overnight.  I save some of my old sour Rye crumbed & toasted and start a soaker.  Day 2 is build a leaven from Rye Meal, Water and my Starter.  I grind some Rye Chops to add to the recipe later.

  Grams   
Horst Bandel's Black Pumpernickel  Hammelman p 222Ounces1X2x3x4x
      
Sourdough     
Rye Meal9.62725458171090
Water9.62725458171090
Mature Sourdough Culture0.514284357
Subtotal19.7559111816772236
      
Rye Berry Soaker     
Rye Berries6.4182363545726
Wateras needed    
Subtotal     
      
Old-Bread Soaker     
Old Bread6.4182363545726
Wateras needed    
Subtotal     
      
Final Dough     
High Gluten Flour8227454681908
Rye Chops 8227454681908
Water 12.836372610901453
Salt0.617345168
Yeast0.216121824
Molassis1.33774111148
Rye Berry Soaker (not including absorbed water)6.4182363545726
Old Bread Soaker (not including absorbed water)6.4182363545726
Sourdough19.2545109016342179
Total 62.91785.13570.15355.27140.3
      

 

 
Directions
 
Prepare the sourdough and ripen it for 14 - 16 hours at 70 F.  Substitute whole rye flour or pupernickel if rye meal is unavailable.
 
 
 
 
 
Soak whole rye berries overnight.  The next day, boil them in about 3 times their volume fo water until they are soft and pliable, about an hour or so.  Once the berries are soft and pliable, strain them and set aside.  Discard any remaining cooking liquid.
 
 
 
 
Using either a protion of the previous pumpernickel bake, or some other type of leftover bread (preferably a strong dark bread) soak the bread, crusts and all, in hot water and let stand for at least 4 hours.  Squeeze out as much moisture as possible and reserve the water for use as needed in the final dough.  For deeper flavor in the final bread, slice the old bread, lay it on sheet pans, bake again until dry and dark and use in the old bread soaker
 
 
 
 
Mixing - Add all the ingedients to the bowl, including the sourdough and both of the soakers. But do not add any of the final dough water reserved from squeezing the liquid from the old bread soaker.  The rye berries and old bread soaker absorb varying amounts of water during their cooking and soaking, so wait until the dough comes together before adding the additional liquid.  It is quite possible that no additional dough water will be required.  The dough should we of medium consistency but not wet, and it will be slightly sticky.  Add high-gluten flour as needed if the mix is on the wet side.  Mix on first speed only, for 10 minutes.  Desired dough temperature - 82 - 84F 
Bulk Fermentation - 30 minutes
Dividing and Shaping - Divide the dough into pieces and place in pullman pans that have been lightly oiled and then coated with rye meal or whole rye flour.  This prvents the bread from sticking to the pan during the long bake.  Slide the lids onto the tops of the pans.
Final Fermentation 50 - 60 minutes at 82 F
Baking When the dough is risen 3/4 inch from the top of the pan, it is sufficiently risen.  Since the bread bakes for 12 -16 hours, it is of vital importance that the oven temperature gradully recedes throughout the  bake.  The speed at which it recedes wil partially determine the length of the bake.  In any event the bread should be loaded into an oven that is in the 350 - 375 F range.  Ideally it will stay in that range for upwards of an hour, then egin to decrease.  I hte home oven try lowering the oven temperature to 275 F after an hour, and then turning the overn off 3 or 4 hours later.
Since there are som many variations in oven design experimentation may be nexessary until you find the baking method most suitable for your oven.  You will know when your bread is baked.  The aroma will fill the entire room.  Due to the lenghty bake, a great amount of natural sugars in the dough will have caramelized, and thise will contribute greatly, not only to the aroma, but also to the deep, almost black, color of the baked bread.  Remove the bread from the pans and let it cool completely.  Resist any temptation to slice it; it should rest for a minimum of 24 hours, wrapped in baker's linen, before cutting.

Hope this is all understandable.  It is a complicated process but well worth it.  I usually bake a double recipe and it yields enough bread to keep in the freezer (after cooling) to last me for months.  It is really super with your favorite cheese.

Happy Baking,

 

Big Crusty