First time making pumpernickel bread and it tastes great. I omitted the cocoa and it was fine. Used blackstrap molasses. I gound up the caraway seeds since my husband can't have seeds. Thanks for a keeper. I had to change the serving size so it would fit my bread machine which makes 1# loaves. 2cups flour=1# loaf. 3cups flour=1 1/2# loaf. 4 cups flour = 2# loaf. Determine size of your bread machine pan: 10cups water=1# loaf pan size. 11-13cups water=1 1/2# loaf pan size. >13 cups of water=2# loaf size.
Very nice bread. I did not have any bread flour or vital wheat gluten, and used all-purpose flour instead. The loaf was still very nice. Bread flour would probably have made a more dense and chewy loaf, so for comparison, I will make this again with the correct ingredients next time. I also did not bake the loaf in the bread machine. After the dough had risen, I removed it from the machine, shaped it into an oval loaf and let it rise again. I slashed the top a few times and put it in a 350 oven for 45 minutes. It turned out very nicely.
We love this recipe! I have made it probably five or six times already. From experimentation, I prefer to cut the caraway seeds to 1-1/2 teaspoons, and the cocoa to 2-1/2 tablespoons, and increase the yeast to 3 teaspoons. I found that dissolving the molasses in the warm water helps, too. I prefer using strong blackstrap molasses in this recipe- it gives the bread a more robust flavor. Also, this bread actually turns out better on the quick cycle in my breadmaker than on the whole wheat or multi-grain settings.
This bread is amazing. The texture, aroma & color are perfect. For the liquid, I used a combo of potato water (from draining potatoes for mashing) and leftover coffee. After reading "Best Bread Machine Bread" on this site, I tried adding the molasses and yeast to the warm liquid and let the yeast bloom for 10 minutes before adding remaining ingredients. Our first loaf is almost gone. For the second loaf I added 3/4 cup raisins dusted in some of the flour. I put raisins in at beginning of cycle, increased caraway seeds to 2 Tbls. and salt to 2 tsp. and let bread machine do its thing. The texture of the second loaf is even better than the first. My husband, a native New Yorker accustomed to excellent deli bread, gives this bread high praise. It's a keeper.
I consider myself a pretty seasoned bread maker. The only change I made to this recipe was NOT using a bread machine. The end product was very dense (even with the added wheat gluten). If you want a lighter product, I would use less whole wheat and increase the bread flour. I would also reduce the amount of cocoa to about 2 tbsp. I'll probably try this again with these modifications.
This is a great pumpernickel bread recipe. It turns out perfect. I follow the recipe exactly except I don't add caraway seed because I don't like them and vital wheat gluten because I never have any on hand.
Trouble getting this to rise enough? I have the solution for you! I originally made the recipe exactly as written, and then I made it with a few modifications to make it SUPER RISE. In fact, it hit the glass top of my breadmaker and was really light and people loved it. If you want it to SUPER RISE, do this: 1) add the full amount of vital wheat gluten. This is NOT optional! (Need I explain why? Bread rises because yeast releases CO2, but that isn't sufficient--you need protein structure to contain the CO2 and keep it from escaping, and that protein is GLUTEN!) 2) Add 2 tbsp (tablespoons, not teaspoons) of honey 3) Add 2 tbsp (packed) of brown sugar 4) Use Fleishmann's Rapid Rise yeast (NOT active dry yeast). If you follow these 4 additional steps, and the pumpernickel is not light enough for you, I'll eat my hat.
This was yummy....kind of like Outback's bread. I left out the vital gluten and it was just fine.
This is the best pumpernickel bread recipe and it can be made in the bread machine! I tried this looking for a quick recipe that didn't require all the work to make it and my husband loved it!
