Dark Pumpernickel Bread

This is a dense European-style bread with unusual grainy texture. It should be very healthy because of the ingredients, as well as having a rich, delicious taste. It's excellent warm with gobs of sweet butter.

Ingredients

Bread

  • 4 packages active dry yeast
  • 3/4 cup blackstrap molasses
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons dry powdered coffee
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons dry cocoa
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup dry powdered milk
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1/2 cup canola or peanut oil
  • 1 1/2 cups dark rye flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups cracked wheat flour
  • 1 cup wheat germ
  • 1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
  • 1 1/4 cups gluten flour
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons caraway seed

Glaze

  • 1 egg white
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee

Instructions

  1. Bread: Mix yeast, molasses, powdered coffee, cocoa, sugars, powdered milk, hot water and oil thoroughly in a mixing bowl, then add remaining ingredients.
  2. Mix thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Place dough ball on kneading board with 1 cup white unbleached flour and knead vigorously 12 to 15 minutes, adding more white flour as necessary. If using an electric mixer with dough hook, knead while adding white flour little by little. Dough will be slightly sticky and moist, but will begin to take on an elasticity and glossy appearance.
  3. Oil mixing bowl and roll dough in bowl until all of surface is coated with a thin cover of oil. Cover with a warm damp towel and place in a warm draft-free place for 1st rise, which may take from 1 1/2 to 2 hours as this dough is a slow riser.
  4. When dough has doubled in size, remove to floured kneading board and punch down to remove as much gas as possible. Divide dough into 3 to 6 loaves and place on greased baking sheet sprinkled with yellow cornmeal. If using Teflon baking sheets, no greasing is necessary, but cornmeal should be used. Space loaves far enough apart to allow for expansion. Brush each loaf with glaze.
  5. Glaze: Mix well. Use a soft pastry brush to apply glaze so as not to depress loaves. Sprinkle with caraway seed and coarse salt. Place again in draft-free warm place and allow for 2nd rise until loaves are about double in size, which will take about 1/2 the time of the 1st rise. Bake in a moderate oven (350 to 375 degrees F) for about 50 minutes to one hour. If loaves seem close to scorching after 50 minutes, but loaves are not done, turn off oven, leaving door closed for last 10 minutes. To test for doneness, pick up a loaf with a hot-pot mitten and thump bottom. If the sound is "hollow," the loaves are done.
  6. Cool on a wire rack or eat warm.

May be frozen and kept for several months or more.