The Fresh Loaf

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Horst Bandel's Pumpernickel from "Bread"

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

Horst Bandel's Pumpernickel from "Bread"

This is one of those breads I have been very eager to make, and it is finally done. I am posting about this now, even though the 24 hour rest is not done with yet,because the little man is asleep and I am also trying not to forget any aspects of the procedure.

-my SD starter with the rye meal fermented in the oven with pilot light on for about 12 hours and then I stuck it into the fridge for convenience

-I soaked the berries for about  18 hours, then boiled for about 1.5 hours

-I had some frozen old bread and poured hot water over it to soak...I let it stand for around 12 hours, too(can you tell I had intended to bake this earlier than I eventually did?)

-I used hard red whole wheat flour for the high gluten flour

- the day of the bake I mixed together all the ingredients for the final dough but did not add any water. I didn't really do a very good job at pressing out the water from the old bread soaker, either. I was slightly concerned that the unsoaked rye chops would eventually absorb too much water, so I was very generous with my water allowance and decided to err on the wetter side. Meaning,after mixing the dough with my hand held mixer for-let's say 8 minutes- I decided I wasn't going to add any flour, even though I would consider the dough to have been more batter like. NO WAY of actually "shaping" it into a log as it says in the instructions; or I could have shaped it into a log but there would have been no way for me to transfer the log shape to the pan.

-since I still seem to have the darndest time in planning out my baking day, the bread bulk proofed for about 20 minutes, then got stuck in the fridge for about 2.5 hours, then gently scraped the dough into the oiled/floured pans, for a final fermentation time of about 45 minutes. I just went by how high the dough rose in relationship to the pan rims.

-I had read on der-sauerteig.de how pumpernickel in commercial settings is baked in forced steam ovens, which mirrored the sentiment expressed by ehanner( I believe) to bake the pumpernickel like a X-mas pudding in a water bath. So, I stuck the foil wrapped pans into a turkey roaster, on a grill insert, with some boiling water in the bottom.The bake started at about 325 fahrenheit for maybe 1.5 hours, the turned down(to what I thought was 250-turns out it was closer to 275) overnight(about 8 hours) , turned it further down in the morning to about 225, and then for the last 2.5-3 hours I just left the oven on its warm setting (about 140).

I did such a good job about sealing my roaster that hardly any aroma escaped and I was quite worried for a while, but sticking my nose in the oven I could smell the most divine, earthy and very malty pumpernickel smell.

When I took the breads out the top was a deep, dark brown..the sides were lighter in color, but have now darkened since they have been resting. The bread smells phenomenal, seems very juicy(even though the sticking-toothpick-in-the-middle-test came out clean) and I hope the crumb will be as perfect as the outside of the bread seems to be.

So, here are some pictures, crumb shot will follow tomorrow........and I assume that I can keep this bread in the fridge, in a plastic bag, yes?I don't remember anybody at home ever freezing this type of bread...it was just kept in plastic in the fridge. If that's a no-no please tell me!

this is the SD after fermentation

my very wet, finished dough, prior to bulk fermentation

the bread's home for the next 16 hours all nicely wrapped and cozy

one of the just unwrapped loaves...can't wait to try it!

Christina

P.S.: I forgot to mention that I had to split the dough into two pans, since I do not own one pan large enough to hold that amount of dough.

Comments

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Christina,

Having baked my version, see: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/17254/horst-bandel039s-balck-pumpernickel this is exactly how I wanted to cook the loaf.   Ehanner and I both agreed about this.

I can't wait to see what it looks like inside.   Be sure to post photos when you cut into it.

Fabulous, thanks

Andy

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

Thanks for that link to your post!It was very informative and made me run to my bread and check if the crust was too thick and hard. It seems like it had some give, it is just very juicy feeling . We will see..will I be able to sleep with all this bread excitement? I don't know, but I am sure glad to be able to share it with other bread lovers!

C

ananda's picture
ananda

Mine's a baked version Christina.

That's why Eric and I decided steaming is the way to go with this bread.

You shouldn't have any issues with hard crust at all

Best wishes

Andy

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

Andy, thank you! I know this might sound facetious, but it is not meant that way and totally sincere: I didn't even think of that until you wrote your reply.

I think my brain is on holiday...I have other reasons apart from baking/posting to think that. ;p

C

nicodvb's picture
nicodvb

Hi Christina, very nice bread.
In the fridge it will dry, I don't recommend it.
Generally I keep my rye bread in a plastic bag for 1-2 days if its crust is hard, in a sheet otherwise (after several days in a plastic bag it will most likely develop mold).

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

Thanks for your response and for the compliment.Let's see what it does when one of the loaves is cut into!

Hmmm, I don't put any of my breads in the fridge, apart from this type of bread-at least the commercial version. I have never made Pumpernickel (or Vollkornbrot) before. In "Bread" it says that you can keep Vollkornbrot in plastic and refrigerated but it makes no specifications(that I can find) for this bread.

Anybody else want to chime in......or should I just freeze one loaf?(I have never frozen Pumpernickel ,either)I expect this bread to be so substantial that I cannot see us eating both loaves fast enough to merit one of them staying on the counter.

ehanner's picture
ehanner

I'm so glad you tried this baking regimen. The top crust looks wonderful and as Andy said, I'm sure the crumb will be perfect. Great post!

As nicodvb said, I would be careful about the plastic bag until the moisture stabilizes. The stores sell this type of bread in sealed plastic bags that lasts for a long time but I think the crumb is somewhat drier.

Can't wait to hear how it tastes.

Eric

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

Thanks, Eric. I will post crumb shots asap-it tastes delicous. Good enough description? Nope........ok, I feel that it has very little sweetness and tastes very malty.The texture feels almost meaty-maybe that is weird to say, but that is what came to mind. It is chewy, moist and tastes perfect with butter, chives and salt! Yes and smoked salmon is also in the fridge.........

So, what would you suggest in terms of storage of this bread then? For some reason, and I can't explain why, I feel hesitant about freezing it.....any suggestions are appreciated.

C

LindyD's picture
LindyD

A tough act to follow - I agree your bread looks wonderful and am betting it will give your taste buds much pleasure!

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

Thank you Lindy! It is so much pleasure to share this with you guys, even if it is only in the virtual world!

C

Sedlmaierin's picture
Sedlmaierin

So here is a crumb shot and another shot of the bread unmolded and after about an 18 hour rest.....when I took it out of the pan the color difference from top to bottom was way more pronounced.

I would say that making this recipe again I might use just a tad less water/or actually leave it, unwrapped in the pan and turned off oven for an extra hour-but then again, I know how horrid commercial Pumpernickel gets once it starts drying out, so maybe the fact that this is quite moist will work in my advantage.

My husband has added a description of the taste-according to him it tastes creamy! I accept that!

NOW, if I can only learn how to make those Baguettes with Poolish! I am actually planning on making dinner that necessitates baguettes this weekend just so I have a compelling reason to try again!

Wish me luck!

C

edited to add: I think bread would have benefited from a 36 hour rest.

LindyD's picture
LindyD

I'll wish you luck, Christina, even though I don't really think you need it as you're a very fine baker.

That sure is a beautiful, hearty crumb! It looks as if a slice would be very filling.

wally's picture
wally

Christina- That is just lovely!  Lucky husband!

Larry