The Fresh Loaf

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Yesterday's Jewish Bakery Pumpernickel

December 10, 2023 - 10:46am
louiscohen's picture
louiscohen

Yesterday's Jewish Bakery Pumpernickel

I baked this double loaf (1.4 kg baked) yesterday morning, and struggled to wait 24 hrs to slice it

Jewish Bakery Pumpernickel from "The Rye Baker" - photos

Jewish Bakery Pumpernickel from "The Rye Baker" - Formula  (I don't use the caramel color)

It doesn't have a lot of rye flavor (42% pumpernickel, 58% high gluten flour; 55% hydration) but it does have a little sweetness, probably from the long cool fermentation of the sponges and the retarded bulk fermentation.  You can see the coarse grain in the crust, but I don't get any special mouth feel from it.

But it's drop-dead delicious with a piece of Costco lox on it. 

Maybe I'll swap in the pumpernickel flour for conventional whole/dark rye flour in some formulas, and work with higher rye percentage doughs.  

 

 

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tpassin's picture
tpassin
Dec 10 2023 - 10:59am

You got a very nice loft on that loaf!

TomP

louiscohen's picture
louiscohen
Dec 10 2023 - 2:17pm

Thanks

I think the nice volume results from a combination of factors:

  • It's a double loaf; I did not divide the dough as the book says.  The larger weight has a more than proportional effect on the volume.  Although some single loaves came out OK 2 single loaves of Jewish Bakery Pumpernickel
  • I refreshed my starter and let it sit at room temp overnight until doubled, maybe a little more
  • Each of the two sponges got a long cool fermentation
  • The hour each for bulk fermentation and proof is on the long side for rye breads
  • My shaping is improving a bit (but still needs work for ovals)
  • After years of bread baking going back before covid I finally got my steaming setup working:
  • - Baking stone on the oven rack above and on the rack where the bread bakes
  • - Steam pan underneath the rack on which the bread bakes
  • - Steam pan filled before loading the oven
  • - Loaf spritzed with water before loading into the oven and at 5 minutes into baking