#34 - Pumpernickel

The Finished Loaves

The Pumpernickel was very similar to the 100% Rye that I made into the baguette shapes. This bread was okay, but I prefer the 100% Rye because of its texture, and, like the Rye, it was better with cheese.

I have forever sought to make the dark, dark pumpernickel that my mom and I used to order with a delicious minestrone at a now defunct restaurant in Laguna Beach, California, called That Place Across from The Hotel Laguna. That pumpernickel was the color of dark chocolate, with a crisp crust, a relatively soft crumb and a tangy flavor, undoubtedly enhanced with sourdough and caraway seeds. I have never found a recipe for that bread. It never comes out dark enough, in spite of using copious amounts of dark chocolate and molasses. Perhaps they used food coloring of some sort?

The pursuit continues ...

Another View

And Yet Another View