Artisan Pumpernickel Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Mixing and Storing the Dough: Note: If measuring flour rather than weighing, don't press down into the flour as you scoop it in with dry-ingredient measuring cups, By gently scooping up flour, then sweeping the top level with a knife or spatula.you willl get a more accurate measurement.
• In large plastic storage container (with lid) mix together the flours, yeast, cocoa and salt.
• Mix together water, coffee and molasses. Add the water mixture at once and mix with a wooden spoon.
• If mixing becomes too difficult to incorporate all the flour with the spoon, reach into the mixing bowl with very wet hands and press the mixture together. Note: kneading isn't necessary.
• When everything is uniformly moist without dry patches your mixing is complete. This should take only a few minutes. The dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.
• Cover with a lid (not airtight) that fits well on the container. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse, or at least flattens on the top, about 2 hours, depending on the room's temperature and the initial water temperature. Longer rising times, up to about 5 hours, will not harm the result.
• You can use a portion of the dough anytime after this period. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So the first time you try this method, it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight, or at least 3 hours, before shaping a loaf.
• The breads flavor improves with the retardation, so suggest you wait at least 24 hours before baking the first loaf! Dough may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 8 days.
• BAKING (One 1-pouond loaf): With wet hands, pull up one end of the refrigerated dough. Using a serrated knife, cut off a 1-pound, or grapefruit-size, piece of dough.
• Without using flour, shape into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Form into an oval-shaped loaf.
• Place on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal (or on parchment paper); allow to rest for 40 minutes - 1 1/2 hours, varies with temperature of the kitchen. (The shorter the time, the denser the crumb.).
• Twenty minute before baking, place an empty cast-iron skillet or broiler tray on the bottom shelf and baking stone on center shelf; preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a pastry brush,, paint the top of the loaf with cornstarch wash, and sprinkle with caraway seeds. With a serrated bread knife, slash the top of the loaf with deep diagonal cuts. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door.
• Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes or until firm (interior temperature should be 198 - 200 degrees). Note: Larger or smaller loaves will require an adjustment to the baking time. Allow to cool on a rack before cutting.

Steps:

• Prepare mashed potatoes, using fresh potatoes or instant.
• Using a very large bowl soak the yeast and sugar in 1 cup of lukewarm water for ten minutes.
• In a large pan, heat the 3 1/4 cup lukewarm water, melted chocolate molasses and margarine until the mixture is lukewarm. Remove from heat. Mix in the potatoes, cornmeal, salt and caraway seeds. Stir into the risen yeast liquid. Add the rye flour and bran. Beat for five minutes. Add three cups of white flour, mixing well. Afer about five minutes of beating, you will have a soft dough. Add four more cups lf flour. Mix well, cover, and rise for one hour or more.
• Sprinkle one cup of leftover flour on kneading board. Turn dough out, sprinkle about 1/2 cup of flour on top of dough, and knead extra flour into the dough until the dough is no longer sticky. When the dough holds its shape, cut it into three even pieces.
• Shape the three pieces into three egg shaped pieces, and place in buttered or non-stick loaf pans. Rise one hour or until one inch above the rims of pans. Bake at 350 ° for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, switching pans in oven at the half way point. Bread is done when it has a hollow sound when rapped on top.

Steps:

• Brush a large bowl with butter; set aside. Combine 1/4 cup warm water with sugar; sprinkle yeast over top. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat espresso, chocolate, molasses, and 1 1/2 cups water over medium. Cook, stirring often, just until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until warm but not hot (below 110 degrees).
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine both flours, caraway, and salt. Add the chocolate mixture then yeast mixture. Mix by hand, using the hook, to combine. Turn mixer on medium and mix until dough comes together in a smooth, springy ball around the hook, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove a small piece of dough and stretch it. If the dough holds together in a thin "windowpane" without breaking, the gluten is sufficiently developed. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated, about 4 minutes. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead a few times to form into a ball. The dough will be slightly sticky; don't be tempted to add more flour. Transfer to buttered bowl, turning once to coat, and cover loosely with buttered plastic. Let sit at warm room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• When dough has doubled, turn out onto a work surface. Pat dough out into a rectangle, roughly 10 by 12 inches with short side facing you. Fold bottom edge two-thirds of the way up the rectangle, and top edge down to cover. Rotate dough 90 degrees and repeat the fold. (This is called a business-letter turn.) Return to buttered bowl and top with buttered plastic. Let sit at warm room temperature until doubled in size again, about 1 hour. Remove from bowl, gently deflate, and work into a round boule about 6 inches in diameter. Place a clean dish towel in a medium bowl and generously dust with flour. Place boule, seam-side up, in bowl. Loosely fold floured towel ends over dough to cover. Let sit at warm room temperature until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a 9- or 9 1/2-inch enameled cast-iron pot in oven with the lid to preheat. When dough is ready, carefully remove the lid, pull back corners of towel, and flip bowl upside down to transfer bread to the heated pot, seam-side down. Quickly slash an "X" in the top of the bread with a serrated knife and using an oven mitt, cover with lid. Return pot to oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until bread feels hollow when tapped and internal temperature registers 205 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes more. Immediately turn bread out of pot onto a cooling rack. Let cool at least 2 hours before slicing.

Steps:

• Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Basic cycle; press Start.