Dark sourdough rye bread with molasses and cocoa.
The recipe for this pumpernickel takes 7-10 days to make from scratch. A wheat sourdough starter can be converted to a rye starter to save time, but the bread will not have as much rye flavor. If you would like to use this method, begin making the recipe with the instructions for the rye starter.
The seed culture will remain potent for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. After that, it will need to be cultivated into a starter or discarded. The rye seed culture can also be cultivated into a wheat starter after day 3 by substituting bread flour for the rye.
There will be some leftover starter after making the rye starter. The leftover will remain potent for 3-5 days. After that, it will need to be refreshed. To refresh the starter, start by weighing it out. Then mix in half its weight of water and half its weight of flour. Example: Mix 1 cup of starter with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of flour. Leave at room temperature for 4-8 hours and refrigerate.
I use a small amount of diastatic malt powder for this recipe. Diastatic malt powder improves flavor, texture, and leavening. It may also be hard to find. If you make a lot of bread, I encourage you to search it out. If not, it can be omitted from this recipe. The bread will be delicious without it.
I made this bread into a sandwich loaf, but it can be made into a free form loaf. After the first rise, tuck the edges of the dough under to form a tight ball. Scatter some semolina or cornmeal onto a piece of parchment. Place the ball on the parchment and proof for 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the dough to a baking tray and bake as instructed below.
Sourdough Pumpernickel
Ingredients
Seed Culture
Day 1
- 1 cup dark rye flour 120.5 grams
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice canned at room temperature 113 grams
Day 2
- 1/2 cup dark rye flour 64 grams
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice canned at room temperature 57 grams
Day 3
- 1 cup bread flour 128 grams
- 1/2 cup water room temperature 113 grams
Starter
- 2 cups dark rye flour 255 grams
- 1 cup 2 tbsp water at room temperature
- 1 cup seed culture 198 grams
Rye Starter
- 1 1/2 cups starter 148 grams
- 1 1/2 cups dark rye flour 90 grams
- 1 cup 2 tbsp water at room temperature 127 grams
Bread
- 1 1/2 cups bread flour 211 grams
- 2 1/4 tsp cocoa powder 10 grams
- 1 tsp salt 8 grams
- 1 tbsp brown sugar 17 grams
- 1/4 tsp diastatic malt powder (optional)
- 1 tsp instant yeast 3 grams
- 1/2 tbsp molasses 11 grams
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil 21 grams
- All rye starter
- 6 tbsp water room temperature 43 grams
Instructions
Seed Culture
Day 1
- Mix the flour and juice. Place in a container and cover. Mark the top of the dough with a piece of tape. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
Day 2
- Mix day one starter with day 2 ingredients. Place in a clean container and cover. Mark the top of the dough with a piece of tape. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
Day 3
- Mix day 3 ingredients with 1/2 of the day 2 mixture. Discard the other half of the day 2 mixture. Place the mixture in a clean container and cover. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours or until risen to 1-2 times it's size. If rising for more than 24 hours, mix every 12 hours.
Starter
- Mix all of the ingredients, cover, and leave at room temperature for 6-8 hours. Refrigerate overnight.
Rye Starter
- Pull the starter from the refrigerator an hour before mixing to allow it to come to room temperature. Mix the ingredients, cover, and leave at room temperature for 4-8 hours or until sponge becomes bubbly. Refrigerate overnight.
Bread
- Pull the rye starter from the refrigerator an hour before mixing to allow it to come to room temperature. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. Mix with a dough hook for 4-5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and proof for 1 1/2-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Shape the dough into a loaf. Place in a greased loaf pan, cover lightly, and proof for 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing.
