Homemade black bread, often called Pumpernickel, is so hearty and rich in flavor, with different notes and flavors coming through the crunchy crust. The texture is dense but not heavy, just perfect to enjoy with a bowl of soup or a smoked salmon sandwich.
As a Slavic girl, black bread, aka Pumpernickel bread, holds a special place in my heart. Some soups don't even taste right to me without a slice of flavorful black bread to go along with them, such as Borsch or Shchi. I've worked on this recipe, tweaking, making changes, and trying to make the perfect combination of flavors and texture and keeping it all as simple as possible too.
I wanted it to have a rich, hearty flavor, so I used unsweetened cocoa powder, coffee, molasses and ground caraway seeds to add both color and all sorts of great taste and smell throughout the loaf. The ingredients may sound a little strange, but they all marry so well together and give it the flavor that Pumpernickel bread is so well known for.
I really like the convenience of this recipe - mix up the dough, leave it overnight in the refrigerator, then shape and bake the next day. Making the dough is really easy, there is very little kneading involved - my little toddler boys help me make it. Even if you are new to bread making, I think this is a great recipe to start with. Get your butter out - I can never resist having a slice slathered with butter while the bread is still warm. Try this with a bowl of Borsch or top it with some salmon gravlax.
What is Pumpernickel Bread?
Pumpernickel is a black bread, made with rye flour, it's dense in texture and is popular in European countries like Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Germany, Poland, etc. It is often made with a sour dough started. To add more flavor, I also use unsweetened cocoa powder, a bit of coffee, caraway seeds and molasses.
Making the Bread Dough
Instead of using a sourdough starter, I mix the bread dough and leave it overnight to rise in the refrigerator. This is a really easy bread dough to make, and the slow rise in the refrigerator will make it fluffier and also develop more gluten and flavor overnight.
What Flour Is Best For Pumpernickel Bread?
To get the perfect texture, hearty and chewy but not too dense and hard, I use a combination or rye, whole wheat and bread flour. If you would use only rye or whole wheat flour, the bread will be too dense, but using some bread flour helps to produce a better texture.
Caraway in Pumpernickel Bread
Caraway gives a distinct flavor to pumpernickel bread. I usually buy caraway seeds whole and then grind them up finely in my coffee grinder. You can even add some whole caraway seeds to the bread dough or sprinkle some on top of the bread before baking it.
Mixing the Dough
You can use your hands to mix the dough or use a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. You don't need to knead the dough very long at all, just enough so that the flour is all well incorporated into the dough. The dough will stick slightly to your hands; that is normal. Don't add too much flour, or the bread will be very dense. After the dough rises and then chills, it will be much easier to handle and won't stick to your hands as much.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel. Set aside to rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
After the dough has risen for 2 hours, place it in the refrigerator overnight. You can even keep it in the refrigerator for a few days, but I think the best results are when you bake it the next day.
The next day, take the dough out of the refrigerator. It will slowly continue fermenting and rising in the refrigerator and will before tender and fluffy.
Shaping the Bread
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a pizza stone in the oven to heat up while the oven is preheating. If you don't have a pizza stone, place a large baking sheet upside down into the oven instead.
Use a large cutting board or a baking sheet and top it with parchment paper. Sprinkle some cornmeal in the center of the parchment paper, so that there is cornmeal area a bit bigger than the bread loaf will be.
With damp hand, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it very slightly, folding the dough underneath itself until you have an even ball, then shape it into an oval loaf.
Place the bread loaf on top of the cornmeal. Set the bread loaf aside to rise at room temperature for about 40-50 minutes, or better yet, in a warm room. I actually put the bread in our hot Floridian garage to rise, which makes the rising time faster and more effective.
Slash the top of the bread with diagonal or straight cuts across the surface of the risen bread.
Baking the Bread
Use the parchment paper to pull the bread from the cutting board or baking sheet and transfer to the hot pizza stone in the preheated oven.
Place some sort of rimmed baking pan underneath the pizza stone. Pour in 1 ½ - 2 cups of hot water into the baking pan. This will created steam in the oven as the bread is baking and will create a nice crust on the outside of the bread as it's baking.
Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until browned and firm.
Take the bread out of the oven and let cool on a cooling rack before slicing.
Storing the Bread
Store the bread at room temperature, covered or in a bag or container, for a few days, then store in the refrigerator.
PrintPumpernickel Bread
Homemade black bread, often called Pumpernickel, is so hearty and rich in flavor, with different notes and flavors coming through the crunchy crust. The texture is dense but not heavy, just perfect to enjoy with a bowl of soup or a smoked salmon sandwich.
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 24 hours 45 mins
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Miscellaneous
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water (105-110 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¾ Tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground caraway seeds
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup rye flour
- 1 ¾ cups bread flour or all purpose flour
- cornmeal, to sprinkle on the bottom of the parchment paper
Instructions
- In a large bowl or a large measuring cup, combine the water, yeast, salt, molasses, instant coffee, cocoa powder, caraway seeds until everything is evenly mixed.
- In another large bowl, combine the whole wheat, rye and all purpose flours. Mix to combine. Pour in the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients until they come together.
- You can use your hands to mix the dough or use a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. You don't need to knead the dough very long at all, just enough so that the flour is all well incorporated into the dough. The dough will stick slightly to your hands; that is normal. Don't add too much flour, or the bread will be very dense. After the dough rises and then chills, it will be much easier to handle and won't stick to your hands as much.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel. Set aside to rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
- After the dough has risen for 2 hours, place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, take the dough out of the refrigerator. It will slowly continue fermenting and rising in the refrigerator and will before tender and fluffy.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a pizza stone in the oven to heat up while the oven is preheating. If you don't have a pizza stone, place a large baking sheet upside down into the oven instead.
- Use a large cutting board or a baking sheet and top it with parchment paper. Sprinkle some cornmeal in the center of the parchment paper, so that there is cornmeal area a bit bigger than the bread loaf will be.
- With damp hand, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it very slightly, folding the dough underneath itself until you have an even ball, then shape it into an oval loaf.
- Place the bread loaf on top of the cornmeal. Set the bread loaf aside to rise at room temperature for about 40-50 minutes, or better yet, in a warm room. I actually put the bread in our hot Floridian garage to rise, which makes the rising time faster and more effective.
- Slash the top of the bread with diagonal or straight cuts across the surface of the risen bread.
- Use the parchment paper to pull the bread from the cutting board or baking sheet and transfer to the hot pizza stone in the preheated oven. Place some sort of rimmed baking pan underneath the pizza stone. Pour in 1 ½ - 2 cups of hot water into the baking pan. This will created steam in the oven as the bread is baking and will create a nice crust on the outside of the bread as it's baking.
- Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until browned and firm.
- Take the bread out of the oven and let cool on a cooling rack before slicing.
- Store the bread at room temperature, covered or in a bag or container, for a few days, then store in the refrigerator.
Do you think I can make this bread in the breadmaking machine? Thanks
I love pumpernickel bread! I usually bake sourdough bread and I am wondering how I can make this using my sourdough starter instead of the yeast?
I don't have a tested recipe with measurements to share, Irene.
Спасибо большое! Отлично! Самый вкусный хлеб!
I'm very new to bread making, but I have made this loaf twice now.... Even when I made some errors during the rising process the first time the flavor was exquisite. The second time I followed your instructions more carefully and got the bread to rise twice as high. I didn't make any changes to the ingredients - it seems absolutely perfect. I do, however, prefer to bake my bread using a dutch oven which I find works very well with this recipe.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS!!
That's wonderful, Jonathan. I'm so glad you were happy with the bread. I love using a dutch oven to bake bread - it rises so much better and is crunchier too:).
My church (Orthodox) is celebrating Russian Christmas and I am making this bread to honor my Russian friends (and the rest of the congregation!). I have made this before and LOVE it.
QUESTION: Are you SURE about the amount of salt? I would guess 3/4 teaspoon of salt before I would even begin to measure 3/4 of a Tablespoon! The salt amount may be too much. I decided to be safe and use a lesser amount. Thank you for your help with this question, and for the great recipe!
I am sure about the amount of salt, but you can certainly reduce the amount if you prefer. I tested this recipe multiple times before posting it and have made it countless times after too:). Everyone has different taste preferences, so you can definitely use less salt.
Hi Olga,
I am Abby. I love this recipe and will try it. I was looking for a Borodinsky Khleb recipe on your website - can you point me it please. I haven't eaten it for a long time and I don't have any hope of getting it in a store where I live.
Thank you
Abby
Hi Abby,
I do not have a recipe for Borodinsky Khleb. This is the only black bread recipe that I have on my website at this time.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I think it's the easiest one of black bread that I've found so far. Love its shape too!
My pleasure! I hope you enjoy it:).
The perfect pumpernickel loaf! So fluffy and it rose so well! I loved the taste and it was perfect for sandwiches! Thank you so much for the thoughtful and detailed instructions for this recipe! 🙂
I'm so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Emily. Thank you for taking the time to write.
We have been making this recipe weekly for the past 9 months and love it so much. We made some slight quarantine modifications that we enjoy and wanted to share them with you:
- increase rye flour to one cup
- decrease white flour to one cup
- add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sourdough starter
- double the amount of espresso
- double the amount of ground caraway seeds
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees for minimum of 45 minutes WITH a cast-iron skillet half-full of water on the lowest rack. Then lower to 400 and bake as directed. The crust will be truly unforgettable!
I'm so glad you enjoy this bread, Steven! Thank you for sharing your recommendations.