[Sca-cooks] Russian black bread...

[Terry Decker]

Here are the pumpernickel recipes I posted some time ago.  The first is a
commercial scale recipe that I haven't tried although I give some pointers
about scaling down in the notes.

If you can get it, use pumpernickel meal for the rye flour.  It is a coarse
meal of dark rye suited for black breads.

Bear

Pumpernickel Bread (from A Treatise on Baking)

Sponge and Dough

Sponge:

Pumpernickel meal 45 lbs.
Water 32 lbs.
Old Rye Dough (or 15# sour) 12 lbs
Fleischmann's yeast 1 lb.
Set sponge at 78 F for 2 3/4 hrs.

Dough:

Pumpernickel meal 55 lbs.
Water 36 to 40 lbs.
Salt 2 1/4 lbs.
Diamalt 2 lbs.

Temperature of the dough, out of the mixer, 80 F.
Let the dough rest 20 minutes, then make up. Dough must be stiff. Some
meal takes more water. Total absorption runs from 64 to as high as 72%.

Bear's Notes: This recipe should make about 100 loaves, so diviing by 25 or
50 should give you 4 loaves or 2 loaves respectively.
Diamalt is malt syrup with diatase. It replaces the molasses and has
approximately the same color. Diamalt is a commercial baking sweetener
which can be replaced by malt or molasses.
The sponge is mixed and left to stand and sour. The dough ingredients are
added to the sponge. If making this by hand, I would break the sponge apart
in the water, then add the solid ingredients.

To prepare a commercial sour:

Rye flour 2 lbs.
water 1 1/2 lbs.
1 large onion quartered
Ground caraway seed 6 oz.
Fleischmann's yeast 2 oz.

Mix together and let stand 24 hours. Remove the onion.

To the starter, add:

Water 4 lbs
Dark rye flour 5 lbs.

Let stand 3 hours, then add:

Water 8 lbs.
Dark rye flour 10 lbs.

Let stand 3 hours and add:

Water 24 lbs.
Dark rye flour 30 lbs.

These sours should be made 3 hours apart. See that these sours are not made
too stiff. Temperature for the water of these sours should be 60 F in
summer and 80 F in winter.

If more than one batch is required, arrange to take 30 lbs from the 3rd and
final sour, adding 24 lbs of water and 30 lbs of dark rye flour, which makes
again 84 lbs. of sour. In this manner continuous batches can be made as
required.

Always leave enough sour for use the following day as shown above. Use 1/2
lb. of sour for every 10 lbs of final sour required.

Bear's Notes: I haven't tried either of these, but if you want to make the
sour, I'd start with 2 cups of rye flour, 1 cup of water and a teaspoon
caraway, and 1 teaspoon of dry active yeast, then add 1 cup of rye flour and
1/2 cup of water for each of the following sours.
I'm a little curious about what the onion does, so I'll give this one a shot
when the Y2K project I'm concluding is over.
Since Fleischmann's published the book for it's commercial customers,
Fleischmann's yeast is called for in the recipes. Substitute your favorite
dry active yeast.

Pumpernickel Bread

2 pkgs dry active yeast
1 1/4 cups tepid water
1 cup rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose sifted flour
2 Tablespoons cornmeal

Combined yeast and water and let cream.
Add rye, whole wheat, molasses, cocoa, caraway seeds and salt. Mix
thoroughly.
Stir in 1 cup all purpose flour.
Turn out on a floured surface. Knead, adding as little flour as possible
until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place in oiled bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
Turn out on lightly floured surface and shape into a ball.
Sprinkle cornmeal in the middle of a baking sheet. Place the ball of dough
on the cornmeal and press to form a six inch round.
Cover and let stand until doubled (about 30 minutes).
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake bread for about 30 minutes or until
the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove and cool.