Spiced Rye Sourdough Bread (Pumpernickel) with Fennel, Orange, and Caraway

Rye breads are a staple throughout Northern and Eastern Europe and Russia where they are often seeded with caraway and other spices or whole rye berries. Rye flour is low in gluten, will rise less during fermentation and prefer a longer slower ferment. These dark dense loaves compliment smoked salmon, pate, salty meats, mustard and horseradish.

My mother, Sue, requested a dark rye bread to serve alongside our New Years Day ham dinner. I hadn’t really ventured into pumpernickel bread so I had to do some research. I knew there would be caraway involved but was surprised to find many recipes calling for coffee and cocoa powder and one that also added fennel seed and orange zest, which I thought sounded really amazing. Fennel and orange are one of my favorite winter flavor pairings.

This recipe here is an amalgamation of several recipes that I found in my research plus my own bread-making intuitions. The result – a deliciously fragrant loaf with prominent but not overpowering caraway and fennel. The orange and espresso are very subtle. On my next batch, I may increase the orange and espresso a bit and try adding the cocoa powder just to see, because I’m curious. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Baking Schedule

Rye flour is lower and gluten and ferments differently than all wheat bread. I find that a longer ferment at cooler temperatures works better. I  start this bread in the afternoon, turning it occasionally until bedtime, then move it to a cool place (my garage) until early morning.  When I wake up, I shape it and place it into a bowl for its final rise for several hours.  Cooking it midday.  It won’t double in size, and that’s ok.

Spiced Rye Sourdough Bread (Pumpernickel)

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• Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
• Prep Time: 20 hours
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 21 hours
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x
• Category: Bread
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Scandanavian
• Diet: Vegan

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Ingredients

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6 grams (1 Tablespoons) Fennel Seed, coarsely chopped

2 grams (1/2 Tablespoons) Caraway Seed, coarsely chopped

5 grams (1/2 orange) zest

2 grams (1/2 Tablespoons) instant espresso powder or coffee powder*

380 grams (1 3/4 cup) warm water

80 grams (1/3 cup) starter

250 grams rye flour

250 grams High Protein Bread Flour

10 grams salt

36 grams (2 Tablespoons) molasses

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Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients.  I always start with water and starter and end with the salt, that’s just my habit.  With your hands or a wooden spoon, mix it to form a course dough.

Let the dough sit covered on the counter for 20-30 minutes, then give it a full turn.  Continue turning every 30-60 minutes for the next 5-6 hours.  (For more guidance on how to do this and the other steps of the process, check out How to Make Sourdough Bread)

Transfer the dough to a cool place for another 10 hours (or leave it at room temperature for another 6-8 hours).

Turn the dough out on a floured surface.  Let it relax there for 20 minutes.  Then shape it and place it seam-side up in a bowl lined with a floured tea towel.  Cover it and let it rise for another 4-6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500 F.  

Invert the dough onto a floured sheet of parchment.  Transfer the parchment and dough to a dutch oven (not preheated), cover and bake for 30 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to 425 F, remove the lid and cook for another 20 minutes.  

Remove the loaf from the dutch oven and place directly on the oven rack (on parchment is fine) and bake for another 10 minutes.  

Transfer to a cooling rack and let it cool for 1 hour before slicing.

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Equipment

| High Protein Bread Flour |

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| Ultra Cuisine 10″ x 14.75″Cooling and Roasting Rack |

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| Ozeri Kitchen Scale |

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| Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven With Loop Handles, 5 qt |

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