Dark Pumpernickel Onion Bread

This modified recipe from King Arthur's website yields rye bread superior to any store-bought option. Converted for long fermentation to eliminate phytic acid and enhance flavor, it can be made with freshly ground or packaged flours.

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Dark Pumpernickel Onion Bread Save
Dark Pumpernickel Onion Bread
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This modified recipe from King Arthur's website yields rye bread superior to any store-bought option. Converted for long fermentation to eliminate phytic acid and enhance flavor, it can be made with freshly ground or packaged flours.

  • Preparing Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Served Person: 12
vegan vegetarian white meat free tree nut free contains gluten red meat free shellfish free dairy free pescatarian
bread

Step-by-step

  • Mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients.
  • Mix all ingredients until cohesive. If using an electric mixer use the paddle on speed 1.
  • Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes, then knead until it is elastic though still sticky, about 5 to 10 minutes on speed 2 with the dough hook. If kneading by hand, wetting your hands with water will help to prevent sticking.
  • Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl for at least 12 hours if left on the counter or 18-24 hours if fermented in the refrigerator (refrigerator fermentation requires a 2 hour warming period before going to the next step).
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface and form it into an oval or form into loaves and put into loaf pans.
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a pan below the baking shelf that will be used later for water to produce steam.
  • Let rise until almost doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with the seeds of your choice, and slash diagonally in several places.
  • When put loaf into the oven and pour water into the hot pan that has preheated. Spray mist every 5 minutes for 15 minutes.
  • Bake the bread for 18 to 22 minutes until 190 -200 degrees.
  • Cool on baking racks before slicing.
Rye flour carries zero gluten-forming proteins of its own, meaning the bread flour must perform all the structural heavy lifting in this formula. Without enough active gluten development, heavy rye doughs collapse under their own weight during the final proof. Bakers frequently fail here by under-kneading, trusting that the long fermentation will build strength automatically. Long resting periods break down phytic acid and deepen the flavor profile, but they cannot manufacture gluten out of weak flour.

Managing Hydration and Stickiness

Rye doughs are notoriously tacky, leading many cooks to dump excessive extra flour onto the board during shaping. Adding dry flour at the bench stage alters the hydration ratio and creates dense streaks in the finished crumb. Wetting hands with plain water instead of flour prevents sticking without toughening the exterior. Mixing the dry ingredients thoroughly before introducing the water ensures the small quantity of instant yeast disperses evenly through the dense rye and potato flour matrix.

Achieving Proper Oven Spring

Baking requires targeted thermal shock to set the loaf properly. Preheating the oven to 425 degrees with an empty pan placed on the lower rack creates the necessary cavity for steam generation. Pouring water into that hot metal pan immediately after loading the bread triggers rapid evaporation, keeping the crust flexible enough to expand fully. Spraying mist every five minutes for the first fifteen minutes prevents premature crust setting, allowing the loaf to reach an internal temperature of 190 to 200 degrees without splitting irregularly.
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