Geoduck

I enjoy eveything about the Pacific Northwest, especially hiking, researching the past and cooking.

My favorite cookbook is the Bread Baker's Apprentice where a young baker is cradling a fresh loaf of pumpernickel bread by Peter Reinhart.
The best NW Cookbook is:
Janie Hibler's Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers: The Northwest Heritage Cookbook.

Pumpernickel Bread - Best Recipe Ever!!

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup pumpernickel (coarse rye meal)
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup molasses
1 tablespoon or packet active dry yearst
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground anise
2 teaspoons cocoa (optional, for a darker, traditional pumpernickel color)
4 to 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Preparing the Rye: In a saucepan, being 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the pumpernickel. Let this sit until it is lukewarm.

Mixing the Dough: Pour the 1/2 cup warm water into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the molasses and the yeast. Let this sit for a few minutes until it is working.
Add and blend in the cooled pumpernickel mixture. Stir in the salt, vegetable oil, anise and cocoa. Gradually add the balance of he flour, stirring until the dough no longer sticks to th side of the bowl.

Kneading: Since rye dough tends to be sticky, keep your hands and the board well floured while you knead it. Even when it's thoroughly kneaded, it will still be a bit sticky. Don't try to get rid of the stickiness by continuing to add flour.

(You can't , and if you try you'll have a rye doorstop!)

When it's thoroughly kneaded, put it in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in bulk.

Shaping: After the first rsing, devide the dough into 2 pieces and either shape them to fit your bread pans or make 2 round, free-form loaves and place them on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover them with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let them rise for about 1 hour.

Baking: Put the loaves in a cold oven. Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, lower temperatue to 350 degrees and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes.

enjoy...