Pumpernickel - Europe

Europe

Pumpernickel has been long associated with the Westphalia region of Germany. The first written mention of the black bread of Westphalia was in 1450. Although it is not known whether this, and other early references, refer to precisely the bread that came to be known as pumpernickel, there has long been something different about Westphalian rye bread that elicited comment. The defining characteristics of Westphalian pumpernickel are coarse rye flour—rye meal—and a very long baking period. The long slow baking is what gives pumpernickel its characteristic dark color. The bread can emerge from the oven deep brown, even black. Like most all-rye breads, pumpernickel is traditionally made with a sourdough starter; the acid preserves the bread structure by counteracting the highly active rye amylases. That method is sometimes augmented or replaced in commercial baking by adding citric acid or lactic acid along with commercial yeast.

Traditional German pumpernickel contains no coloring agents, instead relying on the Maillard reaction to produce its characteristic deep brown color, sweet, dark chocolate, coffee flavor, and earthy aroma (however, it is not uncommon to use darkly toasted bread from a previous batch as a coloring agent). Loaves produced in this manner require 16 to 24 hours of baking in a low temperature (about 250°F or 120°C), steam-filled oven. The bread is usually baked in long narrow pans that include a lid. Like the French pain de mie, Westphalian pumpernickel has little or no crust. It is very similar to rye Vollkornbrot, a dense rye bread with large amounts of whole grains added.

True German pumpernickel is produced primarily in Germany, though versions of it are sometimes made by specialty bakers outside its homeland. Pumpernickel is also popular in the Netherlands where pumpernickel has been a common part of the diet for centuries. German pumpernickel is often sold sliced in small packets. It is usually found in markets aimed at an upscale clientele, because German pumpernickel is often paired with caviar, smoked salmon, sturgeon, and other expensive products on a hors d'oeuvres tray. Because of its association with expensive hors d'oeuvres, it can be found in upscale groceries throughout Europe as well as the United States and Canada.