Sourdough Bread: Pumpernickel Bread

For twenty years I have been fascinated by, and have experimented with, rye breads in their many manifestations, but pumpernickel has always impressed me as the definitive rye (maybe it’s just that it has the best name). There are countless versions of pumpernickel bread. Many Americans think the name simply refers to a dark rye, made dark by the addition of caramel coloring. What the name really refers to is a loaf made with coarsely ground whole-grain rye flour, the distinguishing characteristic of this particular type of rye bread. Some versions, though not the one that follows, are extremely dense, what I call cocktail rye, which needs to be sliced very thin. People who love this dense rye really do passionately love it, but it has a rather small following in the United States. In some eastern European villages, this bread was, and still is, made by adding the bread crumbs from previously baked loaves to the new dough. This gives the bread a wonderful texture. You can make the following formula with or without rye-bread crumbs, but it’s a great way to use up dried-out leftover slices from the last loaf.