American-style pumpernickel black bread

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of water (warm)
• 1.5 tbsp active dry yeast
• 0.5 cup molasses
• 4 teaspoons of salt
• 2 tablespoons of margarine
• 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds
• 2 and 3/4 cups rye flour
• 3 tbsp. bakery flour with a high gluten content of 12 – 14%

Preparation:

1. Pour water into a large bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Then stir in the molasses, salt, margarine, caraway seeds, and rye flour.
2. First, stir in 2 cups of bread flour. Then gradually whisk in the remaining flour until you have a kneadable dough. You may not need all the flour, depending on the quality of the other ingredients and your climate.
3. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes. If it's too sticky, add more bread flour, a tablespoon at a time.
4. Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it over to lightly grease it as well.
   
   Cover with a clean kitchen towel or cling film and place in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour, until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Press the dough down, cover again and leave for another 45 minutes.
6. Then press the dough a second time. Transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and quickly punch it down. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a small round loaf.
7. Grease a baking sheet. Sprinkle it with cornmeal if desired. Place both loaves on the baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes until doubled in size.
8. Bake the bread for 35 minutes at 190°C. The finished bread will sound hollow when tapped on the crust.
   
   Remove the loaves from the oven and cool them on a rack. You can wrap the bread in a plastic bag and freeze it.
   
   Recipe rye bread.
   
   

   Baking tips

   
   Store yeast in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Heat, moisture, and air will ruin it, preventing your dough from rising.
   
   To keep bread soft, store it in a plastic bag.
   
   To prevent molasses from sticking to your measuring spoon, lightly coat it with vegetable oil. An opened jar of molasses will keep for up to a year.