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 A very dense wholegrainWestphalian pumpernickel | |
| Type | Rye bread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Region or state | Westphalia |
| Main ingredients | Ryeflour, rye berries |
Pumpernickel (English:/ˈpʌmpərnɪkəl/;German:[ˈpʊmpɐˌnɪkl̩]ⓘ) is a typically dense, slightly sweetrye bread traditionally made withsourdough starter and coarsely groundrye. It is sometimes made with a combination of ryeflour andwhole rye grains ("rye berries").
At one time, it was traditionalpeasant fare, but largely during the 20th century various forms became popular with other classes throughdelicatessens and supermarkets. Present-day European and North American pumpernickel differ in several characteristics, including the use of additional leaveners. The less dense North American version may eschew rye grains, have coloring and flavoring agents, add wheat flour, glazed crust, a higher baking temperature, and a dramatically shortened baking time.
Contemporary Englishpumpernickel is aloanword from GermanPumpernickel (compare also GermanPompernickel andBompernickel), referring to a black bread fromWestphalia. The word is found in English-language literature as early as 1738. Before its use to refer to the bread, the German word was used to mean "lout" (and can later be found in southern German-speaking areas in use for "vivacious child" or "small, plump person or child"). The German word is constructed from two elements:Early modern Germanpumper meaning 'fart' (recorded in 1558 in this sense) or "to knock, fall noisily", from which the sense of "fart" derived (Middle High Germanpumpern). The second element,Nickel, ispet form of the nameNikolaus.[1] An earlier word for the bread is attested in English ascranck broat, meaning "sick bread".[1]
TheOxford English Dictionary highlights that while there is uncertainty around the exact sense of the wordPumpernickel as used in German to refer to the bread, "it is clearly depreciative", potentially a negative means of describing Westphalian bread by outsiders. According to the dictionary, "This type of bread was probably so called either on account of its being difficult to digest and causing flatulence or in a more general allusion to its hardness and poor quality".[1]
As early as the 1600s, afolk etymology is recorded that proposes that the namePumpernickel derives from the Frenchbon pour Nicol ("good only for Nicol"), where Nicol was purportedly the name of a horse. While false, this etymology is found in early modern German and is reflected in the formbonpournikel.[1]
Pumpernickel has been long associated with theWestphalia region of Germany, first referred to in print in 1450. Although it is not known whether this and other early references refer to precisely the bread that came to be known asPumpernickel, Westphalian pumpernickel is distinguished by the use of coarse ryemeal and a very long baking period, which gives the bread its characteristic dark color. Like most traditional all-rye breads, pumpernickel is made with an acidicsourdough starter, which preserves dough structure. The acid inactivates the ryeprotein,amylase, which converts thestarch tosugar. That sourdough starter is sometimes augmented, or replaced, in commercial baking by addingcitric acid orlactic acid along withcommercial yeast.[2]
Traditional German pumpernickel contains no coloring agents, instead relying on theMaillard reaction to produce its characteristic deep brown color, its sweet, dark chocolate, coffee flavor, and its earthy aroma. To achieve this, loaves are baked in long, narrow lidded pans 16 to 24 hours in a low-temperature—about 120 °C (250 °F), steam-filled oven. Like Frenchsandwich bread, or aPullman loaf, Westphalian pumpernickel has little or no crust. It is very similar to ryeVollkornbrot, a dense rye bread with large amounts of whole grains added.[citation needed] German pumpernickel is often sold sliced in small packets in supermarkets, where it may be paired withcaviar,smoked salmon,sturgeon, and other expensive products on anhors d'oeuvre tray.[citation needed]
Pumpernickel varieties are popular in theNetherlands, where it has been a common part of the diet for centuries.[3] It is known there asFries roggebrood or 'Frisian rye bread', as this variety of rye bread originates in the Dutch province ofFriesland, and is significantly different from, for example,Brabants roggebrood, rye bread made with yeast, from the province ofNorth Brabant.
The term "pumpernickel" is often used in North America, especially in the United States, to refer to an airy style of dark-colored wheat-and-ryesandwich bread orbagel originally popularized byAshkenaziJewish delis. These products often forgo the sourdough starter, long bake times, and steaming, and instead usebaker's yeast and short dry bakes that do not allow for the same degree ofMaillard browning as traditional German methods. To compensate, ingredients such asmolasses,caramel color,coffee, andcocoa powder are added for both color and flavor. Some shops and bakeries, especially those in Canada, do use recipes that produce a traditional dense loaf.[4][5][6]
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