Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Guinness Pumpernickel Loaf
Recipe below the cut.
One 11 ounce bottle Guinness Extra Stout, lukewarm
2 tbs molasses
1.5 cups pumpernickel flour
1 packet active dry yeast
2 tsp 100% Ghirardelli cocoa
Combine in KitchenAid mixer until homogeneous. Allow to rest for 40 minutes.
Add:
2 cups First Clear Flour
1/2 cup labneh
2 tsp ground caraway seed
2 tbs vital wheat gluten
1.5 tsp salt
2 tbs honey
1 tsp dry dill (optional)
Mix in the KitchenAid with the dough hook for five minutes, pushing the dough around with a wooden spoon so that it all gets well kneaded and all dry ingredients are incorporated. You are absolutely welcome to knead this by hand, if you prefer, or if you don’t have a KitchenAid that’s up to the job of working this dense, sticky mass. One of the things I love about the recipe, though, is that the KitchenAid does most of the work.
Rest five minutes, then knead in the KitchenAid for another five minutes.
Transfer to buttered rising basket (ideally with volumes marked, so that you know when your dough has doubled). I transferred this to an oven at about 105F. Allow to double in volume, approximately 90 minutes.
Transfer to a buttered cookie sheet or parchment paper and shape your loaf (can’t help you on the details; I’m not great at shaping). Put it back into the warm oven and let it rise again until doubled — 60 to 90 minutes.
Slash the top. Consider glazing with egg white if you wish, or sprinkle with more caraway seeds.
Meanwhile, the oven should be preheated to 400F. Just before baking, throw 3-4 ice cubes and 1/4 cup water into the bottom of the oven. Now place the cookie sheet with the shaped loaf (or transfer to a preheated baking stone while on parchment paper). Bake at 400 for ten minutes then lower temperature to 350. Bake until the internal temperature is greater than 190F, probably just another 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. (My first attempt at this loaf, the internal temp got up to 202F, and it was slightly tastier than this loaf, which only made it to 195F.)
If you make it, post a pic and let me know what you think of the recipe.
D.
