Pumpernickel bread its characteristically has a deep brown color, sweet, dark chocolate, coffee flavor, and earthy aroma. It is a nice way to work that little extra coffee into your daily life without having it just served in a steaming cuppa.

Step 1: Ingrediants

These are the ingredients that you will need to make a couple of loaves of my pumpernickel bread.

1 ¼ cup of room temperature coffee
1 ½ teaspoons salt (course kosher)
1/3 cup molasses
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups bread flour
3 tablespoons gluten
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 tablespoon caraway seed
2 teaspoon bread machine or quick active dry yeast

I go to a local whole food type market that sells bulk items for most of my bread making ingredients. Most good quality markets should have most of the supplies.

Step 2: Mix Everything Together

I use a bread machine to do the mixing and the kneading for two reasons... (1) because I got a bread machine for Christmas a few years ago and (2) because I am to lazy to do the work by hand. You should be able to do this without a bread machine but it just makes it a LOT easier.

If you have never used a bread machine before you need to make sure that you put the kneading paddle in before you add the ingredients or you aren't going to get very far.

Once you have everything measured out and into the baking chamber (that is what Cuisinart calls it in my manual) you just insert it into the bread machine. Start the bread machine, This is a very dense dough so it will be noisy when it mixes.

Step 3: Form the Dough

When you bread machine signals that it is going into the final proofing/last rise remove the dough from the machine.

Cur the dough into two Shape into two loaves. The loaves are going to raise a little more so make sure that they aren't to close together.

I like to place my loaves on a cookie sheet with a SILPAT. If you don't have a SILPAT you can sprinkle cornmeal on the cookie sheet and place the loaves directly on the cookie sheet.

Step 4:

Place in a warm area to rise (approx. 1 hour). This is a dense bread so you won’t see a lot of rise from the dough. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.

Step 5:

Preheat your oven to 375 and place a pan of water on the lowest rack.

With a sharp knife, slash the top of the loaves (this will allow steam to escape).I don't think that this is required with a heavy bread like pumpernickel but if you like the look for the finished loaf go right ahead.

Place the cookie sheet on the center rack.

Set your timer for 25 minutes and kick back and relax.

Step 6:

After baking for 25 minutes you need to cover the loaves with an aluminum foil tent and bake for 10 more minutes.

Step 7: The Cooking Is Done

Remove from the oven and cool the loaves on their side.

Step 8:

This is the finished product... great for sandwiches, just having a piece of bread with butter or can be cut up and turned into some great croutons. The girls that I work with think that this is the BEST BREAD that I make... and it's vegan as well... not on purpose, just happens to fall into that category.

OPTION: I have also had great reviews by replacing the coffee with Dr. Pepper, for those people that don't drink coffee!