Light Pumpernickel

Name: Light Pumpernickel
Yield: Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients: 1⅓ cups dark beer; 1 tablespoon lard; ¼ cup yellow cornmeal, plus additional for sprinkling the pan; 1½ teaspoons salt; 1 tablespoon molasses; 1 package dry yeast; ½ teaspoon sugar; ¼ cup warm (110-degree) water; ¾ cup rye flour, or as needed; 1 cup whole-wheat flour; 1 teaspoon cornstarch, boiled with ⅔ cup water until clear (2 to 3 minutes) and cooled; ⅔ cup gluten flour

Preparation info

Makes
1
loaf

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Better Than Store-Bought

By Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1979

About

When you’re not in the mood for the punch of pumpernickel or other very dark, grainy breads, you might want to try this substantial but milder hybrid. Slightly sweet and beery, it combines amicably with smoked meats.

Ingredients

1⅓ cups dark beer
¼ cup yellow cornmeal, plus additional for sprinkling the pan
1

Starter
Bread

Method

Heat the beer to a simmer and stir in the cornmeal. Add the lard, then remove from the heat, stir in the salt and molasses, and cool to 110 degrees.
Meanwhile, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl and let rise until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Add the yeast mixture to the beer-cornmeal mixture. Beat in the who