Tall, dark, and handsome! The pumpernickel bagel is the swarthiest of bagel flavors, and (to some) the most mysterious. What is pumpernickel, and where did it come from? Let’s take a journey back to the old country…
Pumpernickel refers to a type of rye bread hailing from Germany. It is traditionally made from dark rye flour or rye berries and sourdough culture. In its birthplace, the Westphalia region of Germany, it has been baked for centuries in lidded pans at low temperatures. The low temperature means a long bake time—often around 14 hours in the oven! Nowadays, pumpernickel bread often uses commercial yeast and is made from a mixture of rye and wheat flours to cut down on the long prep time. Some recipes even call for a little bit of coffee grounds to deepen the dark, rich flavor.
What makes pumpernickel special is its dark brown color and earthy, slightly sweet taste. Spices like caraway and onion add an exotic bite that is simply delicious. Pumpernickel has no crust, and is dense and hearty. It’s a healthy choice, too—rye flour packs less carbs than wheat, and supplies a good amount of fiber, vitamins, and minerals as well. It goes well with ingredients that benefit from an extra element of nuttiness. As a base for a lox, cream cheese, and onion sandwich, it strikes a powerful Central European chord.
Why is it a classic bagel flavor?
It makes sense that pumpernickel bagels first appeared in New York, where immigrants from across the pond brought their tastes and traditions. Northern, Central, and Eastern Europeans had long enjoyed varieties of “black” bread made with rye flour. Thus the bagel, a Polish-Jewish invention, bumped into the other breads popular among Europeans in the big city, and a star was born. This bagel flavor became highly sought after by New Yorkers, and the rest of the world has since caught on. The pumpernickel bagel is an excellent example of old-world tradition and hard-hitting deliciousness.
Pumpernickel refers to a type of rye bread hailing from Germany. It is traditionally made from dark rye flour or rye berries
rye berries
Rye grain is used for bread, beer, rye whiskey, and animal fodder. In Scandinavia, rye was a staple food in the Middle-ages, and rye crispbread remains a popular food in the region. Around half of world production is in Europe; relatively little is traded between countries.
Pumpernickel bagels are a flavor of bagel that is both tangy, sweet, savory and fermented. Bagel are made from a yeast leavened dough and formed into a fat ring shape, with a diameter of 3.5 to 4.5 inches.
Pumpernickel typically utilizes whole grain rye flour and berries, meaning that it contains all three grain layers: bran, germ, and endosperm. Rye bread is often made with refined flour containing only the endosperm of the grain, while the bran and germ are stripped away.
Hence, the dark crust of pumpernickel bread is a rich source of a variety of vitamins and antioxidant. In general, Pumpernickel bread is an enriched source of nutrients while having a coarse texture and slighter sweet taste profile making it a highly recommended addition to your diet.
Pumpernickel bread is usually made with a high proportion of rye flour and a small amount of wheat flour. It's the rye flour however that's of particular interest. Traditional Old World black pumpernickel bread uses coarse rye flour that's ground from the entire rye berry.
Pumpernickel has no crust, and is dense and hearty. It's a healthy choice, too—rye flour packs less carbs than wheat, and supplies a good amount of fiber, vitamins, and minerals as well. It goes well with ingredients that benefit from an extra element of nuttiness.
The healthiest bagel is one made with whole grains. For a healthy bagel option, look for whole wheat or rye bagels. Sourdough bagels are also a healthy option, since sourdough bread varieties are more nutritious than white bread options.
Traditional Pumpernickel bread is made using coarsely ground rye flour fermented with sourdough starter. The high percentage of rye makes this bread rich in fibre content leading to a low Glycemic Index (GI).
Although there's some debate about the origin of the name, pumpernickel in German basically translates to “hard to digest,” due to the density of the bread. Traditionally, this type of bread been made with coarsely ground rye flour and rye grains, sometimes combined with whole wheat flour or some white flour.
“Researchers have found that eating rye can lower the number of harmful gut bacteria that cause inflammation.” So, pumpernickel is one bread to consider if you are also looking to add anti-inflammatory properties to your daily intake.
For example, according to USDA data, one regular slice of white bread provides about 75 calories and 1.6 grams of sugar but less than one gram of fiber (0.76g). 9 On the other hand, pumpernickel provides 80 calories but over 2 grams of fiber and only 0.2 grams of sugar.
So what the heck IS pumpernickel anyway? Historically, it's a dense and somewhat sweet bread made with sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye. Traditional pumpernickel bread features a deep brown color, an earthy aroma, and a dark chocolate or coffee-like flavor.
"Most bagels are made with refined white flour, which doesn't offer too many benefits nutritionally. Look for bagels that contain at least some whole grains like pumpernickel, whole wheat, oat or multigrain," says Philadelphia-based Melissa Altman-Traub, M.S., RDN.
Pumpernickel is still made from ground rye berries. Now, we have the technology to finely mill the rye and make it easier to digest. Since the whole grain is coarsely milled, compared to white flour, pumpernickel takes on its signature color and nutty flavor.
So what the heck IS pumpernickel anyway? Historically, it's a dense and somewhat sweet bread made with sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye. Traditional pumpernickel bread features a deep brown color, an earthy aroma, and a dark chocolate or coffee-like flavor.
Pumpernickel (English: /ˈpʌmpərnɪkəl/; German: [ˈpʊmpɐˌnɪkl̩]) is a typically dense, slightly sweet rye bread traditionally made with sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye.
Bagel, pumpernickel contains 328 calories per 131 g serving. This serving contains 2 g of fat, 13 g of protein and 64 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 8 g sugar and 5.4 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate.
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