Wanted to give this a bump and write about the Pumpernickel I made yesterday.

Sometime after midnight on Saturday (sunday morning?) after a lovely dinner and wine I got it in my head to try an experiment. I took a cup of AP flour and mixed it with a bottle of beer and set it in the oven for a while. I didn't know what I wanted to make, but since it was negative zero here over the weekend It was definitely time for house-warming bread.

1 C AP flour
1 C pumpernickel rye
2 C dark rye
1/4 C cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 t. organic sugar
2.5 t. active yeast
2 T. molasses
12 oz beer
1/2 C warm water (~100°F)
1 t. salt
1 t. Kosher salt
2+ T caraway seeds
3+ T butter melted
1 egg white for egg wash

1) Mix the AP flour and beer and set someplace warm overnight (probably about 8-12 hours for me)
2) mix the sugar into the warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to get foamy, about 10 minutes
3) place the rest of the flours, molasses, cocoa powder, melted butter, salt, and caraway seeds in the work bowl of your food processor/mixer
4) Add the beer-flour mixture and the yeasty water and pulse until it comes together to form a dough.
5) turn out onto floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover. allow to rise for 1-2 hours
6) punch down dough, knead again, and allow to rise again.
7) Heat oven to 400°F (204° C). After the dough has risen a second time, punch down and shape into a round loaf (about 8" in diameter) Allow to rest for 20 minutes.
8) Cover the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with caraway seeds and kosher salt. Place on stone in the oven and lower the temp to 350°F (176° C) Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.