Schwarzbrot - Hearty German Black Bread
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This hearty no-knead German black bread called Schwarzbrot is made with soaked rye flour, optional sourdough, molasses, & brown sugar.
Equipment
Ingredients
Starter
- 2 Tablespoons active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 2½ cups warm water
- 3½ cups dark rye flour (or pumpernickel flour)
Dough
- 1 cup dark rye flour (or pumpernickel flour)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon salt (use non-iodized table salt or fine sea salt)
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (one packet)
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- ¼ cup molasses
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons hulled sunflower seeds (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the Starter
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the active sourdough and warm water until the sourdough is dissolved.
- Add the rye flour and mix with a large spoon or spatula.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rest at room temperature overnight for about 8 to 12 hours.
Prepare the Dough
- Generously grease a 1.5 quart loaf pan with olive oil or Crisco.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining dark rye flour, all purpose flour, salt, instant yeast, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and seeds.
- Add the starter and molasses to the dry ingredients. Mix it with your hands or a large spoon to combine everything until it’s a dense, sticky dough.
- Spread the dough into the greased loaf pan. Firmly press the loaf down into the pan to ensure there are no air pockets at the bottom. Either wet your hands or a silicone spatula to press the loaf into all the corners and edges of the pan.
- Place the pan in a large plastic bag, like a trash bag. Let it rise for 2 hours in a warm spot until it has grown about 1.5 times in size.
If you try covering it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, the dough will stick to it. After two hours, it won't double in size like many other doughs, but it should look noticeably bigger and puffed up in the baking pan.
Bake the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush the top of the loaf with a little water, then sprinkle the hulled sunflower seeds on top and gently press them into the dough.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the loaf is pulling away from the edges of the pan and sounds hollow when tapped with your finger.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the loaf pan. Let it finish cooling completely to room temperature on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours. Slice & enjoy!!
To remove the loaf from the pan, I run a butter knife around all the edges to release it. Then if it still feels a little stuck, I use that butter knife or a thin spatula to gently wedge the loaf out of the pan.
Video
Notes
- Without Sourdough: This bread tastes just as great without sourdough. Just mix all the water, rye flour, and all purpose flour for the whole recipe in a bowl & let it sit aside for 1 hour so the rye flour can hydrate before adding the rest of the ingredients & proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
- Thick Dough: The dough will seem really thick and kind of dry when you first start mixing it. But it becomes really sticky and wet once the dry ingredients are fully mixed in, so don’t add any additional liquid.
- Glass Dish: It helps to use a glass baking dish, so you can see if the bread dough has been pressed down all the way to the bottom of the pan.
- More Flavor: For a deeper flavor, wrap the cooled loaf in a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 24 hours before slicing it.
- Slicing: Don’t try to slice the bread while it’s still hot, otherwise it’ll be really crumbly and gummy. Allow it to cool for a couple hours to room temperature.
- Storing: Allow the loaf to cool completely. Then store it in a paper bag, kitchen towel, or ventilated bread box at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice (of 16)Calories: 174kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gSodium: 443mgPotassium: 236mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg
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