Recipe: Raisin Pumpernickel Bread (using coffee and cocoa powder, bread machine dough cycle)

RAISIN PUMPERNICKEL BREAD

"This is our idea of real bread: nearly black, with the subtle flavors of cocoa, coffee, molasses, and rye. Shape it into a baguette for sandwiches if you wish. It's also terrific toasted and makes a fine base for strong cheese. Make a decision about the flavoring-choose either the caraway seeds or the raisins. The caraway seeds will give the bread a nice bite, while the raisins provide a sweet counterpoint to the tang you get from the combination of coffee, cocoa, and molasses."

Bread Machine: Dough Setting

1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup medium rye flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup strong cold French roast coffee
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Place the yeast flours, seeds (if using them), salt, cocoa powder, coffee, milk, and molasses in the bread machine pan. Process on the dough setting.

If you are using the raisins, soak them in 1/2 cup hot water while the dough is working.

Once the dough cycle is complete, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Drain the raisins and knead them by hand into the dough. Then turn the bread machine pan over the dough and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Shape into a tight 8-inch ball or two 12-inch baguettes and place the bread on a peel you've generously dusted with cornmeal. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until its increased in size by about a third. This should take about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven with a baking stone in place on the middle rack to 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Dust the top of the bread with rye flour and cut slashes in the top of the loaf.

Give the peel a trial shake, then shovel the bread onto the preheated stone. Bake until done, 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and done through. Spritz the oven with clear water 3 or 4 times during the first 5 minutes of baking. Cool on a rack Wrap in plastic to store.

Makes: one round loaf or 2 baguettes
Source: Rustic European Breads From Your Bread Machine by Diana Collingwood Butts and Linda West Eckhardt