You are going to love this Easy Oil-free Pumpernickel bread recipe! It is simple, easy methods and is soft, moist with the perfect touch of sweetness!
EASY PUMPERNICKEL BREAD RECIPE
Nothing satisfies quite like a beautiful homemade bread, am I right? I love homemade bread, but I really love this homemade pumpernickel bread recipe that is naturally vegan and also is oil-free. Most pumpernickel bread recipes contain oil. But it is simply not needed.
We get plenty of moisture from the water, but especially the molasses. Molasses plays two roles here: it adds sweetness that we all love in pumpernickel bread, but it also enhances the moisture of the bread. The flax also has natural fat and gives moisture.
This pumpernickel is in the classic boule shape. These types of bread are so easy. Just form a ball and bake.
WHAT IS PUMPERNICKEL BREAD?
Traditional pumpernickel is a German bread that is made with all rye flour is very, very dense and heavy and slow-baked for a really long time.
We are not doing all that because the pumpernickel bread most of us are familiar with in America is much different and is made with a combo of rye and regular flour and is still dense, but soft and a beautiful bread texture.
You know, the kind sold everywhere in the stores or served at restaurants. My Mom has made tons of it, too.
So, that is the type of version I’m sharing today. I’m all about easy recipes and this oil-free pumpernickel bread recipe is crazy easy. It’s also healthy!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Dark rye flour: This dark rye flour is what gives the distinct flavor and color.
- All-purpose flour
- Black cocoa powder: Using black cocoa powder instead of regular helps with the rich, deep dark color, as well as deep flavor. It just doesn’t compare to regular cocoa powder.
- Golden ground flax
- Instant yeast
- Salt
- Water
- Molasses
HOW TO MAKE PUMPERNICKEL BREAD
Combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet.
Mix until a rough, chunky dough forms.
Once it’s chunky like this, pour out onto a clean work surface. Knead the dough for about 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough into the bowl and cover with a towel. Let it rest for 90 minutes. It will not double in size, but will get puffy.
Reshape into a ball, place on parchment paper lined pan and rest another 90 minutes. It will puff up just a bit more.
Score the bread if you wish and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes until hard and crusty on the outside and it sounds heavy and hollow when tapped.
Note: I baked this bread scoring it and also a version not scoring it (picture above). Both turned out fabulous, so it’s up to you. It does look more pretty and rustic with the slices on top, so I slightly preferred the look. If you score, just do 3 lines about 1/2 inch deep across the top of the bread.
Check out that beauty. This healthy pumpernickel is delicious on its own, but pumpernickel also tastes amazing, of course, with a dab of butter.
Or, I also loved it with my vegan pumpkin cream cheese. So good.
MORE VEGAN BREAD RECIPES
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Easy Oil-Free Pumpernickel Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) dark rye flour (I got mine here from Amazon)
- 2 cups (240g) regular all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (14g) black cocoa powder (this helps give the beautiful dark color and rich flavor) got mine from Amazon
- 2 tablespoons (13g) golden ground flax
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (210g) lukewarm water
- 3 tablespoons (60g) regular molasses, not blackstrap (SEE NOTES below)
NOTE
- The molasses gives a subtle sweetness to the bread, nothing overpowering. If you want your bread more sweet, then sub one of the tablespoons of molasses with syrup, but only 1, as the molasses helps to make the bread moist too.
NOTE
- I always recommend to use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed, This is exactly how this recipe was tested, so follow my grams. Since we all measure differently, weighing ingredients is so important. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessons room for error. You never need cups or to compare them to the weights, just use the scale and bowl and make sure to zero out in between each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Please refer to NOTES BELOW for baking tips. To a large bowl, combine the rye flour, all-purpose flour, black cocoa powder, flat, yeast and salt. Whisk well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the molasses and lukewarm water and whisk until smooth. Pour over the dry ingredients.
- Stir until it comes together in a rough, shaggy dough. It will seem too dry and in chunky pieces. Keep stirring for a few minutes.
- Then dump the dough out onto a clean surface and start kneading the dough to bring it all together. The more you knead it, you will notice it become moist all over.
- Knead for about 7 minutes or so until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Form a round shape. Place the dough back into the large bowl (wipe it clean first if needed).
- Place a towel over the bowl and let it rest for 90 minutes until it puffs up. An oven with a light on or by a warm window works perfectly.
- This dough will NOT double in size like traditional bread, but it should be noticeably puffed up more. It is not a large boule.
- After the 90 minutes, lightly press any excess gas out of the dough if needed and reshape into a round boule shape.
- Place onto a lined sheet pan with parchment paper, cover again with the towel and let it rest another 90 minutes. It will puff up just a bit more at this step.
- Preheat the over at 400°F.
- I baked this bread scoring it and also a version not scoring it. Both turned out fabulous, so it's up to you. It does look more pretty and rustic with the slices on top, so I slightly preferred the look. If you score, just do 3 lines about 1/2 inch deep across the top of the bread.
- Bake for 30 minutes. It is ready once it feels hard and crusty on the outside and tapping it, it sounds heavy or hollow. It should be hard on the outside, but will be very soft on the inside.
- Let the bread cool minimum 1 hour. This is important, as if you cut it too soon it will be too dough in the center. Even after an hour, it will still be fairly warm and you can enjoy this heavenly bread plain or with some vegan butter or my vegan pumpkin cream cheese!
- This bread is best of course the first 2 days but is still good up to 3 days. Store at room temperature in a tight sealed container or wrapped towel so it doesn't dry out.
Notes
The Vegan 8 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclosure policy here.
What spread are you using here?
The pumpkin cream cheese linked in both the recipe card and in the post!
This was wonderful! Super easy and delicious.
So happy you loved it Jen!
I’m dying to figure out the best recipe for pumpernickel bread that tastes like a grocery store bakery loaf. Would you compare this recipe to a grocery stores bakery?
Yes, I definitely think it does! Super yummy!!
This may sound silly. I am a novice bread maker, with no experience. To be clear, did you bake in a round bread pan? If so what size?
Hi Gabriel, sorry I didn’t see this earlier. All the directions to make the bread are listed on the recipe card. There is no pan used, see step 6.
I took a chance and layered it up in my Zojirushi one lb bread maker and voilà it pretty much worked. It was a little dry during the first kneading so ended up adding an additional 1 1/2-2 Tbl of water. It’s lovely with that dense slightly sweet German flavor and actually complimented the Irish colcannon and Guinness stout for St Patrick’s Day. Has anyone tried adding a teaspoon or so of caraway seeds, it would be a nice variation. Thank you Brandi, hope to see more new creations soon. You are a blessing to us.
Hello – This looks amazing! Can I make this gluten-free by subbing all purpose GF flour? Or oat flour?
Thank you.
Can’t stop eating this Pumpernickel Bread! It’s so good!
I didn’t have the black cacao powder but used cacao powder. Can’t wait to try it with the Black Cacao powder.
Brandi, can this bread be made in a loaf pan?
Thank you!
Jeannie
I’ve honestly never tried it that way.
Can you use anything else instead of all purpose flour?
Would oat flour work?
Hi Janet! No, oat flour would make the loaf too dense and it likely would fall apart. Bread making is so scientific and changing flours really will affect the result. I’ll have to try to come up with a gluten-free version. Do you need it gluten-free? Maybe try whole wheat pastry flour? It might make it more delicate but the weight amount should be the same.
I’ve been making my own homemade bread weekly for almost 40 years. I grind my own white wheat berries (Palouse Brand) and use that whole wheat flour in all of my loaves. I don’t use any white flour, but I do add a couple of tablespoons of vital wheat gluten and the result is always excellent. I make a different recipe every week and almost always include my homemade sourdough starter, even if the recipe doesn’t call for sourdough. Once you get used to adjusting the dough with additional water or flour, you can make almost anything work.
A gluten free version would be awesome. I cannot have gluten
Gluten-free bread like this is extremely challenging. I haven’t nailed a gf version so far.
I’m so excited to make this! I really love a good dark loaf like this! Any suggestions for making it at high altitude? I know you’ve only tested it in Texas, I was just just wondering if you had any tips making something like this in a high altitude setting? Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Heather! Oh gosh, I have no experience with that so I really don’t know. But found this info online, maybe it’ll help! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Wow that looks very helpful! Thank you so much! It was so kind of you to take the time to find that! I will let you know how the bread turns out 🙂
I love pumpernickel bread and it’s in my blood being German, so I know a thing or two about this. Brandi totally nailed the taste and texture with this one…like anyone had any doubt 😀. But for real this turned out so good we can’t stop eating it. I made a sandwich with it and it held together beautifully!! Thanks again Brandi. Now make an awesome Artisan loaf 😉.
It looked just beautiful Estee! I’m so happy you loved it!
have you tried this using a mixer and dough hook? I assume it would be great but curious about your experience. Can’t wait to try this – thank you!
I haven’t but it should work perfectly!