temperature, or steamed, and for a very long
time: 16 to 24 hours. The loaf develops only a
thin crust, and turns a dark chocolate-brown
and takes on a rich flavor thanks to the long
cooking time and high concentration of free
sugars and amino acids, which undergo
browning reactions. Because the abundant
starch-digesting enzymes are active for a long
time during the slow baking, pumpernickel
may end up very sweet, with a sugar content
of 20%.
Food Words: Pumpernickel, Bagel,
Pretzel, Brioche, Panettone, Pandoro
Three of these bread names are German in
origin, three from Romance languages.
Pumpernickel comes from Westphalian
dialect words for the devil (St. Nick) and
for “fart”: this is a high-fiber bread. Bagel
comes via Yiddish from a German root
meaning “ring,” and pretzel directly from a
German word of Latin origin meaning