Homemade Pumpernickel Bread

6-0. The season is building the way the best seasons build: steadily, without drama, each game answered by the next. The team has a quality of attention in the fourth quarter that tells me everything about who they are — they don't play in the fourth quarter like they're protecting a lead or trying to survive. They play in the fourth quarter like the fourth quarter is the point. That's the culture. You don't manufacture that in a single practice. You accumulate it over seasons of players watching the way the seniors play the fourth quarter and deciding that's the standard.

Marco is the leading rusher in the conference. Freshman. Leading rusher. I say this the way the head coach says it: factually, without embellishment, noting what the record shows. He's playing with the comfort of someone who has been in this building his whole life, who has watched this system since he was old enough to understand systems, who sat in the bleachers at five years old with a notebook. He's not learning the culture. He is the culture. The youngest living instantiation of the thing I've been building for thirteen years.

Sofia won the Pac-12 outdoor championship for the second consecutive year. She called from the track. I was in a film session. I stepped out. She said, "Two in a row." I said, "Keep going." She said, "That's all you have to say?" I said she didn't need more than that from me. She said, "You're right. I don't." She knows what she's doing. She's always known. My job has been to not interfere with what she knows.

Chile verde on Sunday. The fall version, the richer version. The twins ate it over rice. The house smelled like a good life.

The chile verde was already doing its work on the stove when I decided the day called for bread too — something with enough weight to belong next to it. Pumpernickel is a Sunday bread, a bread that doesn’t rush, and that felt right given the kind of season we’re in and the kind of afternoon it was. The twins tore into it before dinner was even on the table, which is exactly what it’s for.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min (plus 2 hr rise) | Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups warm water (110°F), divided
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups dark rye flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as avocado or canola)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Activate the yeast. Combine 1/4 cup warm water, the yeast, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Stir gently and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the rye flour, bread flour, cocoa powder, caraway seeds (if using), and salt until evenly combined.
Combine wet and dry. Add the yeast mixture, molasses, oil, vinegar, and remaining 1 cup warm water to the dry ingredients. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead the dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky. Add bread flour one tablespoon at a time if needed.
First rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until roughly doubled in size.
Shape and second rise. Punch down the dough, shape it into an oval or round loaf, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise another 45–60 minutes.
Preheat oven. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375°F.
Score and bake. Score the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or lame. Bake 40–45 minutes until the crust is firm and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Cool. Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. The interior sets as it cools — slicing too early will compress the crumb.

Nutrition (per serving)

Homemade Pumpernickel Bread — The Bread That Belongs on a Sunday Like That