Visit any authentic German bakery and you will likely find traditional pumpernickel bread: a supremely dark, dense loaf cooked in a long, narrow pan for up to 24 hours at a time. You can thank that long cooking time for giving pumpernickel its signature brown color and deep, earthy flavor. American-style pumpernickel has taken some shortcuts away from the original—by shortening the baking time and adding in color-enhancing ingredients like coffee, molasses or dark chocolate. But pumpernickel still remains a popular go-to sandwich bread. F&W's guide to this earthy bread offers creative recipes for toasts, sandwiches, stuffings and more for the next time plain white bread just won't do.
