IKEA's Rye Bread in a box. Pumpernickel recipe needed.

All you do is add water, shake, let it rise for awhile, and bake for an hour. Delicious, delicious bread -- so easy I'm trying to duplicate it at home. Any great pumpernickel recipes out there? I can't resist trying to make it even better.

http://mysite.verizon.net/dickya/QuikRye.jpg

Although at $3.00 a loaf ...

[Jenise]

Bob, funny, I was thinking something similar when I read Cynthia's post--how do you make pumpernickel? Copenhagen really cemented my love of that kind of bread, I was in absolute heaven every morning. Coffee, pumpernickel bread (not the black fluffy thing Americans call pumpernickel, but a short heavy amalgamated loaf chunky things and seeds) sliced thinly on which to build an open faced sandwich topped with stinky stinky cheese and sliced ham. Me who normally skips breakfast never skipped it there.

That's exactly how IKEA's rye bread tastes, Jenise. We had great breakfasts on our two mornings in Copenhagen, needed fortification for out several trips to the airport trying to retrieve our lost luggage.

This review from the IKEA discussion group draws the Danish analogy, and I agree with everything this fellow writes (except for the Wegman business). I highly recommend this product.

This is a new item for them and I tried it over Christmas. I had planned to do the traditional Danish pickled herring on the very dark, dense, nutty rye bread that they love (appetizer type thing) but the bread I got at Wegman's was AWFUL.

So on the morning of Christmas eve, i hightailed it over to IKEA to check out this mix. I'd only glanced at it before but i thought it was what i wanted. I got there as soon as the doors opened and sure enough, it was exactly what was looking for. I figured it had to be better than the cardboard loaf I had just thrown in the trash.

It comes in a milk carton-like container. Got it home, poured in 114 F. water as directed, shook, poured batter into loaf pan, let rise, baked.

DANG, it was SO GOOD. I had a slice warm with butter. I could have eaten most of it right then and there.

It's heavy and dense and dark and very flavorful. I am posting here because (1) it was surprisingly good and (2) the weird packaging and mixing method and the photo on the box might scare people away from trying it.

I'd had this kinda bread in Denmark but never warm from the oven. I've gotten better stuff here but I know it's never really fresh. Now that I've had this, I don't think I'll ever buy a ready-made loaf of it again.

The Danes love it with butter and pickled herring, or with cheese (I bet Danish blue is great) and their liver spread which is in-between pate and liverwurst. They eat it all the time. I think I might do that, too.

Link here.

The author makes an excellent point; I think I'll just stock up on a couple of boxes and forget trying to improve the recipe. I haven't had good luck with sour dough starter here:

If you make this bread from scratch, you need a sourdough starter. That's another reason I was amazed that there was a mix for it and that the finished product was authentic. I didn't know there was such a thing as instant sourdough starter! It does list it on the box along with yeast.

Bob, I don't use a starter for my pumpernickel bread. Well, it's actually my grandmother's recipe. I'll post it from home tonight.

If you do, I'll try it Cynthia and run a taste test. Regards and thanks, Bob

[Jenise]

Bob, I don't have an IKEA near me (the closest is Canada, about 50 miles from here on the edge of Burnaby, an area I don't go to often), but I'll have to hunt this mix down. Actually, for the density of the loaf and the way it is (or shoudl be) full of whole grains etc, $3 doesn't sound expensive to me. I'd expect to pay more than that for a fresh baked loaf, were I lucky enough to know a baker who made them.

I agree, Jenise. I'm going to stock up -- it holds for a year or more according to the Best By Date. Would you like me to buy a couple of bags for you to try?

Regards, Bob

check the posts here from last year - several references for recipes and techniques. I can attest to the long, low temp cooking in a water bath - the color darkens naturally and the texture is very dense and chewy.