On 3/1/05 12:20 PM, "Dick Adams" > wrote:

> http://www.prettycolors.com/bread%5F...kel/index.html
>
> Pumpernickel Police take notice!
>
> (It seems that higher temperature incubation of the rye-sour wiped
> out the yeast activity, and created stuff (acid?) that impeded the
> browning reaction.)
>
> --
> DickA

Dick,

I think sugar is the key player here.

The crockpot is heating this bread above the point of killing yeasts
(135-140F). But is not heating, at least not rapidly, to the point where the
amylase is inhibited from converting starch to sugar. So the dough is busy
converting starch to sugar but not sugar to gas. (yeasts are dead).

Later as the temp continues to rise, this sugar is caramelized, turning the
crumb dark brown. We, of course, smell this amylase/sugar process as the
bread cooks. It smells fruity, in a way that regular bread does not.

In short, I am saying/speculating: the temp cycle used in the long, slow
bake skews to amylase-sugar activity, not yeast-gas activity.

OK, you say, so what...

Well the "what" might be two things. Wheat flour does not have as much
amylase as rye. (The corn bears further research). So it might be to get to
the traditional "brownness", you need to add malted barley and raise the
amylase content to a more traditional "rye-like" base.

And/or

I suspect that the bread also needs a period of higher heat to fully
caramelize the residual sugar. I have been raising the temp on my trusty
countertop roaster for about 2 hours at the end. This puts the water at a
solid, active, simmer. The interior appears to be browner for doing so. My
bake at this point is about 8-10 hours on low (gentle simmer) and 2 hours at
higher. The pumpernickel police can keep the 16 hour stuff.

So...if the current bread tastes less "pumpernickel-ly" than you like, the
residual sugar is probably at lower levels and thus requires more rye or the
malted barley. It if tastes right, the sugar's good, more heat may do the
trick.

The bread certainly looks good in the pictures.

Will