Pumpernickel v2 - this time with vital wheat gluten!

I made a turkey breast in the crock pot. It came out amazing and I've been itching to do some more hot pockets. They send in pack lunches So nicely. Baby's working extra this week, so might as well fortify him with some groovy grub.

Time to try Pumpernickel again!

Last time, it came out a little cat head-ish, so this time I'm adding more liquid and vital wheat gluten. That being said, this is in no way GLUTEN FREE. Not even a little. Matter of fact, I'm adding extra gluten to it.

1 cup warm Water
1 packet Yeast
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Throw it in the bowl and let it sit there for about 5 minutes to proof.
It should look like this:

Then toss in:
1 1/4 c Rye Flour
1/4 c Ground Milled Flax
1 c Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 c Molasses
2 tsp Ground Caraway Seeds
1/4c Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten

And beat it a little. My cheap behind does not have a dough hook for my dearest vintage Kitchen Aid. Maybe this xmas, since I'm doing so much bread. :)  It will look like a bowl full of sloppy what-the-hell. It's ok. No worries, man.

Add in:
1 egg beaten into 1/4 c oil. Then beat it a little more to combine.

Add in:
1/2 c brewed Coffee
1/2 c Milk (or almond milk)

Beat it some more.

Next is:
1.5 c All Purpose White Flour

Add it in 1/2 c increments, beating a little after each addition. You should end up with a still gooey pile of brown doughy stuff.
Like this:

Dump the sticky mess onto a well floured board and roll it in the flour to coat all sides. If you miss any spots, you'll know. It will stick like crazy. Then knead the dough until it becomes more elastic than sticky. Yes, if you stick your little puddin' fingers deep into the center it will be sticky. Just fold and knead, guys. Don't be afraid to toss some more flour on your board if the dough absorbs what you have.
Almost finished kneading looks like this:

When you've got the dough nice and smooth and looking, you're there! Spray grease a bowl and set your dough into it, then spray grease the dough. Cover with a wet papertowel to keep it moist while it rises for the first time.
It should look like this:

Let her rise for about 30 minutes - unless you're speeding up the process with a warm oven or hot sunny day. And you get this:

The top looks white because of the wet paper towel that was sitting on it during the rising process. All is cool.

Punch down the dough, coat the bowl and the dough with spray grease and let it rise again.

This is planning time. What cha' gonna do with the dough? Rolls? Loaves? Me? I'm making hot pockets! You have two more rises to get all your goodies prepped and ready for action.

Punch the dough down for the SECOND time. This time, if you're making loaves or rolls, cut the dough into what you need. In half for two loaves, in 32 bits for rolls. or 16 for hoagie buns or hot pockets.

The THIRD rise is the last before you slide that sucker into the oven.

This should make 2 loaf pans of pumpernickel. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so. Take a look around minute 22 to see how dark the crust is. No burning the bread! All ovens cook at different speeds, it's just like that - deal with it.  Rolls take less time to bake, about 12-18 minutes.

If you're curious about how my Hot Pockets turned out, I'll be posting that next.