This recipe is a variation of my Mom’s Black Peasant Bread from the The Bread Book. It doesn’t look black… unless you close your eyes. This recipe calls for Death Wish Coffee®, my favorite cup o’ joe.
Every morning, as I make breakfast for my Dad and lunches for the boys, I drink a cup of Death Wish Coffee. It’s the only way to properly start a day, in my opinion. Death Wish Coffee claims to be the World’s Strongest Coffee. I haven’t tasted every coffee in the world, but I’ll stand by their claim (mainly because I support local businesses and these guys are home grown in Round Lake, NY). I use Death Wish Coffee in my Keurig with a reusable cup. Some brands come out watery that way, but not Death Wish. It produces a robust, rich tasting dark brew that makes life worth living. Clearly I have feelings for this coffee. That’s why I put it in this recipe. Learn about Death Wish Coffee.
DISCLAIMER: I have no connection to Death Wish Coffee (except for my unhealthy attachment to their brand). They don’t even know I exist. This saddens me because I love them.
Death Wish Black Bread
This recipe is a variation of my Mom’s Black Peasant Bread from the The Bread Book. It doesn’t look black… unless you close your eyes. This recipe calls for Death Wish Coffee®, my favorite cup o’ joe.
Ingredients
- 2 scant tablespoons (or 2 ¼-ounce packages) active dry yeast
- 2½ cups warm Death Wish Coffee® about 110 degrees
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup toasted hemp seeds
- ½ cup wheat bran *
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups dark rye flour
- 5-6 cups unbleached flour
Instructions
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In a large bowl, soften the yeast in the coffee.
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Add the chocolate chips, oil, molasses, fennel seeds, salt, wheat bran, cocoa powder, rye flour, and one cup of the unbleached flour to the yeast. Beat vigorously for two minutes.
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Gradually add more of the remaining unbleached flour, a ¼ cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
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Knead, adding more flour a little at a time as necessary, for 8 to 10 minutes or until you have a smooth, elastic dough. You may not need to use all the flour - rye dough is better if it is quite tacky.
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Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven kitchen towel and let rise for about one hour, until doubled in size.
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide it in half and gently knead the dough. Form each half into a loaf and place into well greased loaf pans.
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Cover the loaves with a towel and let rise for about 45 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
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About 15 minutes before baking, make a few ¼-inch slashes across the tops of each loaf.
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Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. Immediately remove the loaves from the pans and cool on a rack.
Recipe Notes
* My mom's original recipe called for wheat germ, but I didn't have any.