I baked a new recipe on Sunday: "Everything Bagel Pumpernickel Bread." It appears on the pumpernickel rye bread bag, but I went to the website, since it tends to have more information, and I could also check the reviews. I became interested in the recipe after King Arthur, in my latest order, sent me three bags of pumpernickel flour rather than the one bag that I ordered. So, it was time to widen my pumpernickel use beyond the sandwich rye, the rye-barley crispbread, and the Cornmeal Pumpernickel Waffles. I have a small container of the Everything Bagel mix, which although technically expired (2020), smelled fine. It was a free sample. My husband is not a fan of seeds, etc. on the outside of bread, but the recipe calls for using 2 Tbs. in the bread. It's an interesting recipe that is mixed by hand and has a 45-minute rest, then kneaded for 3 minutes before another 45-minute rest, then shaped, with a rise of just 30 minutes before baking. I cut the salt by a third (from 1 ½ to 1 tsp.) as a couple of reviewers found the bread too salty. I did not have the optional deli-rye flavor, which I think is not worth buying, so I added ½ tsp. caraway, ¼ tsp. dill seed, and ¼ tsp. mustard seed. The bread uses 2 cups of King Arthur AP and 1 cup pumpernickel flour. The savory aroma has us excited about slicing it tomorrow. I didn't do a seed coating but just brushed the loaf with water before the last rise.

One instruction in the recipe surprised me: the dough is NOT covered for any of the three rises. Usually, dough will dry out, but it did not.