I have had a gluten free pumpernickel bread on the agenda forever now. Naturally, the recipe development mood struck abruptly and one week before I leave on a trip to Kenya. Luckily for me, this pumpernickel was a dream to develop and I am thrilled with the result.

Gluten free pumpernickel bread

This bread is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, vegan, nut free and xanthan gum free. It uses a simple mix of light buckwheat flour and a very small amount of tapioca flour as the base. Dutch processed cocoa gives the bread an earthy, mildly chocolate flavour as well as the deep gorgeous colour.

Yeast and psyllium husk powder are the classic ingredients in all of my bread recipes. Yeast leavens the loaf, while psyllium husk powder holds sufficient liquid in and gives the bread shape.

Molasses, maple syrup and caraway seeds aid in flavour development and creating that classic dark rye flavour.

This recipe is a little fluffier than a super dense pumpernickel, but you can play around with the proofing and hydration to achieve your perfect crumb.

It’s a simple gluten free vegan pumpernickel loaf that I love and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

Ingredient notes

I haven’t tested any wholegrain flour other than buckwheat flour in this recipe. See the notes in the ‘using dark buckwheat flour’ section to use dark buckwheat flour.

You can use either tapioca or cassava flour for the starch component. Keep in mind that cassava flour can often be a lot thirstier than tapioca flour, so you need to be adaptable in terms of the hydration.

Another thing I haven’t tested? Using regular cocoa instead of Dutch processed cocoa. Dutch processed cocoa contributes a lovely dark colour to the loaf and a slightly earthy flavour. Regular cocoa has a redder, terracotta colour and might not work in the same way. Cocoa is also quite absorbent and I can’t say if there is a difference between the two styles in terms of how much liquid they absorb. You are welcome to experiment but I can’t guarantee the result.

Molasses adds a deep, rich and earthy flavour to the bread. I haven’t tested an alternative but I daresay 20ml (1 tablespoon) maple syrup would be fine. It might lack some of that pumpernickel flavour but it is an option.

Finally, the caraway seeds. Personally I think these are what give the loaf so much flavour and I highly recommend including them. If you can, crushing, chopping or blitzing the seeds would be my preference because they are quite long. With that said, the crumb is soft so you don’t notice too much.

A note on the texture

As you can see above, this recipe is less dense than a traditional pumpernickel bread. I made it based on my buckwheat seeded bread recipe which is quite a lofty loaf.

If you really want a dense pumpernickel bread, you have a few options. Firstly, you can experiment with proofing the dough straight in the tin or proofing it in shorter increments. There is a fine balance between under-proofing and simply creating a denser loaf, though, so be careful.

Secondly, you can add less water. The bread in the photos had quite a decent hydration and a higher hydrated loaf proofs more dramatically. Oftentimes when people are producing squat loaves they are simply not adding enough water for their flours. So, you can try and add less water to create a more dense crumb.

Finally, you can experiment with a cold proof. Proof the dough in the fridge in the prepared loaf pan. A colder and longer fermentation helps develop flavour, but it also tempers an exuberant proof.

Substitution notes

• See the notes below on using dark buckwheat flour in this recipe.
• I have only tested Dutch processed cocoa in this recipe.
• While I have only tested tapioca flour in this recipe, you can use cassava flour in place of the tapioca flour. It is a thirstier flour so you may need to add more water to suit.
• I haven’t tested a version of this bread without yeast, nor have I tested a gluten free sourdough version. Stay tuned.
• I haven’t tested substituting the molasses because I am searching for funky flavour. However, you can probably use 20-40ml (1-2 Australian tablespoons) maple syrup instead.
• This bread uses 20ml extra oil compared to my other bread recipes. This aids in giving the bread a softer crumb, as a pumpernickel loaf has. It also helps soften the edges of the cocoa and ensures the bread isn’t too dry.
• Similarly, I find this bread needs 12-15g fine salt (I use table salt) as opposed to 10-12g. I assume this is because it contains quite bold flavours.
• People get quite experimental in adding a faux rye flavour to their bread. I have seen onion powder (asafoetida might be a low FODMAP alternative) and espresso as flavour builders.

Using dark buckwheat flour in this gluten free pumpernickel loaf

Dark buckwheat flour contains both the groat and husk and is naturally a lot darker and earthier than light buckwheat flour. Light buckwheat flour is the common variety available in Australia (where I live) while dark buckwheat flour is the common variety in America.

Dark buckwheat flour lacks the elasticity that light buckwheat flour has because of the husk/fibre content. While light buckwheat is quite sticky and stretchy, dark buckwheat flour needs some help from starches to achieve an elastic crumb.

Dark buckwheat flour (I tested Bob’s Red Mill brand) does work in this recipe. However, we need to make a new little tweaks.

1. Use 400g of dark buckwheat flour and 150g tapioca flour (I have not tested cassava flour for this substitution).
2. Keep the remaining dry ingredients the same.
3. Add the water gradually as this mixture can be less absorbent than the recipe card. I used 700g water and found this to be a good amount for my dough.
4. Proceed with the recipe, proofing and baking as per the recipe card.

Hydration notes for your bread

This pumpernickel recipe is a close relative to my seeded buckwheat bread recipe. I used the hydration quantities in that loaf, but chose to add the higher quantity of water. This is to account for the fact that cocoa is quite an absorbent ingredient.

In the loaf where I used 900g water, I found that the bread had just a slight gummy layer along the bottom. In the second loaf, I also had a thin gummy layer. Next time, I intend to use 800g water to see where that places me.

• The same tips for hydration apply as always. Every loaf of bread will have a different level of perfect hydration. Your flours might be more or less absorbent than mine and this will impact how much water you need.
• How long your loaf takes to proof depends on how much water you have added and the season/climate you are baking in. Yeast needs a moist environment to thrive, so a higher hydrated loaf will proof a lot quicker than a bread dough with less liquid.
• Similarly, yeast requires heat to proof. Proofing is much quicker in a summer kitchen or humid climate when compared to a winter kitchen or cold climate.
• Bread is proofed when bread is proofed. You can’t rush the process.

Gluten free bread troubleshooting

• My bread is too wet? – Add less water next time. Every bag of flour will have a different absorbency level and what works for me might not work for you.
• My bread is too moist? Make sure you leave the bread to cool 100% before cutting. Damp feeling slices are often just slices that have been cut before the loaf cools and sets. Keep in mind, though, that gluten free bread is necessarily more moist than regular bread.
• My bread never proofed? This is an issue with your yeast, the temperature of your kitchen, how much liquid you added and/or your patience. A warm kitchen and well hydrated loaf should proof with ease. Proofing takes how long it takes, so don’t rush it. Sometimes my bread takes 90 minutes in the tin instead of 60 minutes. Observe the loaf and act accordingly.

More gluten free bread recipes

• Gluten free millet bread
• Gluten free teff bread
• Gluten free quinoa bread
• Gluten free seeded buckwheat bread
• Gluten free sorghum bread