German Pumpernickel Recipe

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. In large bowl, stir together cocoa, sugar, caraway seed, and salt; set aside. In 2 quart saucepan over low heat, heat water, molasses and butter until very warm. Beat molasses mixture into cocoa mixture until well blended. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast. Add rye flour. Mix well. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to make a soft dough. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place into greased large bowl, turning over dough so that top is greased. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until almost doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour. Punch down dough. Divide in half. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Shape each half into a round loaf. Place 4 inches apart on greased large baking sheet. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, 45 minutes to an hour. Diagonally slash each loaf, crosswise, 3 times. Bake in 375° oven for 20 minutes. Cover loosely with foil; bake 15 minutes more or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Immediately remove from baking sheet. Brush tops of hot loaves with shortening. Cool on racks.