In the quest to eat fewer white foods, and eat more dark ones, I started stocking this Pepperidge Farm Pumpernickel Dark Pump Bread some years back. While I didn’t lose any weight by eating this bread, I certainly increased my enjoyment of the breads kept around here. Pumpernickel bread in general, and Pepperidge Farm Dark Pump in particular, has a much fuller flavor than the now-traditional white breads. It’s got a pronounced rye flavor with a touch of salt, and a bit of cocoa (chocolate), though you can’t taste that really. The chocolate is likely there to make this bread appear darker, and it certainly is darker; about the shade of a dark chocolate cake. But unlike a chocolate cake, I perceive no sweetness in the taste.
Benefits and Features
- Stores well in the freezer for several months.
- Great pumpernickel flavor.
- No bleached flour here.
- Features large slices, at almost five inches long, almost four inches wide. Thin slices however, at just a half inch thick.
- In addition to the outer plastic bag that most breads come packaged in, this bread, and much of the Pepperidge Farm bread line, has an additional inner cellophane wrap around the loaf. They call this double wrapping, and claim that it enhances freshness. That may be true until you open this wrap. In my experience, once the bread has been opened, it keeps no longer than single-wrapped breads. In fact, this inner wrap complicates access to the bread somewhat. I typically discard it upon opening, and just put the loose bread back into the outer bag with a bag tie to seal it.
- Both inner and outer bags are transparent and so, support easy viewing of the bread.
- Pepperidge Farm has a reputation for producing premium-grade products, and while this tends to elevate the prices of their breads, you’ll also be quite pleased with their unassuming yet complex and delightful flavors, and freshness too.
Disadvantages
- Contains added wheat gluten.
- Expensive, at over $4 per 16-ounce loaf where I shop.
- The loaf is quite small, at approximately six inches in length, and so, has relatively few servings (slices of bread), as compared to the average-sized white bread packages.
- In fact, the Pepperidge Farm breads are among the smallest loaves on Walmart’s bread shelves, and among the most expensive. I think Pepperidge Farm is milking the whole no-white-flour thing too much in their prices.
- You only get one crust per loaf, which suggests that you’re only getting a half-loaf in each package. Chincy.
- Due to the darkness of this product to begin with, it’s harder to tell when it’s adequately toasted, such as when you’re making grilled sandwiches. It does not become too much darker while toasting, so one must rely more on scents, sounds, and that ever-faithful kitchen timer to determine doneness.
- The bread can sweat if not refrigerated or frozen; a behavior that promotes mold. To minimize this, again, I remove the inner cellophane.
- I consider the double wrapping pointless, and would gladly trade it for a cheaper price or that second crust.
Serving Suggestions
I often make toasted cheese sandwiches with this bread, and also enjoy buttered toast and the ever classic tomato sandwich with mayonnaise, garlic salt, and pepper.
Ingredients
Unbromated unbleached enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid), water, rye meal, wheat gluten, yeast, caramel color. Contains 2 percent or less of rye flour, soybean oil, salt, cocoa processed with alkali (Dutched), caraway seeds, mono and diglycerides, calcium proponate and sorbic acid to retard spoilage, malted barley flour, dextrose, wheat flour, sugar, dehydrated onions, lactic acid, and enzymes.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 slice (32 grams, 1.1 ounce). Servings per container: 14.
- Calories per serving: 80. Calories from fat: 10.
- Total fat: 1 gram, 2% DV.
- Saturated fat: 0 grams, 0% DV.
- Trans fat: 0 grams.
- Polyunsaturated fat: 0.5 grams.
- Monounsaturated fat: 0 grams.
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams, 0% DV.
- Sodium: 190 milligrams, 8% DV.
- Total carbohydrate: 15 grams, 5% DV.
- Dietary fiber: 1 gram, 4% DV.
- Sugars: 1 gram.
- Protein: 3 grams.
- Vitamin A: 0% DV.
- Calcium: 2% DV.
- Thiamin: 8% DV.
- Niacin: 4% DV.
- Vitamin C: 0% DV.
- Iron: 6% DV.
- Riboflavon: 4% DV.
- Folate: 4% DV.
Product Rating
Far preferable to white bread, this dark pump makes excellent toast and sandwiches in general. I don’t like the higher price for it, but do appreciate the freshness and taste. So I’d rate this pump bread at 90 out of 100.
Where to Buy
Pepperidge Farm breads are available at larger grocery stores. Look for this dark bread in the clear plastic bag with the inner cellophane wrap and the white, blue, and red label.