Pumpernickel bread is easy to identify because of its deep brown color. There are two different ways this bread turns brown: the traditional German way or the American way.

The classic German recipe involves baking rye flour or rye berries at low temperatures of around 250 degrees F for a long time (up 14 hours), browning the bread as it cooks.

The American version isn’t cooked as long. Instead, it's artificially colored with molasses or cocoa powder, which also has the side-effect of sweetening it.