Pumpernickel bread that came to be known as "Pumpernickel", Westphalian pumpernickel is distinguished by use of coarse rye meal and a very long baking period, which gives the bread its characteristic dark color. Like most traditional all-rye breads, pumpernickel is traditionally made with an acidic sourdough starter, which preserves dough structure by counteracting highly active rye amylases. That method is sometimes augmented or replaced in commercial baking by adding citric acid or lactic acid along with commercial yeast. Traditional German pumpernickel contains no coloring agents, instead relying on the Maillard reaction to produce its characteristic deep brown color, sweet, dark chocolate,
What Love Is Made Of extremely positive about "What Love Is Made Of", describing it as "darker than anything" from "On a Mission", while calling it "slinky". The reviewer went on to commend the "irresistibly pouty" chorus. Pitchfork Media's Katherine St. Asaph commented that, in the song, the singer "sound[ed] completely enthralled, by either her lover or the music" and complimented her voice, noting that it seemed "ten times bigger than before". Jordan Sargent of "Spin" magazine called the track "exuberant" and highlighted Katy's vocal performance, which he deemed "typically fantastic", while the team from pop music website Popjustice gave "What Love Is Made Of"