I've been having a couple of consecutive sleepless nights. Today was my opportunity to sleep in.
Fat chance.
"Mooooommy..?"
"Mooooommy!!! I almost made it to the bathroom, but something happened on the way…"
*Grumble* Again? I haven't even had my morning beer yet!
Kidding.
I haven't even had my morning Coke Zero yet!
But I did have plans that included beer in the morning. Colin's abrupt wake-up call gave me an early start. Here goes:
What is this all about?
I was making my first beer bread! Actually make this my second or third bread ever!
I watched a couple of videos - one even included baking the bread on a fancy grill, and was fascinated by the idea. I scrambled elements of different recipes and techniques together, consulted my Swiss / Canadian guru (hello, Annette!) on some yeast issues and was quite pleased with the result!
Ingredients
1.5 tsp active dry yeast (9g) or 4 tsp liquid fresh yeast (15g)
1.5 tsp salt
4.5 cups flour, I used a 3/4 wheat / 1/4 rye mix, but all purpose flour is OK, too (560g)
0.5 cup warm water, about 100°F (120ml, 38°C)
1 can beer, 12 fl oz (355ml) - room temperature
(my miniature bottle contained 330ml, I used a bit more water)
Directions
In a large bowl mix together dry yeast, water and half a cup flour, stir, cover and let sit for 30 minutes which will give the yeast time to get bubbly.
Add remaining flour, salt and the beer - this is so fun! And I don't even like to drink beer!
If you are using liquid fresh yeast you can basically dump everything in the bowl at once. Actually go a little lighter on the water.
Do you have a kitchen machine? Let them do all the work! Using the hook, let it stir and knead for a couple of minutes. If you don't, use a wooden spoon to stir. As soon as you get a slightly sticky dough ball, turn it onto a floured surface and knead for about 15 minutes. Add more flour if you think this is seriously too sticky! I did. I think the humid weather was to blame.
Fat chance.
"Mooooommy..?"
"Mooooommy!!! I almost made it to the bathroom, but something happened on the way…"
*Grumble* Again? I haven't even had my morning beer yet!
Kidding.
I haven't even had my morning Coke Zero yet!
But I did have plans that included beer in the morning. Colin's abrupt wake-up call gave me an early start. Here goes:
What is this all about?
I was making my first beer bread! Actually make this my second or third bread ever!
I watched a couple of videos - one even included baking the bread on a fancy grill, and was fascinated by the idea. I scrambled elements of different recipes and techniques together, consulted my Swiss / Canadian guru (hello, Annette!) on some yeast issues and was quite pleased with the result!
Ingredients
1.5 tsp active dry yeast (9g) or 4 tsp liquid fresh yeast (15g)
1.5 tsp salt
4.5 cups flour, I used a 3/4 wheat / 1/4 rye mix, but all purpose flour is OK, too (560g)
0.5 cup warm water, about 100°F (120ml, 38°C)
1 can beer, 12 fl oz (355ml) - room temperature
(my miniature bottle contained 330ml, I used a bit more water)
Directions
In a large bowl mix together dry yeast, water and half a cup flour, stir, cover and let sit for 30 minutes which will give the yeast time to get bubbly.
Add remaining flour, salt and the beer - this is so fun! And I don't even like to drink beer!
If you are using liquid fresh yeast you can basically dump everything in the bowl at once. Actually go a little lighter on the water.
Do you have a kitchen machine? Let them do all the work! Using the hook, let it stir and knead for a couple of minutes. If you don't, use a wooden spoon to stir. As soon as you get a slightly sticky dough ball, turn it onto a floured surface and knead for about 15 minutes. Add more flour if you think this is seriously too sticky! I did. I think the humid weather was to blame.
This is what your dough should look like:
Cover with a damp towel and walk away.
In a warm spot let the dough rise for 75 - 120 minutes.
(75 minutes if you're using fresh yeast, 2 hours for the dry stuff that needs more time)
By then it should have doubled in size. Isn't this fascinating?
Place dough on floured surface, deflate it and form into shape. Loaf, round, you choose!
If I do this again - and I think I will - I'll actually divide the dough and make two breads.
Sprinkle with flour, cover with a dry towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Make an incision with a sharp knife. It helps your dough to rise more regularly.
Fill a fireproof dish with warm water and put it on the lowest rack of your oven
(this is going to help humidify your bread)
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C)
Put your dough onto a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes.
That smell! Yum! Take out and let cool completely.
The waiting has come to an end!
Slice and be amazed! It doesn't taste the slightest bit of beer!
Enjoy!
While I was writing on this blog post, I was being called outside. The kids wanted to have their picture taken!
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| From left: L, Colin, A and little L - all the kids which names I didn't spell out, are our neighbors! |
PS: I didn't tell my family that this is a beer bread until after they said how yummy it is! Hubby kept eating, Colin made a face. "You really shouldn't serve alcohol to a kid, mommy!"
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