Rose's Baking Basics

Beer Bread

Makes One 8 by 4 by 4½ inch high loaf

Oven Temperature: 400°F/200°C, then 375°F/190°C

Baking Time: 30 to 40 minutes

Plan Ahead: If adding the Biga (Dough Enhancer), start it 3 days before baking the bread.

Baking Equipment: One 8½ by 4½ by 2¾ inch (6 cup) loaf pan, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray

A baking stone

A cast-iron skillet lined with aluminum foil (to prevent rusting) or a cake pan

This bread can be mixed in a food processor in less than 3 minutes. It makes an excellent sandwich bread. You can substitute nonalcoholic beer or even water if desired.

Makes 775 grams dough

Biga (Dough Enhancer), (optional), see Baking Pearls	80 grams	⅓ cup
porter or Guinness stout, cold	255 grams	1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (267 ml)
canola or safflower oil	40 grams	3 tablespoons (45 ml)
Gold Medal bread flour, or half other brand bread flour and half unbleached all-purpose flour	371 grams	2¾ cups (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off) plus 2 tablespoons
whole wheat flour	30 grams	3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
non-diastatic malt powder	9.3 grams	1 tablespoon
OR	OR
barley malt syrup (see Baking Pearls)	21 grams
instant yeast	6.4 grams	2 teaspoons
fine sea salt (see Salt)	9 grams	1½ teaspoons

Mise en Place

▪ Shortly before mixing the dough, remove the biga, if using, from the refrigerator.

▪ Into a 2 cup glass measure with a spout, weigh or measure the beer. (If measuring it by volume, allow it to sit after opening until the fizz disappears.) Keep it chilled.

▪ Add the oil to the beer.

Make the Dough

1. In a food processor, process the bread and whole wheat flours, malt, and yeast for 30 seconds. Pulse in the salt.

2. Add the biga, if using, and process for 15 seconds until combined.

3. With the motor running, pour in the beer mixture. After the dough comes together, process for 45 seconds.

4. If the dough doesn’t clean the bowl, add a little more flour and process for a few seconds to incorporate it. The dough should be tacky.

Let the Dough Rise

5. Into a 2 quart/2 liter dough rising container or bowl, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray, place the dough. Press it down and lightly spray the top of the dough with cooking spray.

6. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark on the side of the container approximately where double the height would be. Let the dough rise, ideally at 80º to 85ºF/27º to 29ºC, until doubled, for 1 to 1½ hours. (See Suggested Rising Environments.) If in doubt, insert a fingertip about ½ inch into the center of the dough to see if it will hold the indentation. If the indentation fills in, you need to allow it to rise longer.

Shape the Dough and Let It Rise

7. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and press it down gently to flatten it into a rectangle. Dimple the dough with your fingertips to deflate any large air bubbles. It will still be a little sticky, but use only as much flour as absolutely necessary to keep it from sticking. Allow the dough to rest, covered, for 20 minutes.

8. Shape the dough into a loaf (see instructions) and set it, seam side down, in the prepared loaf pan. When pressed down, it will be ½ inch from the top of the pan. Cover it with a large container or plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray.

9. Let the dough rise for 1 to 1½ hours; when pressed gently with a fingertip, the indentation should fill in very slowly. The dough should be about 1 inch above the sides of the pan at the highest center point.

Preheat the Oven

▪ Forty-five minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and set the baking stone on it. Place the cast-iron skillet on the floor of the oven. Set the oven at 400ºF/200ºC.

Bake the Bread

10. Spritz the top of the bread with water. Quickly but gently set the loaf pan on the hot stone and toss about ½ cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath. Immediately shut the door.

11. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375ºF/190ºC. For even baking, rotate the loaf pan halfway around. Continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. A wooden skewer inserted into the center will come out clean, and an instant-read thermometer should read about 200ºF/93ºC.

Cool the Bread

12. Remove the bread from the oven, unmold it from the pan, and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely, top side up.

Store in a paper bag: room temperature, 2 days;

airtight: frozen, 2 months.

Baking Pearls

Malt powder or syrup is sometimes added to bread as a flavor enhancer. It is available in health food stores. You can substitute it with an equal volume of sugar but avoid using honey for this bread because the beer darkens the crust; honey would make it too brown and have a tendency to burn.

If the sides are pale, bake the bread for an additional 5 minutes directly on the stone.

If not using the biga, decrease the salt by ⅛ teaspoon; use a total of 8.2 grams/1⅜ teaspoons. The bread will be shorter in height.

Alternatively, in place of the biga, a ready addition is to moisten some leftover bread with water to the consistency of a soft dough. Add the water by the teaspoonful and knead it into the bread with your fingers. Use the same weight or volume as the biga, but reduce the salt by ⅛ teaspoon as above.

Make This Recipe Your Own

Choose your favorite beer.

Making Beer Bread