Easy Beer Bread

Scott

Admin

posted on 2 months ago — updated on 1 second ago

Beer bread is any bread that includes beer in the dough mixture. Depending on the type of beer used, it may or may not contribute leavening to the baking process. Thus, beer breads range from heavy, unleavened, loaves to light breads and rolls incorporating baker's yeast. Here are several variations. Ingredients all listed before their video.

Ingredients

1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ cup warm water (100 degrees F or 38 degrees C)
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
1 ½ teaspoons fine salt
all-purpose flour for dusting
1 tablespoon cornmeal

DIRECTIONS

Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup flour and warm water in a large bowl. Cover and let sit in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.
Stir beer, remaining flour and salt into the bowl. Mix until all the flour is incorporated and forms a thick sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Scrape all the dough from the bowl with a rubber spatula, and place on a well-floured surface. Generously flour the top of the dough and form into a loaf shape.
Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Transfer loaf to the baking sheet and sprinkle the top with flour. Cover loosely with a towel and let rise for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place a small loaf pan of warm water on a lower rack to humidify the oven.
Slash a long slit in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or razor. Place the baking sheet on the rack above the pan of warm water in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown.
Transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.

No-Knead Beer Bread

INGREDIENTS

4 ½ cups whole wheat flour (450 grams, or 1 lb)
1 3/4 to 2 cups very warm water
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons dry instant yeast (or quick rise)

(Optional: 1 teaspoon sugar)

DIRECTIONS

In a large measuring cup, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. If you are going to add sugar, add it at this time. Stir well to dissolve the yeast. Set aside for approximately 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
In a large bowl, add the whole wheat flour and salt. Combine.
Once the yeast is proved, add it to the flour. Stir all to make sure the flour has absorbed the water. If the mixture is a bit too wet, add a little flour. If it’s too dry, add a little bit of water. With your hand gently turn the mixture over to mix it all together.
Place the dough on a floured surface. Briefly pull the dough into a ball and the flatten it out into a rectangular shape and roll it together to create a loaf shape. Into a greased 8” x 5” loaf pan, add the dough. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise to just above the rim of the loaf pan (approximately 35-40 minutes.)
In the meantime, set your oven at 400 degrees. The oven rack should be in the middle position.
Once the bread has risen, place it in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown and it sounds hollow on the bottom of the loaf if you tap it with your knuckles. If you have a kitchen thermometer, the temp should be around 120 degrees.
Place bread on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove it from the pan and allow to cool for about 30 minutes before attempting to slice it. DELICIOUS!!

4 Ingredient, One-Rise Whole Wheat Bread

INGREDIENTS

16 oz. can of beer
3 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Stir all ingredients together and pour into a loaf pan.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

3 Ingredient Beer Bread

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 can beer (12-ounce/355ml)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375F. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Slowly pour in the beer while stirring. (it will foam.) Continue stirring until the foaming subsides and just until the dough is combined and no dry streaks of flour remain. Scoop the dough into the greased baking pan. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the top of the dough.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Immediately remove the bread from the pan and place on a wire rack.
Brush all over with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and let cool completely. Bread can be tightly wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 4 days, or sliced, wrapped, and frozen in a freezer container for up to 2 months.