Sourdough Beer Bread combines the deep, rich taste of beer with sourdough for a bread that you’ll want to enjoy over and over again!
Over the last year I’ve had pretty good success making sourdough bread. I’ve tried making sourdough bread from regular milk kefir (which was really very good), as well as homemade greek yogurt.
My sourdough starter has a permanent place in my kitchen and we’ve called him “Sid”.
Sid has been a reliable way for me to make sourdough crackers, bagels and even english muffins. I make my sourdough starter in a kombucha-size gallon glass jar (it works great in terms of space!)
Then if/when I tire of feeding Sid, I simply throw him in the fridge for a while. He’s so incredibly easy. Then I just pull him out the night before I want to use him and give him a quick feeding.
Sourdough Beer Bread Recipe
Over the last few weeks I’ve been curious to find out how a sourdough with beer would work.. so I gave it a try. I have quite a huge stash of beer in my pantry from a soap making project, so I decided to choose 2 of the best and pull them out for bread.
This full recipe requires 12 oz of beer (about one bottle) – though you could cut in half to test before making too much. I used Left Hand Brewery 12 oz beer first.. which was delicious. The second time around I pulled out Leinenkugel’s – the dough rose quite a bit faster with the second beer.
All in all this bread comes together in as little as 6-7 hours. I fed my starter at around 2 pm, then started making the bread at 6 pm.
The first rise (3 hours) was done by 9 pm, then I shaped the loaf and allowed another 2 hours for the second (final) rise.
After the second brief rise, I cut the dough into two even-sized portions. Then I shaped them as carefully as I could without destroying the air pockets that were in each.
It was quite late when I put it in the oven (around midnight), but the house smelled quite incredible.
The fresh baked bread smell lingered through the night and we cut into the bread the next morning.
Enjoy the Bread
The smell of the beer sourdough is quite intoxicating (pun intended). The color of the beer gives the dough a darker hue. Though I did add a bit of sugar to the recipe, you could go without (depending on the beer).
For the second beer (Leinenkugel’s) I decided to use maple syrup I had from upstate New York. As a result, the bread is good – definitely a bit sweeter.
This beer sourdough is definitely worth saving a bottle of beer for. Beer imparts a richer, deeper flavor that just can’t get with using regular water. Not to mention it gives the dough a nice boost in height, too!
Sourdough Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 1 C. sourdough starter (recently fed)
- 3 Tbsp sugar (or, substitute maple syrup)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 12 oz beer (room temperature)
- 5 C. all purpose flour
Instructions
- Mix sourdough starter and room temperature beer in your KitchenAid mixer bowl. The beer will foam up.
- Add sugar, salt and flour, and combine using your mixer dough hook attachment until it has achieved a soft dough. Knead for 3-4 minutes in the mixer bowl, then cover and allow to rise, 2-2.5 hours. When you push the dough with your finger the indentation should remain.
- Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into two (if you desire two smaller loaves). Shape each into a round or oblong loaf on top of a large piece of parchment paper; loosely cover.
- Allow the bread 2 additional hours to rise. During the last half hour, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place your dutch oven inside as the oven preheats.
- Once the oven is preheated, dust the bread with flour and score with a sharp knife. Carefully pick up the parchment and transfer the bread to the dutch oven.
- Bake, covered, at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when the bread is dark brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool before enjoying.
what would happen if you used bread flour instead?
You definitely can! I have used bread flour in the past, not for the entire recipe but for a portion. It depends on what I have. It’ll likely turn out just as well.
Can you use bread pans instead of”free forming” the dough?
I haven’t, but I don’t see why not? Give it a try. Let me know how it works for you!