All grains contain peptides that mimic morphine or endogenous opioid substances. This is where I deal with my latest loaf craving. Get your bread-based exorphin fix here.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Everyday Bread #24 - Beer Bread from HBin5


This is the beer bread from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  It has a bit of Rye Flour, and of course, Whole Wheat Flour.  But it uses that Vital Wheat Gluten.


Nothing very interesting to add about the methods I used.  I needed a quick everyday bread, didn't have time to fuss.  So I threw together this one that I'd never tried before and let it rise 2 hours.  I don't think that it rose all that well, but around the 2 1/2 hr point, I tossed it in the fridge.

I used alcohol-free beer, the kind that is sold in the grocery stores in Canada.  It took about an entire can.  And I used maple syrup instead of honey.

I formed the loaf using Reinhart's methodology for a loaf bread.  I used a long thin loaf pan.  It kept the loaf from spreading sideways a bit.  The proofing period did see more sideways expansion than rising.

When baking I put several spritzes of water into the oven every few minutes to keep the crust nice.  It worked okay without a pan in the bottom rack for steam.

The loaf looks fine but there wasn't much oven spring.  My scores filled in a bit, so I guess it did rise.

This loaf will barely be enough for me to take to work tonight.  David and I had some for break this morning, a deserved respite from putting the siding on the chicken coop.

Notes to Myself:

  • The second part of this loaf uses onions and rosemary.  Give it a try, if you have time.
  • Try this loaf again sometime, and make sure that it doubles before refrigerating.  If you are using the near-beer from the fridge, it is going to be colder, and it will require more time to rise.  Use the near-beer that hasn't been refrigerated, if possible.

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