Sourdough Beer Bread

This sourdough beer bread has a lovely and distinctly sourdough flavor from the combination of the beer and the fermented dough. 

The beer in this recipe replaces the usual water in a sourdough bread recipe. This seems to strengthen the sourdough flavor of the loaf. Plus, the bread seems to gain more tang over time. 

Actually, bread and beer are made from many of the same ingredients. They're practically cousins! Plus there's malted wheat flakes (sprouted and dried) in the dough, which also add more flavor and are reminiscent of malted barley, another beer component. 

In fact, several years ago, a bunch of us went to a local brewery to take a beer-making class. It was really fun, and the brewers actually sent each of us home that night with a fresh loaf of bread baked from the grains used for making the bread. They baked the bread behind the scenes while we learned about brewing beer. 

Side note: Our host was supposed to go back in the next few days to pick up our beer when it was ready and get it back to us. Sadly, I never received my beer. She said the beer tasted pretty bad, but I suspect she and her roommates enjoyed it before realizing that it was mine. Oh well. 

However, the bread was amazing. 

Maybe this was the beginning of my interest in bread baking? 

Quick P.S. Tips: As much as bread and beer are related, I don't recommend feeding beer to your sourdough starter to maintain it. However, if you are a home beer brewer, you can experiment with using brewer's yeast in a standard loaf of bread. Just keep a close eye on the rising time. The flavor might be a bit different too. 

Ingredients in This Sourdough Beer Bread:

Malted Wheat Flakes: Basically, these are whole wheat berries that, once they've begun sprouting, they are dried and flattened, kind of like rolled oats. They are an English ingredient and are often included in granary-style bread. They add a sweetness to the flavor as well as whole grain goodness. I've also used them in no-knead granary-style bread. 

Sourdough Starter: You will need 100% hydration (by weight) ripe/fed sourdough starter. 

Bread Flour: You could also substitute an unbleached higher protein all purpose flour. You can also use a mix of white flour and whole wheat flour. 

Instant Yeast: This ingredient is optional. You can add it if you want to use a less active starter or if you want to slightly speed up the process. 

Honey and Salt. 

Beer: I used a Mexican pilsner-style lager beer, but any type of beer, light or dark, will work. They each bring their own flavor. 

How To Make This Sourdough Beer Bread: 

First, soak the malted wheat flakes in boiling water and let them cool. 

Next, combine the starter, the beer, flour, and yeast (if you are using it) in the bowl of a stand mixer on low until just combined. Cover and let everything autolyze for about 30 minutes. Then, add the soaked malted wheat flakes, the honey, and the salt. Mix on low for one minute.

After that, mix on medium for just about three minutes. Let the dough rise for about an hour, and then perform 2 stretch and folds, one every hour, and then let rise until doubled. 

Shape the dough into a boule and let it rise in a brotform for two to four hours. 

Finally, bake the the loaf in a preheated covered Dutch oven, removing the lid after 20 minutes. 

Rather than use the Dutch oven method, you can also bake this loaf on a baking stone in a steam oven. Either way will work just fine. 

Ingredient Substitutions:

I have never found malted wheat flakes anywhere besides King Arthur Baking or on Amazon. If you don't want to buy this specialty ingredient, you can substitute rolled oats. For a little more flavor, you can toast the oats in a skillet. 

For the flour, you can substitute a small amount of the bread flour with white whole wheat flour. 

Serving Suggestions: 

This bread is fabulous for dipping in soups and stews, making sandwiches and grilled cheese, and for making deli-style croutons for Caesar salads. 

While you really need to wait until it cools before cutting it, if you cut off a small sliver fresh from the oven and butter it, it's heavenly. 

This week, the From Our Dinner Table Group is sharing recipes with beer! Be sure to check out everyone's recipe!

Cooking with Beer

• Beer Mustard from That Recipe
• Cheddar Beer Bread from Hezzi-D's Recipe Box
• Irish Nachos with Beer Cheese Sauce from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Sourdough Beer Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Sourdough Beer Bread

Yield: 20 Slices

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

This sourdough beer bread has a lovely distinct flavor from the combination of the beer and the sourdough.

Ingredients

For the Soaker

• 120 grams (1 cup) malted wheat flakes
• 1/2 cup boiling water

For the Final Dough

• 227 grams fed/ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 255 grams (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) beer
• 420 grams bread flour
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast (optional)
• 27 grams (1 tablespoon) honey
• 12 grams (2 teaspoons table) salt

Instructions

To Make the Soaker

1. Mix the malted wheat flakes with the boiling water in a small bowl and set aside to cool.

To Make the Bread

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the starter, beer, flour, and yeast with the dough hook on low, for about 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Add the the wheat flake soaker, honey, and salt and mix for one minute on low.
3. Turn the mixer up to medium-low and mix for 3 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rise for one hour. After that, stretch and fold the dough and let it rest for an hour.
4. Stretch and fold the dough again and then let it rest for another hour, until doubled.
5. Form the dough into a loose boule on a lightly floured surface. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
6. Tighten up the boule with a bench knife and place it into a floured brotform, seam side up, and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, 2 to 4 hours.
7. Heat your oven to 450 degrees F with a 2 1/2 to 3 quart covered Dutch oven on the middle rack. When the dough has risen and the oven is ready, remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the top. Place a piece of parchment over the brotform and flip the dough, parchment and all, over. Remove the brotform and lift the dough with the parchment and place it in the Dutch oven, including the parchment. Slash the dough with a serrated knife about 3 to 4 times. Cover and place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the loaf with the parchment to a half sheet pan. Place the pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 400 degrees F.
9. Bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until the dough reaches an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees F.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

117

Fat (grams)

1 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Carbs (grams)

24 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

22 g

Sugar (grams)

2 g

Protein (grams)

4 g

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

This recipe has been adapted from King Arthur Baking.

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2024/08/sourdough-beer-bread.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

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