+of+copy+3+ayib.JPG "The Year is over, but we're still baking!")
Almost Too Easy Whole Wheat Beer Bread Recipe
It's Almost Too Easy
Two days ago I wrote a post about baking beer bread. (Click here to read it, and click here to read about my onion rye beer bread recipe.) Since then, several people have asked me about substituting whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour in the recipe. Since I figured I could spare five minutes in the name of bread (and because I was getting curious myself), I baked this loaf of whole wheat beer bread a couple of hours ago.
Instead of the three cups of all-purpose (white) flour in the original recipe, I used two cups of whole wheat all-purpose flour and one cup of all-purpose flour. Both were organic. I decided not to add any herbs or cheese to the basic mix. The batter was extremely thick and heavy, so I mixed in 1/4 cup (2 ounces/60 ml) of water along with the beer. (If it hadn't been nine o'clock in the morning, I would have opened a second bottle of beer and drunk the excess.)
Within minutes of putting the bread in the oven, the kitchen smelled divine. I did let the finished loaf cool 20 minutes before cutting into it, but it wasn't easy. I tasted a warm slice slathered with organic butter and was very pleased with the results. This bread has a nice texture and is dense but not too heavy. It would stand up well to a hearty stew or chili. I again used a bottle of our homebrewed Irish pale ale, and the flavor of the beer really came through. I think this version would also be good spread with cream cheese or herbed yogurt cheese. And after inhaling his warm test piece, Joe suggested covering toasted slices with sausage gravy. This bread has serious possibilities.
Farmgirl Susan's Almost Too Easy Whole Wheat Beer Bread Recipe
Makes One Loaf
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
14 ounces beer (or 12 ounces beer & 2 ounces water)
Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan (I love my Chicago Metallic Commercial Loaf Pans--they're great for yeast breads, too), brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
More bread recipes on Farmgirl Fare:
Ten Tips For Better Bread
Three Onion & Three Cheese Pizza
Tomato Pesto Pizza & My Favorite Basil Pesto Recipe
No-Knead Crusty Freeform Bread
Oatmeal Toasting Bread
The Pita Project: My Search For The Perfect Pita Bread Recipe
Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Savory Cheese & Scallion Scones
Cranberry Christmas Scones
Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins
Best Blueberry Bran Muffins & Other Bran Muffin Variations
Copyright © 2005-2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.
Labels: beer bread, bread baking, recipe, whole wheat beer bread
posted by Farmgirl Susan at 11:46 AM
50 Comments:
It's nearly nap time here, but dropped in for a quick visit to see what you've been up to. Nice to get greeted with another delish variation of an already good bread! Hope you are keeping warm -- I have been getting my room window ready for a treatment of covering to keep out the chilled northern air headed our way.
Have a great afternoon!
YUMMY. I've been trying to eat more whole grains and I think this bread would be a fabulous way to enjoy a beer with my honey. Thanks for the recipe!
I am finally catching up on my reading and now I want to go bake bread! Amazingly enough, I have no whole-wheat flour in the house although I did bring home some free (several year old) good beer that we found in my mom-in-law's basement. Got a clue if beer is still useful for bread after four years in a fridge?
us Aussies love our beer bread ~ your recipe looks great!
[apple-c]
[apple-v]
Got it! Thank you, Farmgirl, that looks divine. I love the idea of serving it with sausage gravy. Mmmm. In my world, that means the Grit's vegetarian "sausage" cream gravy, which is both better tasting and worse for you than any veg food has a right to be. :-)
Oh thanks so much for trying this out for us, I am so excited to make it and possibly give it as gifts! Will call it Farmgirl Fare Bread of course if I do!
Susan,
Whole wheat is a great idea for beer bread.
Question: have you ever made a yeast beer bread?
Kevin
hmmm, that seems like something even i, with my anti-pastry, special midas-like leather touch can throw together. tonight. and an excellent excuse to go out and buy meeself a sixpack!
Hi Heather,
I was really pleased with how well this version came out.
Hi Michelle,
So, by 'my honey' do you mean the sweet stuff in the jar or the sweet guy you live with? : )
Hi Kitchemage,
I hear you on the catching up on the reading thing. I have been missing so many blogs!
No whole wheat flour in the house? No problem. Make my original version. Four year old beer? It is probably fine. I know our homebrewed beer tastes better the longer it ages. I've had some that I think was two years old. Only way to know for sure is to open it up. : )
Hi Abe/Happy,
Nice to hear from you--and to hear that you know good bread Down Under. : )
Hi Jamie,
Well, now you've got me thinking of sausage gravy. I think any kind would be just fine right about now. : )
Hi Rachel,
You're very welcome. It was fun experimenting and being able to share the results.
Hi Kevin,
I've never made yeast beer bread. When I read your comment I started thinking about taking a regular yeast bread recipe and using beer in place of some of the water. Is that what you mean? I think it might be interesting.
Hi Rae,
It's a perfect excuse to buy a six-pack. And I bet your bread will come out just fine. (And if not, you can drown your sorrows.)
Susan,
Yeah, that's what I was thinking -- and have been thinking for a couple of months now.
It occurred to me, too, that a whole-wheat yeast beer bread might make really great turkey sandwiches.
Kevin,
A whole wheat yeast beer bread sounds like it would make really good turkey sandwiches. I baked sourdough onion rye loaves yesterday--I should have tried making them with some beer. I am definitely going to do some experimenting.
WARNING: Depending on the type of beer, cheese, and flour you use, the clean toothpick method of determining whether the bread is done may not work. I used part all purpose flour, part bread flour, and part spelt, a bavarian hefeweizen, and the standard amount of cheese, and took the bread out when the toothpick came out clean. However, it was still quite wet on the inside, even after letting cool for 20 minutes. The higher protein in the bread flour probably caused it to come out clean while still wet. If using similar ingredients, I would recommend waiting at least the full 45 minutes. The toothpick came out clean after 35. It was still tasty though.
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for the warning. I know peoples' ovens vary, but I always bake mine for the total 45 minutes.
Another thing to watch out for is the opposite problem that you had: a "wet" toothpick that is really covered with melted cheese and not uncooked batter. The bread is done, but you may not realize it.
I have no experience baking with spelt flour, so I have no idea what that might have done to the baking time, denseness of the bread, etc.
On my original beer bread post, I mentioned to someone whose bread came out tasty but like a rock that it was most likely the baking powder. Fresh baking powder is essential to the success of all baked goods. If you can't remember the last time you bought a new container (or if you live in a hot and humid climate), ditch the old and splurge on some fresh stuff. Well worth the couple of dollars. I prefer Rumford brand; I have good luck with it, and it doesn't contain aluminum like other brands do.
Thanks for taking the time to write and warn us. : )
I followed your link to the Beer Bread recipe! YUM! I have been to those parties where you are charged $37.50 for a loaf of bread mix. Thank you so much for posting yours. I made it on Thursday night, and by Friday afternoon I had eaten the entire loaf! Hope you don't mind, but I want to bag up indiviual recipes and give them out with a bottle of beer (or the entire 6 pack) for christmas gifts for my neighbors.
I just made this bread using 1/2 cup of whole wheat and used 1 tsp of herbes de provence. It came out very well. I think I'll make some split pea soup tonight to go along with it. I have an old ham bone hanging around just dying to be stewed! :) Thanks for another great recipe.
mmmmm, i tossed in some italian herbs and minced onion and this was simply an awesome hearty bread!
Hi Dara,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the beer bread. I could have sworn I replied to your comment ages ago, telling you that your holiday gift idea sounded wonderful, but apparently I never did. Oops. I hope your neighbors liked their treats!
Hi Michelle,
You're very welcome! Split pea soup and beer bread sound like a perfect combination. : )
Hi Erik,
Welcome to the farm! Your version sounds delish. Thanks so much for taking the time to write and let me know about your beer bread success.
Thanks for the recipe! I have made the original epicurious.com beer bread recipe for years but wondered how to make it more healthful with whole wheat flour. My husband requests your whole wheat version, his new favorite. I have also made it a flatbread for a beer pizza crust, combining all of his favorite foods onto one plate.
Thanks for the recipe! I bet this bread would be awesome with some homemade chicken noodle soup!
i just found this post, popped open a beer, and put it to good use. not that the drinking wouldn't have been a good idea, but it's only 9:30. *sigh*
it smells delish...i can hardly wait until it comes out of the oven!
Well, **that** was loverly! I had some leftover pale ale from Saturday. In it went into the fastest making batter bread I've **ever* mixed up! The crust is crispy and the bread has a wonderful crumb. Really holds the melted butter. :) Stands up to sharp cheddar and cheshire. YUM!
Thanks for the idea. I typed in "whole wheat bread receipe" and got this. I followed it for the most part, but didn't put quite a cup of cheese. Next time, you better believe I will!
I was so excited to find your recipe, since I've been looking for a whole wheat quick bread one to try. Although it smelled wonderful as it baked, it has come out of the oven all lumpy and dense. Where did I go wrong? Your advice would be so appreciated. I am generally a failure at bread baking.
I baked the beer bread. It smelled great,but it had a bitter, metallic aftertaste. Everything was fresh. Is one tablespoon of baking powder too much ?
ewp1934@aol.com Or is that a characteristic of beer btead?
Hi Leta,
My apologies for not getting back to you sooner. I'm sorry to hear that you had a beer bread flop. I'm not sure what went wrong; I haven't heard from anybody else whose bread came out lumpy. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the beer wasn't completely stirred into the batter, and there were lumps of dry flour left when you put it in the pan.
As far as the bread being very dense, my first guess is the baking powder. It's vital to use fresh baking powder; I learned this the hard way. If yours has been open more than a couple of months, especially if you live somewhere hot and humid, toss it out and buy a new container. It's amazing what a difference fresh baking powder can make!
I recommend Rumford brand, which I've been using for years. It doesn't contain any aluminum (most other brands of baking powder do), and as long as it's fresh, it always gives me good results.
Another thing you might try is using less whole wheat flour. As you can see, this recipe isn't 100% whole wheat, and that's because whole wheat flour doesn't act white flour--it's a lot heavier and produces denser baked goods. Flour varies so much by brand and type that yours may be heavier than what I used, and is simply making your dough too dense.
Another option is to try using a newly popular flour usually called "white whole wheat." It's 100% whole grain flour, but it's lighter than "regular" whole wheat flour. I've used it successfully in yeast breads and even some desserts, but I haven't tried it yet in beer bread.
Sometimes you'll see ads or packages saying that it can be used as a perfect substitute for all-purpose white flour, but this isn't true. It's not white flour and doesn't act like it! I've found it to be more like a cross between white and whole wheat flour.
I've been happy using King Arthur brand, which I've bought at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
Hope this helps. And I hope you'll give the beer bread another try! : )
Hi Anonymous,
A bitter metallic aftertaste is definitely not a usual characteristic of beer bread. Ick! : )
My first thought is your baking powder. As far as the amount, out of curiosity I just did a quick search online for beer bread recipes and found that most call for 1 Tablespoon of baking powder for one loaf, so that shouldn't be the problem.
However, many brands contain aluminum, which is of course a metal. It should say on your container of baking powder if it does contain alumninum. I recommend Rumford brand which is aluminum-free and has given me good results for years.
You could certainly try using less baking powder, but I expect that your bread, especially if it's the whole wheat version, won't rise as much and will subsequently be heavier and denser.
The only other thing I can think of is that the metallic flavor might be coming from the beer you used. Not that it has metal in it, but perhaps the chemical reaction with the other ingredients in the batter (including the baking powder) along with that specific type of beer is for some reason giving it the metallic aftertaste.
Hope this helps! : )
i made the onion rye version and it came out great! thank you soooooo much :)
Thank you very much for the wholemeal beer bread recipe..i added zing to it by adding some garlic, slighhtly cooked asparagus pieces and some shallots with oregano and rosemary, and sun flower seeds..wow the result is fantastic..i will be coming to your website every now and then for sure...i am a novice bread maker but want to bake my own bread at home...many thanks. Varshaa
I just baked this last night and it is so delicious! I used a bottle and a bit of a pale ale , ground up some fresh sage, and added a tiny bit of honey. I didn't even have a bread pan, i just turned it into a ball on top of a well greased pyrex baking dish, and voila! Marvelous recipe!
Hi - thanks for the recipe. I want to echo the comment from anonymous about the bitter taste. I used fresh Rumford aluminum-free baking powder and found the bread to have a nasty bitter taste - and I have made and tasted good beer bread before using another recipe. Having experienced the same bitter taste once before when my husband's usually brilliant pancakes turned out bad because he had accidentally put in a tablespoon rather than a teaspoon of baking powder, I really think this is the explanation. Next time I'm going to try it with half the amount of powder to see if it tastes better and still has enough rise. I'll let you know how it turns out.
could a body use a non-alcoholic brew and still achieve yummy results? BTW...even from my limited exposure so far, it is obvious the farm ROCKS!! thanks for all you do, susan.
The first time I tried this recipe it was too dense to eat. I did have the Romsford and it was brand new and fresh.
So, I changed the recipe. I used equal parts flours, a little more beer, maybe 2T.
Both times I added flax seed and sunflower seeds. The second time I added Mexican Oregano.
The second loaf is devine.
I should say that I live in San Antonio Texas where it can be as humid as it is hot.
Love your site.
bbsantx
Hi farmgirl,
A stupid question but ... do you bake this bread in the middle or bottom rack of the oven?
Thanks for the great recipes!
Hi Everybody,
My apologies for not getting back to some of you.
Anonymous on 2/28,
I've never tried using non-alcoholic beer, but I think it would work just fine.
Hi bbsantx,
I'm so glad you went back and made a second loaf. What a wonderful combination of ingredients! Thanks for letting us know about your beer bread success.
Hi anonymous,
No question is stupid! ; ) I pretty much bake all quick breads, cookies, cakes, pies, etc. in the middle of the oven. The only time I put the rack lower is when I'm making pizza or certain yeast breads on the baking stone. Happy baking!
Hi Susan,
I'm so happy my browser brought me to you! After two roomates moving and several sporadic culinary experiments, I have collected quite an ensemble of ingredients for someone who generally subsists on rice, veggies, and jello. I especially have a great deal of whole wheat flour. I came upon your recipe and loved it. I am absolutely shocked how easy it was. SHOCKED. My roomie and I ate some with strawberry jam, and it was yummy.
Can't wait to variate the recipe!
Also, I did some calculations, and 1 serving (eight servings per loaf) would be about 170 calories. It would be a great afternoon snack with honey or jam.
Now I have to figure out what to do with the cooking wine one of my roomie's left when he moved...
hi susan
i don't intend to use baking powder. can i just use yeast like normal yeast bread?
my only concern is whether the alcohol in the beer (actually i want to use stout here) could have any adverse impact on the yeast?
thx!
cw
Hi CW,
The alcohol in the beer won't harm the yeast, but since this is a quick bread recipe rather than a yeast bread recipe, you would need to adapt it, e.g. mixing the dough well and kneading it, letting it rise (ferment), then shaping the loaf and letting it rise a second time (proof).
The proportions of everything else would probably work fine, but what you might want to do is either take a yeast bread recipe you're already familiar with and substitute beer for some or all of the water, or try a yeast whole wheat bread recipe that specifically calls for beer. And I just happen to have one of those! : ) Kevin baked up some tasty little yeasted beer rolls (using a very strong beer) for our A Year In Bread blog, and you can find the recipe here. I don't see why you couldn't shape the dough into a loaf instead of rolls. In fact, I just might have to try that myself. Hope this helps. Happy baking!
hi susan
thx!
i'll try with a normal recipe and substitute water with stout then.
your blog is one of those which got me first into baking bread. the rosemary raisin is a favourite over here!
in all the breads i have done, i always use olive oil rather than melted butter as a dough improver. 4 to 5 tablespoons, the exact quantity doesn't really matter. your take on this?
don't know how i missed kevin's yeast beer rolls...
thx!
cw
Woohoo! finally a WHOLE WHEAT beer bread recipe that works! Beer bread is one of el Hubbito's absolute favorites, and since I have "gone whole grain" on him, he was complaining that he didn't get it anymore. Excellent recipe, ma'am.
Also, should you have any left over (translation, hide the heels of the loaf in the freezer!) this makes AMAZING stuffing for chicken.
Wow! What a fun site. I "googled" beer bread recipes and this one came up. Yum! Thanks for helping my house smell so good! I had a lovely little gathering last night and had a lonely bottle of pale ale left, so into the batter it went. I also threw in the last of the sharp cheddar. I can't wait for lunch: I've a bowl of homemade veggie soup that needs a dipper. The bread is dense and moist and just delish. I'm looking forward to skulking around your site now. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Susan,
Just wanted to pop back in here, while my umpteenth (hundred and umpteenth?) loaf of whole wheat beer bread bakes. I'm the original "tasty brick/old baking powder" gal. I've made this bread so many times over the last few years that I can't count, first in New York and now on our farm -- perfect when I MUST HAVE BREAD NOW, perfect as a last minute potluck offering, perfect with Thanksgiving leftovers ... man. Thanks so much for this.
Tonight is the first time I'm trying it with our own flour - woo-hooo!
I am doing my 2nd batch of beer bread today, this time using 1/3 rye flour, I stuck to the rules and resifted all the flour. Sifting the flour is the key for a non-brick bread. I wanted a darker bread, so in addition to the rye flour, I used Beck's Dark beer. I know some say beer is beer, but I don't like american beers like Bud or Miller, just the micro brews (sorry big beer company)and only drink German or Canadian beer as a rule. Its got another 30 minutes to bake, but its already going up over the top of the bread pan. I also threw in some yeast for good measure. HAHA, now I'll have a classic 3stooges or Lucy loaf that pushes open the oven door?
Happy bread making everybody, and yes, pure fresh ground organic flour is the best. I am lucky to have a big brother that grows organic grains and has all the fan mills, grain mills and things.
I live in the Chicago area, and except for the winter snow & cold, its the best city in America.
More on rye beer bread, I made another fantastic loaf with caraway seed and a touch of fennel seed. Its awesome. I also made a more 'traditional' loaf of 100% whole wheat organic yeast bread 2 days ago, of course its gone too, except for what I managed to put in the freezer for later use. Needless to say, everybody loves my bread. :-)
I don't understand the philosophy or those that say KIDS don't like anything but those worthless 'air' bread. I grew up on real bread with a real crust, nobody can take that away from me.
Thanks to everybody that contributes to this great site, glad I found it, and I hope the best to you all for the new year.
Hi Eric,
I'm so glad you're enjoying your beer bread baking adventures. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us. And Happy New Year to you! : )
Love it! I don't know why I don't just write a recipe down for beer bread. Perhaps because I enjoy trying new ones every time! Thanks!
As homebrewer, this really intrest me, I brew mostly ales, I have seen beer bread mix, at our homebrew store, but now want to try my own.
Question, most macro brews off the shelf contain no yeast, due to pastuerization, Will my bread come out better using a yeasty homebrew?
Hi Anonymous homebrewer,Unless I'm away from home or teaching a cooking class, I make beer bread with our homebrewed Irish pale ale (it doesn't travel well). I know it gives the bread a really nice flavor, but I never thought about the yeast aspect, since I didn't realize that about macro beers and yeast. The bread gets its rise from the baking powder.
The best thing would probably be to do a side by side comparison. If you do, I hope you'll let us know what you find out! : )
I used it this weekend for making Communion bread for Sunday worship. I used the church's kitchen so the entire building smelled like fresh baked bread as folks walked in. I'm the pastor (and a beer drinker, gasp!) but I realized that some folks wouldn't be down with beer with their Communion. So a can of ginger ale works just fine, and adds a bit of sweetness to the taste.
This is my first time visiting your blog, but I just made this beer bread and it was delicious. My first beer bread and it was a success! I used 1c white whole wheat flour, 1c whole wheat pastry flour, and 1c all-purpose. For the beer I used Sam Adams black lager, gave the bread a nice musty beer taste that went well with the sharp cheddar, chives and rosemary I stuck in. I also added a tablespoon of honey. I baked it at 375 in a convection oven for 45 minutes, and it was definitely done and crispy on top, but also very moist. I will have to see what the rest of it tastes like tomorrow morning. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Mmm...I've made this bread before as mini muffins, with Sam Adams Honey Porter and Parmesan cheese. It was to die for!
But I think I've just found my new favorite alteration- I subbed oat flour and wheat germ for the whole wheat flour and used Well's Banana Bread Beer (which is amazing on it's own, by the way. I always get it at World Market!)
I made these little cuties as mini heart-shaped loaves, and they're delicious! Maybe next time I'll add nuts or dark chocolate chips...or even a filling made of a little bit of beer and chocolate? The possibilities are endless!
Thanks for such a great recipe!
Just made a loaf (http://gingerjul.blogspot.com/2009/10/beer-bread.html) and am sitting down to enjoy. :) Thanks so much for posting! It smells wonderful, and tastes even better. LOVE IT!
-Jul
Post a Comment
<< Home