Tasteful Tuesday: Beer Starter for Sourdough Bread

I’ve been a little obsessed with making bread for the past few months using my wonderful bread machine. This week, I stumbled upon a recipe for sourdough based on a beer starter and gave it a whirl. The recipe calls for little to no use of the bread machine – you can do it without. It was the most difficult bread that I’ve made so far but also very tasty.

I’ve modified the recipe from one featured in The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook (German beer starter & Sourdough Bread) though the recipe remains very close to the original (it’s a great book, I highly recommend it if you’re into making bread and use a machine).

Beer Starter
3/4 c. flour (I used King Arthur’s All Purpose Flour*)
2 T rye flour (again, King Arthur’s)
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 c. flat beer (I used Troegs Sunshine Pils*)

Whisk all ingredients together. Pour into a glass jar – cover with cheesecloth and rubber band and then again with plastic wrap.

As with a regular sourdough starter, let the starter rest in a warm area (room temp of 75-80 degrees will do). Do not allow the starter to exposed to direct sunlight as it will overheat the starter and could affect the yeast.

The starter should rest for 1-2 days. Stir it occasionally each day until ready to use.

* Don’t be fooled. The quality of ingredients does affect the taste and texture of the bread. Use good flour and beer that you like.

Sourdough French Bread
beer starter (as above)
1/2 c. water at room temp
3 c. bread flour (again, King Arthur’s)
2 tsp. salt (I used sea salt)
2-1/4 tsp. or one packet active dry yeast
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1/4 c. cornmeal

Place all ingredients except cornmeal into bread machine (or you can mix and knead by hand). Use the “dough” cycle and let the machine mix and knead the dough for about 1.5 hours. When the cycle is over, deflate the dough with your fingers and let rest for about 3 hours.

Shape dough on cutting board using extra flour as needed (dough will be sticky). Cover dough and let rest for about an hour.

Knead dough to deflate. Line a bowl with a clean kitchen towel and flour (inside the towel). Place the dough in the bowl, covering the dough with the towel and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. The dough will now rise in the fridge (yep, you read that right) for the next day or so.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Take the dough out of the fridge (it will look as though it hasn’t risen much after you take it out), reshape gently using the cornmeal (the dough will be really tacky). With a knife, cut slashes into the bread – about 3 or 4 (it gives you the pretty appearance that sour dough is known for).

Bake the bread for 12 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 25 more minutes, being careful not to overcook. The bread will be brown and crusty.

Take it out of the oven and enjoy!

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I’m a butter on bread girl and I think this bread would be yummy with some butter and jam. I have so far tried it on its own, also good.

Since I used the pilsner, there isn’t a strong “non-bread” taste. You can definitely pick up on the yeast, though. Remember that there’s yeast in beer already and combining the yeast-y beer with yeast in the starter and then more yeast in the bread – well, you can guess what happens.

If you try it, let us know what you think!

(Image: Newscom)