Breads Based on the Beers of Billings

Drawing by Vince Long © 2017

January 5, 2024

This is a project that has incubated, or fermented, for quite a while.  I've made bread for decades and have used beer in my recipes for just as long but after sampling many of the beers from the breweries in Billings, MT I thought it might be interesting to design a recipe based on a beer from each of the them.  To document this project, this blog was born.

The Cookbook - NOT an Ad

Print by Vince Long © 2017

Before getting into the bread making process, I want to point you to my cookbook.  No, this is not an attempt to sell you something.  The book is free.  While taking a drawing class a few years ago, one of our long-term assignments was to draw every day in a sketchbook and the drawings should be on a theme of some kind.  I decided to make a cookbook, more or less journaling what I made during that semester.  I did have copies of the finished book printed and handed them out as gifts but I eventually scanned the entire book and placed it on my web site.  The book has some recipes and directions for making all sorts of bread and a few other grain products.  You can find it here:  My Adventures With Grains

Making Bread

Before launching into the individual recipes, I want to describe my bread-making process in general.  In each of the recipes I'll refer back to this and add any modifications that were used.

There are a wide variety of bread styles just as there are a wide variety of beers.  What they have in common is the bringing together a grain with a liquid and yeast and then letting nature work its magic.  With bread, we are interested in the carbon dioxide gas that the yeast produce as they consume the sugars in the grain and that is what gives the bread its rise.  A minimal amount of alcohol is produced which is mostly lost in the baking process.  In beer, the yeast reduce the sugar content to alcohol and the gas produces the carbonation.

While beers have the same "shape," in that they are liquid, bread can be loafed or made round, flat, shaped into sticks, pretzels, and a variety of other shapes.  Bread is also more variable when it comes to additions which can include fruits, nuts, spices, vegetables, and all sorts of grain textures.  The rising power can be straight yeast or a "sourdough" which is a yeast and bacteria culture that the baker keeps alive like a pet with frequent feedings and attention.

The basic process of bread-making is to combine the ingredients of flour, salt, yeast, and liquid, and then mixing them enough to moisten the flour particles.  This doughy mass is then kneaded, a mechanical manipulation  that aligns the wheat protein (gluten) particles into an elastic mass that can capture the carbon dioxide gas when fermentation takes place and causes the dough tot rise.  It is then set aside  ferment where the dough will rise, usually doubling is size.  The dough is then shaped and let to rise again, a stepped called "proofing."  After that it is baked.  

That is a quick overview but let's look at the process and ingredients in a bit more detail.

The Flour

Wheat flour is preferred due to its high gluten content which allows for a good rise but other flours can be used or blended in such as rye, oat, or semolina and even bean flours like garbanzo flour.  A high protein white flour can give the best rise while a whole wheat can provide a nuttier flavor.  Because it's so readily available and of high quality, I use Wheat Montana flours although King Arthur flours are good too.

The Liquid

Water is the most common liquid used in bread-making although many others are possible.  On this blog we'll be using beer but milk is a common additive as well.

Salt

Salt is added for both flavor and to create a happy environment for the yeast.  The type of salt one uses doesn't really matter.  I tend to use kosher salt as that is what is on hand in my salt cellar.

Yeast

Yeast comes in several varieties and I use Instant Yeast which I mixed right in with the flour.  It's available in a variety of packagings and since I bake quite often, I buy it in two one-pound packages as that is the least expensive.  I open one package and fill a small jar with the yeast, put the cap back on, and keep that in a handy place in my refrigerator.  I reseal the opened bag of yeast, put it in a zippered plastic bag and stash that with the unopened bag in back of the refrigerator.  

Many of those new to bread-making are intimidated by working with the yeast, especially if they've had a failure in the past where the yeast did not rise the dough. Old yeast can die or become sluggish or if mixed with a liquid that is too warm it will be deactivated.  What I suggest in this case is to "proof' the yeast first to make sure it's active.  Mix the yeast to be used with some of the flour and a cup of the liquid.  The liquid can be warmed to about 105°F which mean if you put your finger in it you can't tell if it's warm or cold.  Mix that up and let it sit for 15 minutes or so and the yeast should start bubbling and a foam will appear on the surface.  At that point, the yeast is good to go.

Some recipes, although not the ones you will find here, use a "preferment" which mixes flour, yeast, and a liquid and lets it sit for 12 hours of so.  That is then used in the bread recipe instead of dried yeast.  This is called a "poolish" and is sort of like a cousin to a sourdough starter and can yield a better flavors to the bread.

Mixing

Once the flour, liquid, salt, and yeast are brought together, they need to be mixed.  A stand mixer is what I usually use although a wooden spoon and bowl has worked the same for centuries.  Should the dough be too stiff, trying to add more water to it is a challenge so I start off with all the liquid but only add the flour a bit at a time until I get the texture of dough that I am after.  Once it is mixed, that is, all the dry parts are wetted, I usually cover it and let it sit for 15 minutes or so to let the flour particles absorb the moisture.

Kneading

The kneading process, as stated earlier, allows the gluten protein molecules to line up and form and net of elasticity in the dough to trap the gas from the fermentation step. Before kneading, the dough has a "shaggy" look to it and after kneading it will look smooth.   There are three ways to approach this step. 

The first is the classic hand kneading where the dough is placed on a floured board and pressed, stretched, and folded on itself until it becomes smooth.  Thus can take about 10 minutes.  

The second way is to use a stand mixer with a dough hook.  The mixer is run at a medium-slow setting and the dough should come together in about 5 minutes.  

The third way is the "stretch and fold" method.  With the dough still in the bowl, you wet your hands and then reach in a gather up the dough from underneath.  Then try to stretch it out to about 18-inches.  Fold it in half and drop back into the bowl the way it was.  Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and grab it from underneath again and repeat the stretching, pulling the dough in a different direction than before.  Do the stretch 3 times and then return it to the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Wait 10 minutes and then repeat the stretch and fold.  You want to do at least 4 stretch cycles so this will take most on an hour.  This is the easiest method if you don't have a stand mixer or don't want to knead it by hand.

Fermenting

Once kneaded, return the dough to the bowl, give the top a light shot of spray oil, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Set it aside in a warm place but not too warm.  Room temperature is good, just not in a drafty location.  Let it sit for about 90 minutes and it should about double in size.

Shaping and Proofing

Take the dough out of the bowl place on a floured board.  Press down on the dough to deflate it.  You might have to work your way around it to get most of the gas out.  You especially want the big bubbles out.

The shape you select will determine what comes next.  If this is a double batch, that is 2 loaves, divide it in half, flatten each half and fold and press each piece, working them into a loaf shape.  Spray your loaf pan(s) with spray oil and drop in the dough, giving it a light spray on top.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 45 minutes.  The dough should almost double in size.

Baking

Preheat your over so that it's ready when the bread is done proofing.  I usually bake at 350°F in a convection oven for regular loaves.  Place the pans on the middle rack and bake for 35-40 minutes.  When done, remove the loaf from the pan and give it a light thump with your fingers on the bottom.  If it's done it should sound hollow.  You could also insert a thermometer into the loaf and it should measure around 190°F in the center.  Place the bread on a rack and let it cool.

Another baking method, and one that I use when baking round loaves, particularly sourdough, is to bake in a round Dutch oven.  I form the loaf in a round shape and proof it on a sheet of parchment where I have covered it with plastic wrap.  While it is proofing, I place the Dutch oven with its lid on in the oven and preheat it to 400°F.  When it's time to bake, I remove the Dutch oven and remove its lid.  I use a serrated knife to slash the top of the loaf and then lift it, using the parchment, and place it in the Dutch oven.  The lid is replaced and the Dutch oven is placed in the baking oven for 16-18 minutes.  Since it is covered, the moisture escaping from the dough will act as steam and allow the bread to expand along the slash line.  At the end of 16-18 minutes I remove the lid and let it bake another 16-18 minutes.  With the lid off, the crust should brown nicely.  At the end of the bake I do the thump test on the loaf or use a thermometer.  I then let the bread cool on a rack.

The Tasting

Resist the urge to cut into the bread as soon as it's out of the oven as it will be more likely to tear and clump although there is something to be said for grabbing off a chunk freshly that is fresh out of the baking cycle, smearing it with butter, and devouring it.  If the bread sits out, the crust will dry a bit and that is not a bad thing.  If you like a softer crust, place the bread in a plastic bag after it cools.  Slicing is best done with a serrated knife.  Most breads do benefit from toasting.

Keep in mind that this is a natural product and there are no preservative so it is more likely to mold quicker that bread from the store.  If you think you might not make it through the loaf in 3 days, bag it in plastic and keep in the refrigerator.

That's it for my basic approach to making bread.  Some recipes have some different nuances and I'll mention those as we go along but I will not be going into great detail on the basics, allowing you to refer back to this page.