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5.0 from 9 votes

Beer Bread (Pain à la bière)

Balanced, flavorful, and enjoyable—this recipe has it all.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 20 slices
Calories: 76 kcal
Course: Bread
Cuisine: European , French

Ingredients

  • 275 g bread flour
  • 100 g whole wheat flour
  • 280 g dark beer e.g. stout
  • 5 g instant yeast see notes
  • 20 g liquid malt extract or honey; about a Tbsp
  • 7 g sea salt
  • 100 g a mix of oat flakes, sunflower, flax and sesame seeds
  • canola oil or butter for greasing the bread pan
  • flour for work and pan dusting

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a bowl of a stand mixer or a mixing bowl, add the following ingredients in the following order: salt, beer, malt or honey, flour, and yeast.
  2. If using a stand mixer, knead for 3 minutes at the lowest speed, then 5 minutes at the second-lowest speed.
  3. If kneading by hand, knead for 10 to 15 minutes in a bowl, until the gluten network develops and the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
  4. Shape the dough into a ball, cover and let rise for 1.5 hours at room temperature.
  5. During those 1,5 hours, after 30 min, make the first stretch and fold. Then make two more stretch and folds every 30 minutes.
  6. Pour the mixture of seeds and flakes on a large plate. Oil an 8"- 9" bread pan and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
  7. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface.
  8. Very gently, without degassing, shape into a batard (cylinder shape).
  9. Close the seam and turn seam side down.
  10. Spray the top with some water then gently roll the top side of the bread dough in the seed and oat flake mixture.
  11. Place the dough seam side down in the bread pan.
  12. Cover and let rise for 1 - 1.5 hours at room temperature - about 70-72F. The dough should alsmost double in volume. If it didn't, let it proof a bit longer, until it does.
  13. Preheat the oven to 465F. Position the rack in the middle of the oven and place a metal baking panwith hot water just below it.
  14. When the dough about doubled in size, score it with a sharp blade or a lame top to bottom, about 1/2" inch deep.
  15. Transfer the bread pan with the dough to the middle rack in the oven and carefully pour a cup of hot water into the baking pan.
  16. Close the oven quickly and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the water pan after 20 minutes.
  17. Once done baking, let the bread cool on a cooling rack for 1 hour before slicing.

Notes

  • You can leaven the dough with a sourdough starter by substituting the yeast with 100 g of active 75% hydration sourdough starter. This will require a longer fermentation (add 1-2 hours) and longer proofing. It's probably a good idea to retard fermentation in a fridge overnight. 
  • Alternatively, you can leaven the dough with a sourdough starter and commercial yeast mix by adding 2-3 grams of instant yeast to the starter. This will give you that extra flavor but also expedite the fermentation and proofing time.
  • When adding a sourdough starter, increase the salt content accordingly.

Nutrition Information

Calories 76kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 137mg (6%) Potassium 38mg (1%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 1IU (0%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 5mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 76

% Daily Value*

Calories 76kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 15g 5%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 137mg 6%
Potassium 38mg 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 1IU 0%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 5mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.