* Exported from MasterCook *
No-Knead Alaskan Beer Fall Harvest Bread with optional Sourdough flavors
Recipe By :Ken Vaughan, Juneau Alaska
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread Breads
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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*** Basic Bread ***
18 ounces bread flour -- King Arthur brand for highest rise
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon Instant yeast -- 1 pkg, see notes
2 teaspoons Kosher salt -- adjust to taste as desired
1 1/2 cups Walnuts -- broken into large pieces, best toasted
1 cup dried cranberries -- to 1 1/2 cup
1/2 cup warm water
12 ounces Alaskan Amber Ale -- room temp, see notes
1/4 cup oil -- neutral oil preferred, olive oil works
*** Optional but delicious Sour Dough addition ***
6 ounces 100% hydration active sourdough starter, see notes
2 ounces bread flour -- added to adjust for water in
the starter
Ingredient notes:
Ale: Alaskan Amber or Heritage Brown Ale or other Alaskan beer, 1 bottle
Sourdough starter: weigh on scale for best control of hydration --
See notes below for use of equal volume style starter
This recipe is formatted for use of a Dutch oven to bake a single
large loaf. I use a room temperature Dutch oven to raise and bake the
bread, but the bread can be raised in parchment and baked in a hot
cast iron Dutch oven if you like that style of baking. I hand mix
with a Danish dough whisk, but a stiff handled spoon or spatula will
work also. A stand mixer is NOT required. The bread can be kneaded,
but makes a very nice loaf without.
Toast the walnuts in a 350F oven for 6-10 minutes ahead of the bread
making for best flavor. Walnuts out of the bag works, but the walnuts
may take on a blue hue when baked. Break the walnuts into a few large
pieces (4 per walnut half is a good average). Finely chopped walnuts
do not have the same effect.
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl or dough tub (flour, sugar,
yeast, salt, walnuts, dried cranberries). Decrease the yeast if using
the active sourdough starter. Add the extra flour also.
Mix the wet ingredients in a large measuring cup (I use a 8 cup size)
or bowl (beer, water, oil, sourdough starter if using).
Pour the wet into the bowl/tub with the dry ingredients and mix until
all the flour is moistened. It may take tipping the bowl to get the
flour on the bottom corners and center of the bowl/tub.
Cover the bowl with clear wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425F with a baking steel or stone on a rack if
available (makes crisper bottom crust). Rack should be at least 1/3
from the bottom or middle depending on the height of the Dutch oven with lid.
Grease the Dutch oven with butter or cooking spray and turn the risen
dough into the Dutch oven. Minimum handling is better. Allow the
bread to rise until about doubled again. Normally this is a 1-2 hour
process with the longer time if the sourdough was not really active.
Slash the top with a lame if desired and brush or spray the top crust
with water. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and bake for 20 minutes
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and reduce the oven setting to 350F.
Continue baking for 20-30 minutes until the center of the loaf
reaches 195F on an instant read thermometer in the upper center of the loaf.
Remove the Dutch oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Roll the loaf
out onto a rack and continue to cool until someone can no longer wait
and cuts a slice. The loaf seldom has a chance of cooling to room
temperature before being sliced.
Description:
"Best with Amber, Heritage Brown Ale. Sourdough optional, but
adds to the depth of flavor. See Notes"
Copyright:
"Ken Vaughan"
Yield:
"1 large Loaf"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 215 Calories; 5g Fat (22.6%
calories from fat); 6g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary
Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 315mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2
Grain(Starch); 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Suggested Wine: Beer - this is beer bread and Amber is a great choice
with a sandwich made with ham and Swiss cheese.
NOTES : This recipe is for a no-knead style bread. These bread doughs
tend to be very high hydration, soft, sticky globs that require
dusting with flour or oiling of hands to work and shape. Some recipes
dump raised bread dough in a preheated cast iron Dutch oven. Other
no-knead recipes call for the baker to shape the dough using flour
dusting to control the surface stickiness and bake at high
temperatures with a steam pan in the oven. Because the walnuts and
dried cranberries will tend to burn at very high heats, keep the
temperatures in the range shown. I use a cold non-stick aluminum
Dutch oven and bake on a steel plate. I get good crusts and an easy
bake with good flavor without a steam pan. Use the techniques you
wish and have fun with this bread we find tasty. It makes exceptional toast.
Protein content of the bread makes a difference. If all purpose flour
is used decrease the water an ounce or two and add it back if
necessary to make a dough that can be mixed with a spatula or dough whisk.
Beer with mellow flavor profiles and low hops better meet our desired
flavor profile. High hops content beers do not work as well.
Sour dough starters tend to fall into two styles. One (100% hydration
style) is maintained by adding equal weights of water and flour
resulting in a thick starter. The other common style (equal volume
style) is maintained by adding equal volumes of flour and water and
is much more highly hydrated. For equal weights, a half cup water (4
ounces) is mixed with a scant cup (4 ounces) of flour. For equal
volume starter, a half cup (4 ounces) water is mixed with a half cup
flour (2+ ounces). I use 100% hydration most of the time.
When using 6 ounces of "equal volume" style sourdough starter add 4
ounces of bread flour to compensate for the additional water in the
starter. 2 ounces are added for equal weight starter (total of 20 or
22 ounces of bread flour depending on the style of starter).
Flours: King Arthur bread flour has one of the higher protein
(gluten) contents of general available flours. This bread works with
generic bread flours or unbleached all purpose flour, but it will not
be as light nor rise as high. Avoid use of bleached all purpose flour
as it has a lower protein content.
This bread keeps well on the counter for 2-3 days. I then wrap in
clear wrap and freeze for up to a month. It makes killer toast and
french toast straight from the freezer to the toaster.